History of the Roadside Tavern

The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna is a world famous Clare pub. It sprung up with Lisdoonvarna in the mid 19th century. The pub was established by a local landlord, Pierce Creagh.

It was bought in 1893 by Christopher Curtin, a baker by trade. He married Nora and they expanded the business to include a bakery. The arrival of the West Clare Railway heralded a new era for Lisdoonvarna as a holiday destination and it also allowed the Curtins to develop a sideline as wholesale butter merchants.

Nora and Christopher ran the business together until 1944 when they handed it over to the youngest son, John, and his newly wed wife, the former Mary Monahan from Clonroad, Ennis.

They had difficult times ahead with the post-war depressions years. Nevertheless, the business survived and Peter says that Roadside is now the only true pub in Lisdoonvarna, the rest are hotels and lounge bars. Peter's father died a good many years ago and his mother died in more recent times. As well as the pub Peter runs the nearby popular Burren Smokehouse and is a keen local historian.

The Roadside Tavern is a well-known venue for traditional music for well over a hundred years. Many well known names have entertained the patrons of the Roadside down the years to the present. They include Christy Moore, Davy Spillane, Tommy Peoples, the Fureys, Seán Tyrrell, Paul Dooley, Christy Barry, Mickaleen Conlon, Sharon Shannon and many more.

Many famous people have passed through the Roadside Tavern over the years. On the walls are many photographs, posters, illustrations, musical instruments etc, which gives an wonderful living history of the North Clare area and the Roadside Tavern itself.