*Publican Michael Keane. Photograph: John Sheridan.
ON a windswept stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way lies Keane’s Oyster Bar, ran by owner Michael Keane since 1980 although the pub has been serving customers for much longer than that.
The bar is found across the road from Lisdeen Church, midway between Moyasta and Kilkee. In a world where online shopping can reach Loop Head in a matter of hours, Keane’s is one of a dying breed.
Born in 1948, owner Michael Keane says that the bar is steeped in history. “My family has been here in this area since 1641, twenty six generations. Don’t ask me about publicans going back that time because there was no licenses. Our trade was small farmers and blacksmiths”.
“We got a license through a court case that was in Kilkee and the judges were coming from Ennis. That time it was all carriages and the horse got lame. They stopped in the forge to reshoe the horse and the judge told my great grandfather to apply for a license at the next court sitting in Kilkee. We have the license since then. These things just evolved”, he told The Clare Echo.
The dwindling population of West Clare has naturally effected businesses, forcing establishments like Keane’s to make changes. After attempts to find alternative income by growing Christmas trees and farming snails failed, Michael moved the bar towards the hospitality sector.
“As people die out you have to change. We got into the restaurant business then in 1995. One of the alternative sources of income I went looking for was oysters, that’s more or less why the restaurant took off . We added on accommodation as well, we have a little piece of everything. Don’t ask me where we’re going to evolve after this because I’m running out of options”, he said.
During his seventy seven years, Michael has witnessed many changes, the biggest being religion. “The church was built out here in 1961, everyone went to mass on a Sunday that time. You put on your good clothes and you left them on. That has obviously changed. Sunday is a wind-down day now because a lot of people are working on Monday so they don’t go out anymore. Even out here now we don’t even have mass on a Sunday, mass is on a Wednesday night here now in the church”.
Along with the fall in mass attendances, there is a drop in population, with Kilkee standing at only 1200 permanent residents despite summer swells. This effects every aspect of communities in West Clare, especially pubs like Keane’s.
“They’ll tell you that you can’t get a house in West Clare. Of course you can but the houses are all being bought up by older people. Both for holiday homes and people that want to downsize from Dublin or somewhere. You don’t see much of them, they don’t interact with the community much. A lot of their shopping is done online. You never used to see Tesco or Dunne stores delivering back here and now they go all the way back to Loop Head. That is part of the bigger problem”, the barman outlined.
Over 100 pubs have closed across the county in the past 20 years, a figure that many publicans feel will only continue to rise. West Clare is no exception with Keane’s next-door neighbour The Halfway House now permanently having shut its doors.
“Pubs in Kilrush are closed and your left with only a handful now and the same in Kilkee. Older people are running pubs and when the older people die, there is no living for a young couple. Part of the reason that older people can live on pubs is because we’re all getting the pension. You wouldn’t be able to make a living if you had three or four young children”.
“That’s part of the reason that pubs don’t open until six or seven in the evening because the people that own them are working. A lot more will close”, Keane added.
