Laois village pub gets €90k grant for tourist suites
The Sportsman's Inn in Cullohill pictured in 2022, when it went up for sale
THE new owners of a Laois village pub have been granted almost €90,000 to create accommodation for tourists.
The group behind the revival of The Sportsman’s Inn in Cullohill, who include retired Laois-Offaly Garda Chief Superintendent John Scanlan, have been awarded €89,930 in Fáilte Ireland funding announced today.
The landmark pub was once run by the late Elizabeth O'Connell, mother of Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell of Ballymaloe fame.
The pub was owned by the O’Connell family since 1916 but closed due to the Covid pandemic. It did not reopen and went up for sale in 2022 with a guide price of €300,000.
Local residents led by Mr Scanlan and his wife Anne Marie McMahon, a retired deputy garda commissioner, purchased the property with plans to reopen its doors as a gastro-pub and revive its central role in community life.
The Fáilte Ireland grant is for conversion of the existing residential unit at the pub into four-bedroom ensuite accommodation for tourists.
At Portlaoise District Court this week, Judge Andrew Cody wished Mr Scanlan well in his new venture, after he was granted an ad-interim transfer licence for the premises.
In a planning submission to Laois Co Council in March 2024, the group said: ‘The applicants see an opportunity here to acquire this established business and under new ownership to progress the entity to a new stage, re-establishing the social focal point in the village and continuing excellence in the provision of food, drink and hospitality.
"They also see the opportunity to build on the historical aspect of food production in this premises, and to strengthen it by the sourcing of the best of local Irish produce and its presentation through the kitchen to a very high standard, thus showcasing the culinary skills available also in the area.
‘Having such a business re-established here in Cullohill will help to draw even more tourists to the area and enhance their experience of the area.’
Meanwhile, Durrow Development Forum has been granted €9,840 under the same scheme for the development of digital trails, for ‘an immersive, self-guided exploration of the area's history and biodiversity’.
The grants are part of a €2.3m fund awarded to 18 new tourism projects in the midlands, under Fáilte Ireland’s grant aid scheme for Private and Community SMEs, which is part of the EU Just Transition Fund programme.
