GRACE Flaherty is looking forward to another busy season this summer at Tí Joe Watty.
The pub and restaurant is located just a short walk from the pier in Kilronan village at the cross-roads that lead to Dún Aengus and the famous Seal Colony observation and offers great food, traditional music and a lively atmosphere, attracting visitors each year from across Ireland and around the world.
Since taking over the establishment in 2009, Grace has transitioned from a culinary role to overseeing a large staff, while her husband handles the finances and marketing. Originally from Ballyconneely in Connemara, she “married-in” to the island of Inis Mór in 1981 and his lived on the largest of the Aran Islands ever since.
Family is the core of the popular establishment, as Grace points out “My background is as a qualified chef but now I manage front of house because we have a bigger staff, we’ve about 20 staff so that all takes a bit of work”.
“My daughter does a lot of work on the floor, two of my sons play music and the three of them would sing here. The kids are always involved”, she continues. Tí Joe Watty is well known for its music, catering for a range of styles including trad, country, folk and blues. The pub take immense pride in being recognized by Lonely Planet as one of the Top 10 pubs in Ireland for traditional music.
For the summer ahead, Grace jokes that she is “looking forward to a bit of weather” as well as the large number of tourists that flock to the island. “We have a lot groups booked so we’re just looking forward to getting on with that.
Tourism patterns on the island have continued to evolve, but Inis Mór remains a popular destination for visitors seeking scenery, heritage and outdoor activities. In terms of a visitor profile, Grace explains “There are a lot of French people we find, maybe that’s because they’re not travelling elsewhere. People come and walk as well, we find there’s a lot of interest in walking groups on the island as well”, she adds.
Although the island is famous for its historic profile, new developments in recent years have helped to enhance visitor experience and continue to bring business to Ti Joe Watty’s. Grace highlighted the island’s diving academy as a particularly positive addition to local tourism. “We have the diving academy here now which is a very positive thing”, she mentions.
“There’s still the bicycles, the pony and trap and the buses”, for people looking to get around the largest of the three islands, Grace adds. Despite the challenges that can come with running a business that depends on tourists, Grace says she enjoys the job and loves meeting new people each tourist season.
For Grace and her family, another summer at Tí Joe Watty’s means continuing the tradition of hospitality that’s part of the Aran Islands experience, offering visitors a warm welcome, good food and music long into the evening.
