10 YEARS ago this week, Mother Macs in Limerick City opened its doors for the first time. While much has changed since then, community and keeping the traditional Irish pub alive remains at the heart of what the pub is all about.
Brothers Mike and James McMahon developed a love for the business, working in pubs and nightclubs during their college years. When the building on High Street, the same parish they grew up in, went up for sale, they decided to open the then nameless bar with nothing but a fresh lick of paint on the walls.
Today, the award-winning pub holds the coveted Bar of the Year title, along with best traditional bar and whiskey bar of the year. Though despite the accolades, co-owner Mike says it is the customers who make the pub what it is.
“An American visitor once described the pub as a ‘talkie’ where you just come in, sit down, and talk. We have built up a beautiful trade over the past 10 years and we have some wonderful regulars”, co-owner Mike told the Limerick Post.
And while the pints might be what draws people to the pub, Mike believes it is the sense of community and camaraderie that keep them coming back.
“It’s really sad to say … but there are people out there who have nobody else to discuss their day with. The bar is a wonderful place because you can come in and almost unload your day to the person behind the bar or whoever is sitting beside you,” he says.
“I’m looking at guys, in particular, who are 35 or 40 years of age and they find it difficult to discuss things with their own GP, never mind anyone else. But then they come into the pub and for some magical reason they can unload and it’s completely acceptable. There’s no stigma or judgement associated with it, it’s almost like a relief for them,” Mike shared.
Mother Macs was named in honour of the owners’ mother, who passed away in 2017, reflecting the pub’s deeply personal foundations.
Over the years the pub built a loyal following and grew in a thoughtful fashion, with the opening of Peggy’s Whiskey Parlour, formerly Alice’s off-licence, in 2018 deepening the whiskey offering and storytelling experience of the pub.
Innovative walking tours, limited-edition whiskey releases and cultural events have also allowed the pub to transform into a cultural space, most recently hosting jazz nights and storytelling sessions.
Marking 10 years in business, Mother Macs have applied for planning permission to construct a new shopfront to High Street to reinstate the old facade.
They will also officially launch their new 10-year anniversary whiskey in partnership with Dunville Irish Whiskey this Thursday (December 18) and plans are in the pipeline for other anniversary releases in partnership with Treaty City Brewery on Nicholas Street.
When asked how it feels to celebrate 10 years in business, Mike jokingly throws around words such as ‘tired’, ’embattled’, and ’emboldened’.
But on a more serious note, Mike says the anniversary is marked “not by looking backwards with sentimentality, but by acknowledging a simple truth: when you build something with care, integrity, and people at the centre, longevity follows naturally.”
“The next chapter is already being written — but if the past decade has proven anything, it’s that Mother Macs will continue to evolve in its own quiet, confident way, one conversation at a time.”