Celebrate all that's great about our pubs in Loving Your Local

Local pubs play a key role in the social life of our communities and in this week’s Tipperary Star we celebrate the institution that is the Irish pub.  Our 16 page supplement, Loving Your Local, produced in conjunction with the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland looks at the Irish pub has evolved over the years but still remains very much at the heart of local life.

The White House pub in the heart of Roscrea is a family run bar and restaurant that sits snugly beside the town’s most famous tourist attraction, the 13th century castle once home to the Butlers of Ormond.

“The castle was a King John’s Castle so rumour has it he was fond of a beer so he built the castle beside a good pub and we were here first,” jokes proprietor Paul Fogarty and second generation owner, proudly describing the intricate maze of secret tunnels from the castle which spread out deep under the hardwood floors of the family business.

When the Fogarty’s first arrived in Roscrea via Howth in the early 80’s, there were some 37 other public houses in the town. Today there are just eleven.

Determined to keep his parents legacy alive, Paul says taking a proactive approach to marketing and networking were key to keeping the White House going during the downturn.

“We started doing a lot of promotion on social media and I attended a lot of trade shows selling the pub as a destination to coach tours travelling around Ireland. We started marketing the pub as a mid way point where tourists could get off the bus, tour around the castle and have their lunch. It definitely gave a boost to the town by having all these visitors here,” he says.

Today the White House has positioned itself as the heartbeat of the community, a place that’s more than just a local.

Loving Your Local looks at how pubs around the country have adapted to change while at the same time remaining at the heart of local communities, reflecting the changes in Irish society but staying firmly at the centre of it all.

Check out our 16 page Loving Your Local supplement HERE or in this week's Tipperary Star.