LIAM and Rose Foley are looking forward to doing plenty of sightseeing around the country as well as taking in the odd concert, now that they have retired from the bar business after an impressive 42 years behind the counter at their much-loved Foley’s Bar in Ballineen.
Family, friends, customers and staff, both past and present, including Noreen Corcoran – who was a barmaid when Liam’s dad, William, opened the bar first in 1954, at a building that was formerly known as Hurley’s Hotel – gathered in the bar on Friday June 30th to mark the couple’s retirement.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Liam, who took over running the bar in 1981, joked that they may still be on call at times, but they were officially marking their retirement.
‘We will miss certain aspects of being behind the bar including our great customers and the banter and chat we would have,’ said Liam.
‘We had a fantastic night here to mark our retirement with plenty of music and singers and it was great that some of our past staff were able to come and mark the occasion. I am looking forward also to seeing parts of West Cork that I’ve never been to before.’
Meanwhile, Rose said it is now time for hobbies and noted there are some gardening projects that require their attention!
‘We are hoping to go sightseeing and see more of our beautiful country and we’re looking forward to going to a few concerts too. We want to thank all our customers down through the years who supported us. There was a fantastic turnout on the night and we really appreciate the kindness from everyone.’
The couple also wished their son Shane and his partner, Annette, who run the bar all the best in the future.
