A Roscrea farm restaurant is gaining increasing business in recent years from the hosting of civil wedding ceremonies.

Fiacri Country House Restaurant and Cookery School at Boulera, Knock, which is owned by Ailish and Enda Hennessy, has catered for civil ceremonies from both farming and non-farming couples.

“It has become a new element of our business, with people going for a good food experience, with say, a two-piece band,” said Enda Hennessy who runs the family 100ac suckler beef farm with his parents.

When he and Ailish got married in 1997, they built a house on the farm. “We incorporated an open plan area with the idea that Ailish, a chef, would do cookery demonstrations. She had started doing them in her mother’s house in Templetuohy, and the plan was she would continue that,” said Hennessy.

That same year, a restaurant in Roscrea came up for lease. “Ailish – who was working in the Anner Hotel, Thurles, as head chef – left there to take on the restaurant in Roscrea, and I helped her,” he said.

“We had that for about 13 months and then our first child, Thomas, was born. We set up a restaurant in the garage of our house, with 12 seats, in April 1999.

“In 2000, we built a 45-seater restaurant with a new catering kitchen, onto the farmhouse. Two years later, we built on another dining room and bar, with seating for up to 75 people.”

The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Saturday. The drink driving crackdown doesn’t impact on business, according to Hennessy.

People have adapted to the drink driving laws, and have designated drivers. People come here for the food experience.

“We have people who come from Bray and stay locally. We also get people from Portlaoise, Kilkenny and Limerick. The motorway access and Google Maps help. Word of mouth is also important.”

Cookery classes form a key part of the offering, with LEADER funding received at the outset for the classes. They are held on Tuesday evenings for nine months of the year.

During the summer, Thursday evening barbeques with music are held. “They are very informal, and people mix. It’s not the usual dining experience,” Hennessy said. “Ailish also does demonstrations at fundraising events.”

The couple have four children: Thomas, 18; Denis, 16; David, 14 and “the farmer”; and Grace, 11. They all help out in the business.

We are now at a place where we can manage things. You can get very adventurous in the catering business but the thing is to keep quality. Chefs are very scarce in this country, and we keep the operation tight.

“Everything from the breads to the sauces, are made here, and we use local suppliers such as: Slaney Valley Lamb; Prime Hereford; Duncannon Fish; and Templetuohy Foods. Jim Farrelly in Templetuohy is our butcher,” said Hennessy.

“We are a first-generation restaurant, and it cost a lot to set up. Hopefully we’ll get a second generation into it. It’s all about maintaining quality.”