When the doors of Haughton’s Pub closed in August 2023 following the retirement of long-time publicans Gerry and Margaret O’Connell, the community was faced with the prospect of losing much more than a place to have a drink.

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Fourteen months later, 13 regular customers came together to lease the premises from Gerry and reopen the doors, taking on the running of the pub themselves.

Don Flynn is one of the 13. The group was already friends, with strong connections to Haughton’s and the surrounding community, before taking on the challenge.

“I sent a text out to 20 guys in the area and, lo and behold, 13 of us are now here running it,” Don said.

A local steeped in history

Haughton’s has served generations of the local community, evolving from a house and grocery shop into the traditional pub it is today.

The Haughton family was behind the bar for many years, with Paddy and David Haughton among its former custodians. Gerry and Margaret O’Connell took over in 1997 and remained at the helm until their retirement in 2023.

For Don, the pub retains much of the character built up over that long history. He describes stepping through the doors as being “like a step back in time”, with its traditional features contributing to its unique atmosphere.

When Gerry and Margaret retired, what locals initially thought might be the end of an era ultimately became the beginning of a new chapter.

After more than a year of closure, Don approached Gerry to ask what his plans were for the premises. He then contacted a group of local friends to see whether there was an appetite to take it on.

The resulting group of 13 are all friends with strong connections to the area and span a broad range of ages and backgrounds, including people involved in local sport, as well as electricians, carpenters and an accountant. The motivation for reopening Haughton’s went beyond simply bringing a business back into use.

“When we got together to open the pub, the number one factor was the community,” Don explained. “It’s a great meeting place to have chats for people who are lonely and now have somewhere to go.”

Bringing the community back through the doors

Since reopening, Haughton’s has once again become a focal point for local activity. The pub operates at weekends, with the group meeting regularly to organise its running and oversee the business. Beyond its social role, the reopening of Haughton’s has also benefited the local economy, with events and live music drawing people into the area.

Local farming and sporting communities have been particularly strong supporters. Haughton’s has welcomed local hurling and camogie teams, along with Waterford’s senior and All-Ireland-winning minor hurlers. Live and impromptu music sessions are also a regular feature.

Charity events have also become an important part of the calendar, raising funds for local causes, including Solas and the Irish Hospice Foundation. One of the biggest annual occasions is the pub’s tractor run, which has a particularly strong connection with the surrounding farming community.

“Our main event, which has been running for many years, is the tractor run, which brings the farming community completely together for that full day,” Don adds.

The event highlights Haughton’s strong connection to the wider community, bringing together people from farming, sport and the local area. For the 13 people now looking after Haughton’s, the continued support of the community is helping to safeguard a pub that might otherwise have remained closed.

Protecting the rural pub

Haughton’s is a positive example of what can be achieved when a community rallies around its local, but Eoin Lyons of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) believes the responsibility for safeguarding rural pubs cannot fall on communities alone.

“It’s a fantastic story with Haughton’s and for many pubs around Ireland where the community comes together to save a pub,” he said. “But it shouldn’t have to be the responsibility of the community to save the pub.”

The VFI is seeking a targeted tax credit to help publicans facing continued cost-of-business pressures. It also wants to see pubs included in the Government’s wider rural strategy and is calling for an inter-departmental group focused on the sector, bringing together areas including tourism, employment and the economy.

For Eoin, the wider challenge is ensuring pubs such as Haughton’s can continue to provide the social hub that rural communities need.

“It’s such an important thing for a community that it has a pub, it has a social hub. And that’s one thing we always say at the Vintners Federation of Ireland: the pub is the hub.”

Back at Haughton’s, the 13 locals continue to meet every two weeks to discuss the running of the pub. For Don, the response since reopening has reinforced why they took the leap in the first place.

The community came together to save Haughton’s; now, by continuing to support it, that same community is helping to secure the future of a local that has served the area for more than 150 years.

Join us at the Ploughing for The Importance of the Rural Pub to Community Life, a panel discussion on the role rural pubs play in supporting local communities, at the Irish Farmers Journal stand on 15 September (12-12.45pm) and 16 September (11.45am-12.30pm).