When the late Peter McCarthy walked into MacCarthy’s bar in Castletownsend in the spring of 1999 little did he know that his idea for a book, tied together by McCarthy making a point of never passing a bar that had his name on it, would become a bestseller. It even prompted a name change over the door to the author’s spelling of the surname.
Dreamers need look no further than a bar that has just come to the market on the edge of the starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way in the village ofThe village is a sleepy one. Its only shop closed last year and the small village school is about five minutes out the road. Set on the slightly inclining street McCarthy’s Bar is a traditional two-storey house with one-over-one timber sliding sash windows. Out front are two benches that, on a good day, face south and get good afternoon sun.
The main entrance to the house is via the pub – now shuttered for about two years – through the timber-panelled, square-headed double front door, which opens directly into the bar area. There is a lounge to the right with an open fire for cold winter nights and an upright piano for a late night singsong maybe.