OVER 20 jobs have been lost in Bandon with the sudden closure of the Old Market Restaurant, it is believed.
The pub closed on June 16th and it is being reported that two other businesses on South Main Street are set to close.
The popular bar and restaurant on Market Street was run by Shane and Carly Spillane for the past eight months, with the couple having previously ran O’Connor’s Seafood Restaurant in Bantry before they moved east to run the premises in Bandon.
Just last month, Shane spoke to The Southern Star and admitted that they had been struggling since they took over the premises.
He said at the time that they had employed 26 people at the start of January but this had been reduced to 21.
‘We can only take this for so long. It’s devastating,’ he said. He also said the ongoing works on South Main Street were not helping and there will be no need for ‘traffic calming measures’ because there will be no one in the town.
The couple, originally from Youghal, took over O’Connor’s Seafood restaurant in Bantry in 2020 and ran it until September of last year.
A post on the Old Market Restaurant’s Facebook page from June 16th indicated that it was closing for ‘small refurbishments and a well-earned rest,’ but it is being widely reported that the business has now closed for good.
Shane Spillane was contacted for comment but could not be reached.
Meanwhile, outgoing chair of Bandon Kinsale Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) signalled at this week’s Bandon Kinsale Municipal District AGM that other businesses in the town are set to close in the coming months. She called for a retail strategy for the town.
‘For a long time Bandon got very little from the pie in Cork County Council but we are getting a lot over the past eight years,’ she said.
‘However, retail space certainly needs support and even last week I heard bad news of retail outlets closing and we do need a concerted effort to showcase Bandon as the destination for retailers and businesses and. There are huge opportunities here.’
At the same meeting, Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG) was elected chair for the incoming year after being nominated by Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) and seconded by Cllr Ann Bambury (SD), while Cllr Coleman was elected vice-chair.
