The view from the Crow’s Nest
MEET THE FINALISTS: BEST IN HOSPITALITY
The Crow’s Nest in Ballyconnell has been a fond fixture in the border town for more than four decades.
Keen to return from England where he had emigrated to as a teenager, Bertie Crowe first opened the pub on the main street in 1982.
Bertie and his wife Mairead ran the bar and lounge for many years until their sons Niall and Stephen took over the reins around 15 years ago.
Having worked behind the bar from a young age, the pair were met with a business that was somewhat struggling due to a changing pub culture.
The changes remain most visible on weekdays, with business quieter than before when people who had retired would come in for a “bit of craic”.
The brothers invested into renovating the property and focused their attention on encouraging people to come in for different events, advertising sports and hosting live music.
They are also taking steps to manage costs by improving the pub’s energy consumption.
Over the last five years or so, they have booked many parties, including birthday and wedding parties, in their newly extended outdoor area, where they often hold barbecues that are typically prepared by their uncle Gerard, who runs Crowe’s Butchers across the street.
“You don’t have to drink coming into a pub,” Niall says, adding that pubs can be a place of community, where people can go if they need to talk to someone.
A “real local bar,” the pub mainly serves people from the area but they also get good passing trade from the Ballyconnell canal and nearby Slieve Russell Hotel, from where it sometimes hosts day two of wedding parties.
The pub also contributes to the local Kildallan GAA club and a range of community organisations.
Behind the bar, Niall finds, it is possible to observe different aspects of human nature and the way life changes.
Open seven days per week, six people are employed part-time there, with Niall, Stephen and Mairead also in tow.
“We encourage our staff to have a smile on their face and a chat, which is very important.”
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FULL LIST OF FINALISTS
Read about the other three finalists in this category by visiting the stories below.
Feeding hearts and minds in Swanlinbar