Athy pub goes national for its toasties!

“I DO both, ham and cheese, and cheese and ham,” said Paddy Dunne (78), the publican from Athy whose toasties were good enough to feature in the Irish Independent’s Weekend supplement ’20 Best Pubs for a toastie and a pint’.

“We’re open here for 87 years, family-owned and run, my son Brendan is the third generation in the business after my father Paddy Snr bought the place in 1937,” said the present landlord.

“My best friend’s son got elected last week, me and Jack (Wall) were in Belfast together yesterday.

“We’d be kicking round together for years and years. I’ll be 79 on the 11 July, and Jack will be 80 on the 18 July, and we’ll be off to the Galway Races with each other for years.

“My father opened as a bar and grocery, but we closed the grocery in the early ‘80s and opened an off-licence then."

Paddy continued: “We still have the traditional snug, and the two grandsons James (13) and Jack (9) give us a hand, and Saoirse the granddaughter (21), she’s an engineering student in Dublin helps out on weekends and holidays."

“Ann, Sylvia and Sharon are all working here more than 20 years, and it just shows how much of a soft eegit of a boss they have,” he laughed.

“My wife Breda died 14 years ago, she was me rock, and she started the sandwiches as a very important part of the business, and so we’ve always had a great name for the pint, and the sandwich – both types ham and cheese, cheese and ham,” he said.

“My father always had a great name for blended tea, but we don’t do that anymore,” he said.

“We started on the Stradbally Road with Paddy and Bridie, there were seven in the family, and down through the years they all would have helped, but I’m the only one to stay,” he said.

“Remind your editor Chris (Fingleton) I’m the man who made him famous on stage,” he laughed.

Maybe, but it was his toastie that made Paddy famous!