A southeast Galway farmer with a suckler herd has an unusual alternative farm enterprise – he has turned the family pub into a live music venue.
Garry Gorman, who is based between Portumna and Whitegate, in Gurteeny, said that the closure of the Cornerstone pub during the peak Covid-19 years gave him time to think about new possibilities.
While the village shop run by his mother, Breda, didn’t reopen after lockdown, the pub is now accompanied by a dedicated music venue.
“We knocked walls and created a bigger space. We then availed of the government scheme to get artists going again,” he said.
“They got paid for performing and we were supplemented to book them. The artists were guaranteed their music if the gigs didn’t sell out so that took some of the risk away.
“We set out to turn a negative into a positive.”
The reaction has been enormously encouraging, according to Garry.
“Sean Keane performed at the first concert and the demand was so strong that he came back and did a second gig. We have also had Paul Noonan of Bell X 1, Eleanor Shanley and Mike Hanrahan from Stockton’s Wing,” he said.
The venue has brought a new vibrancy to the area, according to the farmer.
“We feel a responsibility to do our best to keep the village alive. We have had great support from loyal customers for many years but business has to evolve and reinvent itself while holding its core values,” he said.
“People have travelled to gigs here and accommodation is available locally. There is great sound in the room, plenty of free parking and the enjoyment of intimate gigs with top class artists who usually play much bigger venues,” Garry continued.
“The best artists in the country can be enjoyed for €20-30, depending on the artist. It really works.
“20 or 30 years ago there was any amount of venues where you could listen to live music but now there are very few. We have Luka Bloom coming up on February 24, in a sold out gig and folk powerhouses Trevor Sexton and Ger O’Donnell on March 30. People can keep up to date with gigs on Facebook and book through Eventbrite,” Garry said.
“Anyone in the pub business will know things have changed and pubs have to reinvent themselves. As a result of the gigs, we have been asked to do other things, such as host fundraisers. We have got a lot of repeat business,” he said.
Music venue and farming
The music venue works well alongside farming, Garry said. “The gigs aren’t on every night and I have good support with running the farm. A lot of rural areas have gone backwards. With this venture, everyone wins.
“We are but one pub in one village and my thinking is that in rural areas like ours, offer as much as the village halls and more while being net contributors to the economy and community. We all give the community a service, a place to relax socially. which is very important in this age of frenetic activity.
“Older people don’t have outlets; younger people don’t have much either, hence the draw of urban centres.
“This increases the pressure on others to move away. It’s a vicious circle. Also it’s very hard to get employees in rural areas for farming or other work.
“Our rates – for nothing in return – are a nonsence. Insurance is too high and VAT is too high at 23% to give a service. There is no joined up thinking in a kind of an holistic approach.
“The rural representatives and TDs are asleep at the wheel. Why support sucklings? Answer, spin-offs, Why not support rural venues? The benefits range from tourism to alleviation of loneliness and employment,” he said.