Mary Anns Pub and Restaurant

Our History

The building that is Mary Ann's dates from the 15th Century, but the building's use as a pub did not begin until 1846, when the first licenses were initiated. It may have been used as a drinking house before then, but the records date from that time. As was the case with most properties in Castletownshend at the time, the buildings were owned by the Townshend Family and were leased to

people. The family that ran Mary Ann's at that time, and for most of the next century were the Hennessy Family, and that was the bar's name. In addition to owning the bar, which also had a shop, he was a coal merchant and had horse drawn hackney cars. In or around 1890 he purchased the premises from a Mr. Holford and Miss Mundy and he carried on to trade until his death, when the bar was passed on to his son Jack. When Jack died in the 1930's his sister, who was married to another publican in the Village, took over the bar. Upon her death in 1947 she handed the bar over to her maid, Mary Ann Hayes, and so the name was born. She traded until 1963, when she sold to Mrs. It was she who extended the premises to its size today. She stayed until 1970, when she sold to another English couple, Norman & Leonore Davis from Shropshire. Thus began a Golden Era for Mary Ann's, the 1970's saw a large increase in tourism to the area, and the Davis' started to do a lot of food. Norman died in 1981 and Leonore carried on until 1983, when she sold to Bill and Ann Hosford from Cork. The Hosford's brought many new clients to the bar in their tenure. They then sold to the present owners, Fergus and Patricia O'Mahony, in 1988.
•1846 Premises operate as a bar / shop / coal merchant / hackney service
•1846 - 1947 Premises run by the Hennessy Family - Jeremiah (who purchased the premises in 1890), Jack, Mary Ann & Willie Casey
•1947 - 1963 Owner: Mary Ann Hayes. Premises now called "Mary Ann's"
•1963 - 1970 Owner: Prudence Sykes. Bar extended and shop closed.
•1970 - 1983 Owners: Leonore & Norman Davis. Stables in garden turned into Dining Room.
•1983 - 1988 Owners: Ann & Bill Hosford. Fergus O'Mahony, Manager.
•1988 - present Owners: Patricia & Fergus O'Mahony. Extended Restaurant & added large patio in garden.