Doctor rows in to buy Crosshaven's The Oar with plans for a gastro pub
Pictured left to right: Sam Kingston of Casey & Kingston, Dr Nick Flynn, new owner of The Oar and JP English, outgoing owner Picture: John Roche
POPULAR Crosshaven hostelry The Oar has sold to a well-known GP who plans to put it on the map as a destination gastro pub.
Waterford native, Cork-based Dr Nick Flynn, paid €650,000 for the 4,300 sq ft premises, which includes an 80-seater restaurant, and will take over from JP English, member of a reputable Cork sailing family, who ran the pub/restaurant for the past decade.
Dr Flynn, who did his GP training in Crosshaven many years ago and now lives there, said he has “a very firm vision” for The Oar, with the aim being to create a foodie haven.
“Think O’Grady’s on the Pier in Galway (Oyster and Seafood Restaurant in Barna),” Dr Flynn said.
To help him implement his vision, he has enlisted the help of an old school pal, hospitality guru Ciarán Fitzgerald, director of the Blue Haven Collection, which incorporates Kinsale’s Blue Haven Hotel, Hamlets Bar and Kitchen and The Old Bank House in Kinsale, while he is co-owner of Schull Harbour Hotel, Kiely's Cork (Maylor Street) and The Black Barrel in Midleton.
Mr Fitzgerald will be providing industry nous, Dr Flynn said.
“He will advise me on the direction we should take vis-a-vis who to hire in terms of head chef, manager etc. We have a couple of people in mind, which we will reveal in due course.” In the meantime, it will be “business as usual” with no major changes made until a team is assembled to implement Dr Flynn’s vision.
“Once we get the correct team, changes will be implemented over a 12-18 month period, and will include a rebranding and official launch,” the new owner said.
The plan was to “build on all the good stuff that’s already there”, and to work towards developing a venue that offered “what customers like ie good quality, locally-produced, fresh food, not overly complicated, and nicely priced, in a relaxed atmosphere”, Dr Flynn said.
His lack of experience in hospitality was not a deterrent. "In any business I am involved in, I am very careful about picking the team and of making sure that they understand the ethos we want to build on and that they believe in being part of something that will make a difference," he said.
While his background is medical – his GP practice operates out of the HSE’s primary care centre at St Mary’s, Hollyhill, and he recently teamed up with Certior, a company offering a first-of-its-kind screening test in Ireland, designed to detect circulating tumour cells in the blood – he has always has an interest in hospitality, he said.
“It’s an area of business that has always interested me. And when I visited The Oar, I fell in love with the building and of course the views. And I love a challenge,” he said.
Those scenic views, from all three levels of the premises, are over marinas and across the harbour to wooded Currabinny, and over towards Cobh’s famous cathedral.
Dr Flynn, who can see his new premises from his own Crosshaven home on Camden Road, said he felt “the stars were aligned when he decided to buy” through Sam Kingston, estate agent with Casey & Kingston, who had guided at €550,000.
“I’m confident The Oar will fulfil my ambition to become a destination gastro pub with a regional/national reputation,” he said, adding that he was “looking forward to continuing the hospitality tradition within the village to provide good quality food and drink, and building on The Oar’s location and reputation to become a landmark on Cork’s food and drink landscape”.
Crosshaven’s hospitality offering is strong, thanks to the hard work of venues such as well-established Cronin’s Pub, and more recently, River’s End Café. The local Centra, run by Bernard Lynch, does an excellent trade and put itself on the map nationally last year when Mr Lynch went viral after promoting a special “soochi” offer.
There’s scope too to pick up on the trade that would have gone to Bunnyconnellan pub and restaurant in nearby Myrtleville, as it is currently closed and on the market for €1.9m with no guarantee that its future is in hospitality. The owners of Bunnyconnellan, the O'Brien family, continue to operate Myrtleville's Pine Lodge.
Accessibility to Crosshaven from Cork City has improved immensely in recent years, through the development of a terrific greenway linking it to Carrigaline, the introduction of a 24-hour bus service from the city and with even greater connectivity on the horizon under plans to develop a motorway between the city and Ringaskiddy.
