A place in the country

A place in the country

The Maghera Inn near Dundrum is a perfect example of a quality rural pub and restaurant where attention to detail has gelled with good food and a comfortable village ambience to deliver an award-winning formula. Hospitality veterans, Hugh and Anne Davey have been speaking to LCN …

Hugh and Anne Davey saw a lifetime of work in the hospitality trade rewarded during the recent Pubs of Ulster (PoU) Awards in Belfast when their Co. Down venue, The Maghera Inn claimed the title of Northern Ireland Food Pub of the Year.

It’s not the first time that the acclaimed bar and restaurant has been among the winners. In 2007, the Ballyloughlin Road venue was named Pub of the Year by PoU and was runner-up to Food Pub of the year in 2008.

It’s testament to the efforts of Hugh and Anne who have been developing the business with the help of their son Matthew, since taking it over in 1999.

“This is a traditional pub with no airs or graces, but we do believe in being conscientious about what we do,” says Hugh. “We’ve been here for a while and we have had our ups and downs but we really love being in the hospitality business.”

Working in the pub trade is a family tradition. Hugh’s father, Hugh Henry Davey from Killyleagh collected five caps playing soccer for Ireland and he owned a pub in the town which he named The International as a homage to his sporting career. Later, the family moved to Omeath in Co. Louth where they opened Davey’s Bar and Lounge.

Hugh himself spent some time in the Merchant Navy before marrying Anne in 1965. They bought Brook Cottage in Newcastle, the former home of the poet, Richard Rowley and converted it into a hotel of the same name. This was a small, 12-bedroom, family-run establishment which was bombed twice during the Troubles but survived, due in the main to the support and loyalty of its many local customers.

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Hugh and Ann Davey

 

Brook Cottage was sold in 1997 and Hugh and Anne retired for a couple of years before re-entering the fray with the purchase of Fitzpatrick’s Village Inn near Dundrum. They changed the name of the small venue to The Maghera Inn and started serving bar food during the day.

By 2004, their son Matthew had become involved in the business and he spearheaded plans to take the venue to a new level, starting with a large scale refurbishment.

“We were fairly much landlocked up until that, but then we got the opportunity to take over some land at the rear of the premises,” recalls Anne. “We also got help from a European grant that was being offered to allow country pubs to develop their business.

“We retained the original pub area but extended at the back and created a new car park with 35 spaces. We put a sunroom on at the side, enlarged the kitchen facilities and built new toilets. All of this allowed us to start serving food in the evening which was a completely new venture for us.”

The new-look Maghera Inn opened its doors in 2005 and moved immediately from serving perhaps 60 lunches to up to as many as 370 meals in a day.

“This was well above any expectations that we had ever had for the place,” says Hugh

Restaurant manager, Paula Campbell with head chef, Sean Doyle.

 

Under executive chef, Sean Doyle, who has been with the business for three-and-a-half years, The Maghera Inn serves a traditional menu of locally sourced produce with a home-cooked feel and a heavy emphasis on steak.

According to Hugh, much of the success of the business is down to the staff:

“We have 28 people working here and I think there’s a sense among them that they want to stay, which is important. When the staff feel good, it rubs off on the customers which creates a very inviting environment”

Anne is very grateful to independent hospitality consultant, Marianne Hood from Belfast who has helped The Maghera Inn to develop its award-winning formula. But she does feel that it’s unlikely that the business will expand beyond its current size in the foreseeable future:

“To be honest, we are ticking over very nicely at present and I don’t think we need the pressure of a bigger place or an additional venue at this stage,” explains Anne. “Nor do I feel that now is the right time for any investment like that – it’s more a time for debt reduction!”

Hugh and Anne are delighted with the positive publicity that County Down has received in recent years and both are excited by the prospect of the Irish Open golf tournament, which is due to be played there in May this year.

“This will bring a lot of great publicity for the area,” predicts Hugh. “More competition will spring up which is good as it brings more people into the area. Pubs here are expanding all the time which is very positive and reflects well on the region, and I think that ss long as we keep doing what we do well, then we will reap huge benefits.”

 

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