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Sean walks away from pub
26.01.10
"My health is more
important"
by Linda McGrory
A CARN publican has been forced to relinquish the
lease on the bar he has run for nearly ten years
saying the current business climate in Inishowen is
"absolute hell".
Sean Ruddy said he took the decision not to renew
his lease on the Arch Inn after Christmas, because
the trade had become unviable for him.
Sean yesterday said he was relieved to be walking
away from the business.
"There was a lot of pressure and at the end of the
day, I value my health more than I value my
business," he said.
"I gave notice after Christmas that I was leaving. I
believe the next six months to a year in Inishowen
is going to be absolute hell. Businesses are going
to haemorrhage money. I'm just glad to walk away and
pay all my suppliers and the Collector General." |
The former Sinn Féin
council candidate said he will now "take time out"
to reflect on his future and his next business move.
"I will definitely go back into business some time
but for the minute I’m just happy to take a wee
break and have a look around at other opportunities.
"If the economy comes around, I would definitely
look at doing something again in the hospitality
industry."
At the height of the boom, between 2001 and 2006,
the Arch Inn employed around |
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10 full and part-time
staff. Last year, Sean was forced to cut his
workforce to five part-time staff and he also
stopped serving food.
He said it didn't help when the local courthouse
closed down and he lost the busy lunch trade
provided by the court days.
"It was a good wee business at one time but the last
two years have been the worst. You can be a busy
fool but sometimes you just have to stop and say
'enough is enough'."
He said a number of Carndonagh businesses have
closed their doors with some traders relocating to
premises at their own homes to keep costs down.
And he hit out at the Government who, he claimed,
continued to inflate a property bubble while
neglecting to invest in the creation of real,
sustainable jobs. This left hundreds of young
construction workers in Inishowen without
alternatives when the bubble burst, he said.
The lease on the Arch Inn is being taken over by two
Carndonagh friends who are in the process of
revamping it for its reopening in a number of weeks
time. Sean wishes them well.
"I wish them all the luck in the world and hope
things pick up but it is going to be very, very
tough for them," he added. |
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