‘We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the support of all the local people’ Nobber landmark pub celebrates 50 years

Keogan’s Pub in Nobber celebrated 50 years in the north Meath village at the weekend with plenty of reminiscing, music and partying over the course of the three-day celebration.

Now run by Johnny Keogan and his wife, Eileen, Johnny told how his late parents Seamus and Peggy were living in Chicago when they bought the pub and moved to Nobber with their young family.

Johnny is the youngest of four children and recalled that he was just four when the family made the big move across the Atlantic .

“We were all born in Chicago and in 1974, my uncle Phelim who had the pub in Kilmainhamwood suggested to my father about buying the local pub in Nobber.”

Seamus had grown up in the Keogan family pub in Kilmainhamwood and later moved to Chicago where he met Peggy, who was from Castlerahan.

“He had a thriving carpet business in Chicago but decided to make the move back to Meath. They bought the pub from Larry McGuinness, a former Meath footballer, who had ran before them.

“It was a huge change for us all. My mother came here with all the different style from Chicago and she had the beehive hairdo. It was a major change in our lives. Upstairs over the pub was a warehouse with oats and grain and barley stored in the attic and the one thing she remembered were all the rats,” recalled Johnny.

The same year, Keogan's also started their undertaking business which continues today and is also run by Johnny.

“In 1977, my father undertook knocking down the back building where the oats and wheat had been stored and built the lounge. They started dancing and had waltzing competitions which were huge. There was music four nights a week. Then when it was really big, there was dancing from Wednesday through to Mondays in the early eighties.”

A sign that was outside the pub in the late seventies and lay in a shed for many years was restored and put back up outside the pub for the 50th birthday celebrations.

Johnny says they don't know how long the pub has been in the village but that the William Lawrence collection from 1800 has it in it. He says it is there even longer than that and may even date back to the 1700's.

Growing up in the pub business, Johnny and his brother Phelim, and sisters Erin and Eileen all worked in the pub at weekends as youngsters and Johnny later went on to take over the running of the business.

Peggy passed away in 2014 and Seamus five years later and Johnny said his father was “heartbroken” after his mother died as they had done everything together. Seamus continued on behind the bar after Peggy's death but started to wind down.

One of the most challenging periods for Johnny and indeed all publicans was Covid and the lockdowns it brought. To go from being open six nights a week to nothing was very tough but Johnny busied himself by doing takeaway pints.

“We started doing takeaway pints, delivering them to the lads. Especially the Guinness, is not the same out of the can. Every weekend, we were busy delivering pints of Guniness. It gave us something to do.”

To get back open, they also started doing pizzas and serving them outside.

Johnny and Eileen's two daughters, Claire and Emma also help out in the pub and Johnny said particularly during Covid, they couldn't have kept going without them. They were bored and got involved in doing the pizzas and it became a bit of a project for them.

“They were bored, everywhere was closed and it was a huge boost to me and Eileen to have them help us. We started doing pizzas outside and we were hitting 28,000 steps a day running in and out.”

Johnny's brother Phelim and sisters Eileen and Erin were all in Nobber for the celebrations at the weekend with other family members flying in from England and America to join them. There were lots of well-wishes throughout the weekend and Johnny has thanked the local community for their support over the years. As part of the celebrations, €3,000 was raised that was handed out to various local clubs and organisations.

“We want to thank the local people who supported us over the last fifty years. People shared some great memories of the pub over the years and we had family come from England and America. A lot of people said to me that mam and dad would have been very proud and that meant a lot.”

Johnny paid tribute to the local community who have supported them over the years saying: “We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the support of all the local people and all our neighbours and friends.”