Fire treated as suspicious
Gardaí are treating a fire, which broke out at the former Bent Elbow pub over the weekend, as suspicious.
They confirmed to the Celt this week that the blaze is being investigated as criminal damage.
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 4am on Sunday morning last, September 7, following reports of a vehicle on fire at the site. Fire crews from Ballyjamesduff and Cavan Town responded quickly, only to discover the flames had already spread from the vehicle to the adjacent building.
Wearing breathing apparatus, they entered the burning property to battle the blaze from within but, due to the intensity and given the fire had spread, the Cavan Town unit deployed an aerial hydraulic platform to access and extinguish flames in the upper sections of the structure.
The former Bent Elbow property, once a hugely popular stop-off for commuters and locals alike, has lain vacant for a number of years.
Recently, the premises had been partially converted for use as an autoshop and was reportedly due to reopen in the coming weeks.
In 2015, planning permission was sought to change the use of the premises from a public house to an auto repair facility. This was initially refused by Cavan planners, who cited concerns over traffic safety due to the passing 100km/h speed limit, as well as the belief the proposed use lacked rural focus.
The refusal was appealed by then owner, local businessman Phelim McCabe, to An Bord Pleanála, which overturned the decision a year later. Mr McCabe succeeded by arguing the proposed new use - servicing and repairing farm machinery- would better serve the local rural community and reduce road traffic when compared to the former 120-seat bar and restaurant.
The property later changed hands.
Problems followed though and, in 2022, the High Court granted Revenue Commissioners the right to appoint a receiver over the premises due to significant unpaid taxes linked to Longford businessman John Kane. Mr Kane, along with co-appellants Gerard Harahill and his wife, Lucy Pinfold (née Kane), later appealed this decision to the Court of Appeal but this was dismissed.
The appeal had been told that Mr Kane owed nearly €5M in unpaid taxes and attempts had been made to distance him from the property by claiming it was solely owned by his wife. She claimed to have purchased the property in 2016 for €42,000 using savings and funds from selling a tractor.
Revenue challenged this account, presenting a series of bank transfers made by Mr Kane in 2015 - in amounts ranging from €1,200 to €25,000, which they claimed were used to pay for the property.
During the summer, the Bent Elbow property was sold at auction through Dublin-based Gibson Auctions Ltd on May 29, 2025, for €102,000. It had been listed as a former pub “partly converted to an auto workshop”. Lot 21 attracted eight bids in total.
It was put again for sale again by auction earlier this month, September 2, with an AMV (Advised Minimum Value) for the property of €95,000.
Saturday night's fire caused minor traffic disruption and emergency services remained at the scene for a period until the property was made safe.
It is the second fire to happen at the site in recent years. The last fire also caused damage to the building itself.
No injuries were reported as a result of the latest outbreak, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is “ongoing” say gardaí.
A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana confirmed they are “investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire to a vehicle and an adjacent premises at Knocknagilla, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, which occurred at approximately 4am on 7th of September, 2025.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Cavan Garda Station.