Joseph ‘Josie’ McLoughlin, owner of rural Irish pub McLoughlin’s Bar, is searching for a new custodian who’ll keep the McLoughlin family name and tradition alive.
Located on Achill Island in West Ireland, McLoughlin was born upstairs in McLoughlin’s Bar and became the fourth-generation custodian when he took the reins from his parents 43 years ago.
In 1872, legislation was introduced in Ireland that made it a legal requirement for a family to have their name above the pub door. While the legislation is no longer in place, it is a unique feature of many Irish pubs and a tradition that many still uphold today.
While four-in-ten rural Irish publicans say they are considering retirement, 84 per cent say they have no family to take on their legacy, threatening the future of many family-owned pubs.
Now at retirement age, with no family in Ireland to pass the pub onto, McLoughlin and his partner Jackie are now taking their search global.
McLoughlin, whose family has run the pub for 155 years, says: “I have no one to leave the pub to, and I’d resigned myself to looking for a buyer outside the family and seeing my name being lost to history. That would just break my heart.
“The name McLoughlin is woven into the very fabric of this pub. The past 50 years have been incredibly fulfilling for me, and I’d love to see that story continue, finding a McLoughlin descendant to take it forward. If I could guarantee the McLoughlin name would still be above the door of the pub in another 155 years, I’d die a happy man.”
With 88-million Irish descendants living around the world, Heineken has stepped in to help McLoughlin find a namesake to take over the running of the pub and keep the family name above the door.
Launching a worldwide recruitment campaign, Heineken will offer a succession package to the help the incoming publican settle in, including mentorship, business support and initial investment guidance to ensure the pub’s legacy lives on.
Mark Noble, Marketing Manager at Heineken Ireland, added: “When we heard Josie’s story, we just knew we had to do something to help. Pubs in Ireland are more than just places to enjoy a drink; they are living pieces of history, places of laughter, song, and kinship. With many of these institutions facing uncertain futures, we want to rally the Irish diaspora, inspiring a new generation of pub owners to take on not just a business, but a cultural legacy.
“For those who have longed to reconnect with their Irish heritage, this is more than an investment; it’s a homecoming: the chance to own a piece of Ireland, to pour a pint for old friends and new, and to keep the spirit of the pub alive for generations to come.”
The campaign is part of Heineken’s wider ‘For the Love of Pubs’ campaign, dedicated to supporting and celebrating the global pub trade. As well as a widespread digital campaign, the search for the new McLoughlin will reach billboards in cities like Sydney, New York, Boston, Buenos Aires and Phan Thiet where large numbers of Irish people have emigrated.
If you’re a McLoughlin and you’re passionate about keeping the family name above the door of McLoughlin’s Bar for future generations, visit www.pubsuccession.com.