The history of Conroy's

The premises were run by Phyllis and Anthony “Tony” Conroy, whose family name remains part of the story of the property today.

In those days, rural businesses often served many purposes, and Conroy's was no exception. Within the property were the pub, village shop and post office, with Phyllis serving as postmistress in Aglish during the 1960s. The premises also formed part of the village telephone service, while outside stood a petrol pump serving local motorists and farmers.

A visit to Conroy's could therefore involve considerably more than stopping for a pint. Villagers might come to collect their post, make a telephone call, pick up provisions, get petrol or simply hear the latest local news.

And, inevitably, many stayed for the conversation.

Tony was a publican and cattle dealer and became a memorable local character.

He was remembered locally as “the man with the hat” and, more importantly, as a great conversationalist. Gaelic games, cattle, farming, the weather and local affairs could all provide material for a discussion across the bar.

Conroy's was very much a traditional talking pub, where the company around the bar provided much of the entertainment.

A wonderful surviving glimpse of Conroy's in its working days appears in the programme for the 1981 North Tipperary Senior Hurling Final.

ANTHONY CONROY & SONS

Aglish, Roscrea

For a good drink in pleasant surroundings

Tel. Aglish 584

The advertisement is a small piece of local history in itself. The old telephone number, Aglish 584, belongs to an era when small rural telephone exchanges connected their surrounding communities.

The Conroy family also became part of Tipperary's hurling story through Tony and Phyllis's son, Ian Conroy.

Ian played with Borrisokane and represented Tipperary at county level.

He was a member of the Tipperary team that won the 1980 Munster Minor Hurling Championship, lining out in defence alongside players who would later become familiar names in Tipperary hurling.

Ian continued his progress through the county ranks and was also part of the Tipperary team that won the 1983 Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship.

He later progressed to the Tipperary senior hurling team, featuring in Munster Championship matches during the mid-1980s. Records from the period list him playing at midfield for Tipperary in 1985.

The connection seems particularly fitting for a North Tipperary pub where hurling would undoubtedly have featured in countless conversations across the bar.

The 1981 advertisement for Anthony Conroy & Sons, appearing in a North Tipperary hurling final programme, feels even more significant with that family connection in mind.

Phyllis Conroy played an important role in village life in her own right.

Born in 1926, Phyllis became the postmistress in Aglish during the 1960s. Her memories of those years were later preserved by the Irish Life & Lore oral-history archive.

In November 2022, at the age of 96, Phyllis sat down in Aglish for a recorded oral-history interview.

Her recollections include her years as postmistress, Tony's work as a publican and cattle dealer, and changes in the local community over the decades.

That recording provides a rare first-hand connection between Conroy's today and the people who once lived and worked behind its counter.

Eventually, times changed.

The shop and post-office functions disappeared and Conroy's ceased operating as a licensed public house.

Remarkably, however, the old pub was not stripped out.

Much of the traditional character of the premises was preserved, including the polished bar, stools, beer pumps, optics, bottles, old till, open fire and other pub memorabilia.

The property was later adapted into self-catering accommodation while retaining the atmosphere and appearance of the original village pub.

It subsequently became known internationally as Conroy's Old Bar, attracting attention as an unusual place to stay and often being described as the world's first self-catering pub.

Conroy's no longer holds an alcohol licence and therefore does not sell or provide alcohol.

We provide the taps, cooler and gas. Guests bring their own kegs and other drinks to stock their own private bar, and enjoy them around the original bar.

In an unexpected way, this preserves something of the spirit of Tony Conroy's old talking pub. The bar is still a place where family and friends can sit together, pour their own drink, tell stories and spend an evening talking.

The story of Conroy's reflects a way of life that was once common throughout rural Ireland.

A single village premises could be a pub, shop, post office, telephone exchange and filling station, while also serving as an unofficial meeting place and information exchange for the surrounding community.

The groceries may be gone.

The post is delivered elsewhere.

The petrol pump no longer fills tractors and cars.

And nobody rings Aglish 584 anymore.

But the bar remains.

Today, guests staying at Conroy's are not simply sleeping in an unusual holiday property. They are spending a few days inside a small piece of Aglish history, one connected with village life, the Conroy family and the hurling traditions of North Tipperary.