A group of regulars and friends in County Waterford have taken over their local pub one year after it closed its doors.

Haughton’s pub in Kilmeaden closed its doors 14 months ago; however, the watering hole has now reopened after regulars stepped in to save it.

On Lunchtime Live today, one of Haughton’s 13 new proprietors, Sean Lyons, said the pub closing was a “big loss to the community”.

“It had been the local to lots of people in this area for many years,” he said.

The group of friends approached the owners, Gerry and Margaret O'Connell, who were “more than happy” to lease the pub to them.

'Happy to have it open'

Mr Lyons said the group is not running the pub to “make money” – adding that they just want to see their local open once again.

“We were a little bit nervous about it when we did it, but the response has been absolutely phenomenal,” he said.

“The local community and everybody around us are just so, so happy to have it open.”

A busy Haughton's Pub interior. Image: Haughton's Pub

Mr Lyons said the pub is “very old,” adding that while they are not sure when it first opened, the oldest license they “have to hand” is from 1900.

“So it’s 124 years old at least,” he said.

“But we checked on GeoHive and there's a building there in 1835 so we figure it's certainly, you know, 200 years or so.

“It has huge history and huge character and it's just a place where people come to sit down, have a chat and maybe sing song might break out – or a game of cards or whatever.”

'Working great'

The ‘committee’ running the pub is made up of a “bunch of friends” who have “travelled the world together”.

“We'd all know our strengths and weaknesses and there's a huge skill set there,” Mr Lyons said.

“We have a carpenter, a mechanic, an electrician, an accountant, a solicitor, an engineer and we all have our own skills.

“We divvy up the work, and whether it's serving the bar, collecting glasses or, you know, getting ready for opening or whatever, everyone shares the load.

“It's been working great.”

The counter at Haughton's Pub, Waterford. Image: Haughton's Pub

The bar opens three nights a week – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – with exceptions for special occasions, such as last week’s Halloween night.

“Coming up to Christmas we're getting quite a few people asking us will we open up for office nights or whatever, and you know, we’ll do that, if we can at all,” Mr Lyons said.

'The other side of the counter'

Mr Lyons said the group have tried to make the process as “efficient as possible” noting that they are all working day jobs on top of the pub.

“Our plan will be that if things continue to go as positively as they are that we start maybe bringing in some staff ourselves to maybe take some of the daily shifts,” he said.

Mr Lyons joked that they would like to “spend some time on the other side of the counter”.

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Main image: Haughton's Pub exterior. Image: Haughton's Pub