South Roscommon pub reopens "after five long months"

One of the most long-established pubs in Roscommon, Coffey's in Lecarrow, reopened this week having been closed since March.

The pub, which has traded for more than a century, announced its reopening in a post on Facebook.

"I'm delighted to announce that we are back open after five long months, with clearance from the HSE," said the post from proprietor Sarah Jane Coffey.

She said the pub would be open between 12 noon and 10pm and would now be serving "delicious pizzas" for €10 in order to comply with the requirement to serve a substantial meal.

"Food must be consumed with your drink. First come first served, so bear with us, as it's all new to us as well. Please practice social distancing. Looking forward to seeing you all soon," she said.

Coffey's, which previously did not serve food, was initially expecting to reopen on July 20 last, but since then it saw its reopening date pushed back more than once.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent earlier this month, Sarah Jane highlighted the importance of the pub as a social outlet, particularly in rural areas.

"The people who come into the pub are my friends as well as my customers. We've missed everybody, and everybody misses the social aspect of it," she said.

Coffey's marked its 100th anniversary with celebrations in the summer of 2018.