If I grew up in California I would probably aspire to be part the entertainment industry. If I grew up in England I might want to be a footballer, but I’m Irish, so growing up in Ireland the jewel in the crown was always the public house. It might sound weird but we all know it’s true, all over the world it’s what we’re known for, so when the public house started to change to more modern stylings, it was sad for all of us who grew up with it. It was like watching some you loved one getting old and knowing they would not be around forever.
Well thank God I’m not the only one who feels that way because today I want to talk about two brothers who feel the same way I do, Pat and Alan Mc Cann, originally from Mount Brown just down the hill from our offices. As I sit in there pub, Mc Canns (formally Hannons) on James street, I look around and it really gives me a sense of homeliness and as I speak to the lads I understand why.
From the age of 14, Pat worked in O’Malley’s Pub on James Street and after three years was offered an apprenticeship in the Gate Bar on James Street, at the time the busiest and best run Public house in the James Street area.
In 1985, Pat traveled around Australia, all the time working in bars and clubs and after a year he felt it was time to move on but had not yet made the return trip back to Ireland. He stopped in England for a while where he worked for “The North Western” in Wolverhampton in Milton Keynes, however it wasn’t long before Pat had his own pub. In fact, he had two, “Checkers” in Northamptonshire for 3 years and “The Plough” in Newport Pagnell in Milton Keynes for 2 years and funny enough most of his costumers were Irish, what’s that’s say about us, eh?
Pat’s brother Alan was always involved in sports but snooker was his true passion, even Ken Doherty had to admit defeat to Alan from time to time, Alan came very close to becoming a professional snooker player but for reasons he only knows decided against it. When Pat finally returned to Dublin in the late nineties the city he grew up in had changed considerably, so Pat took some time for himself, in his own words “a well deserved break”.
Then along came Hannons and before long Pat and Alan snapped it up and in April of this year they will have had it for ten years and in the ten years they’ve had it it’s gone from strength to strength.
So if you enjoy a good pint in good surroundings the way it was always meant to be you won’t go far wrong.
When I asked the Boys if they had any advice for anyone looking to get into the business this is what they said; “If you don’t mind a bit of hard work the rewards are there but discipline is required”.
So fair play lads and thanks for keeping an old tradition alive.
I lived and worked as a Barman in Hannons in the early 70’s. It’s great to see latest owners keeping up the traditional styling.