This article is from page 103 of the 2008-07-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 103 JPG
WHEN a man and woman sat down in Joe Sciascia’s pub, The Old Mill, one Sunday, he thought they were just two more customers for his hugely popular Sunday lunch menu.
When they handed him a card declaring they were judges in the Licensing World magazine’s Bar Awards, apart from being glad that they had enjoyed fabulous food and courteous friendly service, he thought no more of it.
Even when he got a letter telling him the pub had been shortlisted and an invitation to the awards ceremony, Joe and his wife Kathleen thought it
would be little more than a nice night out.
“T couldn’t go so my wife and my step-daughter, Clodagh went up. I was struck dumb when she told me we’d won the Best Country Bar cat- egory ”, said Joe.
Joe and Kathleen took over the pub ten years ago and since have invested €300,000 to bring it back to it’s old world glory.
Joe jokes that it’s not so much a business as a storeroom for his col- lection of original Guinness signs, antique cigarette packets and other memorabilia. “I’m wouldn’t be the greatest barman in the world – the success of this place is down to my
wife and my step-daughter, who manage it, and the hard-working rea
“We wanted to do this place right and the bar food and restaurant are doing very well now but there’s no doubt the pub side of things is very slow. The traditional Irish pub is dy- ing out,” commented Joe.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s best food pub was named as Casey’s of Baltimore having won the Febvre Bar Food aN ENKee
“These are great victories for the province,” said Nigel Tynan, editor of Licensing World and chairman of the judging panel, commenting on the win. He added that The Old Mill
had been chosen from hundreds of pubs visited by judges countrywide. “The rural trade has come through some tough times so it is fantastic to see the trade’s commitment to excel- lence and service being recognised.”
“Country pubs play an integral role in rural society – a hugely important factor that needs to be acknowledged. The Old Mill is an exceptional coun- try bar that goes above and beyond to ensure a quality and responsible drinking environment for its pa- trons,” he said.
Local counveillor, Tony O’Brien congratulated the couple. “It’s a great boost for O’Briens bridge and well deserved.”