Popular Athlone pub announces shock decision to close

One of the best-known pubs in Athlone, Murphys Law on Marydyke street, has blamed spiralling costs, supply chain issues and difficulties in recruiting staff for its decision to close its doors in the coming weeks.

The well-known licenced premises, which was also renowned for its food, announced the shock decision to close in an emotional post on their Facebook page on Sunday morning.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, proprietor PJ Kelly said he was “gutted” to have to inform his 20 staff – many of whom have become personal friends over the years – that they are to lose their jobs.

“To be honest, we have been struggling with issues like staff shortages, supply chain issues, and the spiralling cost of food since we re-opened after the Covid lockdowns” he said “there was simply no profit margin there atall.”

PJ Kelly says “everything has changed post-Covid” including people’s eating and drinking habits.

“We were doing between 300 to 400 main course meals every Thursday, Friday and Saturday before lockdown,” he says, “but that has dropped considerably for a number of reasons, including the fact that more people are working from home, so there is less footfall, and the people that do go out are watching the pennies and are not spending as much time socialising as they used to.”

He says the cost of food has been “rising steadily every week” and the usual busy 1pm lunchtime trade in Athlone “is now no more.”

He also cites severe difficulties in being able to both recruit and retain staff in a post-Covid world, and says he was forced to close his licensed premises for three days some weeks ago when two staff members went on holidays as he was unable to replace them.

"Our Head chef and Sous chef have also been working 12-hour days as we have been unable to hire a third chef," he says.

The father of three, whose son, Joe, and wife, Mandy, work alongside him in the business, says his number one priority at the moment is to ensure his loyal staff can find alternative employment.

“I have already been contacted by a number of other hospitality businesses in the Athlone area looking to recruit my staff,” he says, “as they are also facing huge staff challenges, so I am confident that they will be able to find work.”

Over the coming weeks, PJ says he will “wind down the business” and he says he has had to contact a number of tour operators and coach hire companies who had made food and beverage bookings with Murphys Law to inform them that he will be closing.

“It’s a shame as we were very well known, but we feel we had no choice but to take this drastic step,” says PJ, whose Facebook post announcing the closure has been flooded with hundreds of messages of goodwill from past and present customers of the popular hostelry.