THE same week that one iconic building in Enniskillen was going up in smoke, plans for redeveloping another one were being unveiled. While firefighters were still putting out the blaze at the historic Railway Hotel, across the street at the former South West College site at Gaol Square, a public consultation was showing residents what was planned for […]
Charlie’s Bar gears up for 80 more years of success
AFTER surviving a World War, the introduction of the dreaded breathalyser, a pandemic and the ‘crippling’ cost of living crisis, Charlie’s Bar is still standing in Enniskillen, as it celebrates 80 years in business. In August 1944, while World War II was raging, Charlie and Bea Burns, regarded as pioneering visionaries in the local business […]
Fermanagh hospitality costs among highest in UK
THE hospitality sector in the North continues to pay higher wages, food, drink, and energy costs than their counterparts in Britain, a survey has found. Research by Hospitality Ulster, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and UKHospitality has revealed that almost every hospitality business in the UK has seen steep increases in wages, […]
The Linnet Inn has stood test of time
AFTER surviving a Civil War, financial recessions, the introduction of the dreaded breathalyser, and a global pandemic, The Linnet Inn in Boho is still going strong after 100 years in business. Since the late Brian McKenzie bought the Boho pub in 1968, rural pubs have, one by one, slowly vanished. The Linnet Inn, however, has defied the […]
Fermanagh publican’s the ‘Spirit of Northern Ireland’
THE manager of Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen said it was an ‘absolute honour’ as she picked up the prestigious ‘Community Hero’ accolade at the ‘Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards’ on Friday night. Una Burns was awarded the ‘Community Hero’ award at the ceremony at the Culloden Estate, in recognition of her ‘Charlie’s Bar Christmas Kindness Fundraiser’ […]
Una Burns advises women to ‘trust your gut’
UNA Burns saw a career change that she was not expecting, turning her into the business woman we know today. School teacher Una was settled in her job, but when the manager of her family business quit during the pandemic she knew that she had to step up to keep the business in the family name. “I handed […]
Charlie’s Bar joins ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign
AN Enniskillen pub will be operating the ‘Ask for Angela’ safeguarding initiative over the festive season and into the new year. Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen is a registered venue participating in the scheme alongside the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that’s aimed at helping keep people safe while enjoying a night out. This means that if anyone feels […]
Donal calls time on life behind the bar
ONE of Fermanagh’s best known bars for Country Music is changing hands at the end of this month. Carron’s Corner Bar on Ederney’s Main Street which has been owned and managed by Donal Carron since November 2006 has its final night on Sunday 27th. The new leaseholders Sean and Jude O’Donnell, from Killeter, take over […]
Call for pubs here to stay open until 3am!
THERE have been calls for Enniskillen opening hours to be extended to 3am after visiting tourists said it was “embarrassing” to see police throwing punters out of pubs at 1am. The suggestion to bring the county town into line with the likes of Belfast and much of the UK was made by Lisbellaw man Mark […]
Brothers call time on one of county’s best-known bars
ONE of Fermanagh’s best known pubs, the Roslea Arms, is up for sale. The landmark public house, also known as McCague’s Bar, at the entrance to Roslea has been family run for almost 40 years. The owner Jim, with brothers Kevin and Eamon McCague are retiring after 37 years of trading in the border […]