BY JEROME HUGHES
THE proprietor of fire-damaged Tinney’s Bar in Castlefin has been told the landmark building will have to be demolished unless a roof is constructed without further delay.
Established in 1891, the bar was a cornerstone of the tight-knit community until a devastating fire broke out last month, on March 10.
“Because it’s an old building, the structural engineer has said a roof has to go on before anything else happens in order to save the building,” revealed proprietor Kieran Brennan.
“If that doesn’t happen, in a very short space of time, the whole building will have to come down. So, that’s our main aim and it’s why the fundraising is so important at the minute because I have no money to put a roof on,” he added.
When we visited the bar yesterday, the air was still filled by the stench of fire damage.
The blaze erupted just one week before St Patrick’s Day.
At the time, Kieran was out with his wife, Keara, and their children Leah, Ava, and Jake.
“It was Mother’s Day so we were on our way back from Letterkenny when we got the news. At first I thought it was a bit of a joke but when we got here, it was clear it wasn’t.
“When we were driving into Castefin we could see the smoke and then I knew it was bad. Even when I got here, I didn’t expect the whole building to be roaring with fire,” recalls Kieran.
It has since been revealed that an ember from a fire in the main bar had managed to reach an old chimney that had been blocked off for many years.
Patrons were glued to Liverpool v Man City. Little did they know that a fire was beginning to rage behind the walls.
“There was a big Premier League game on. 10 to 12 people had been sitting in the corner where the roof hinged down and then collapsed.
With the noise, no one knew the fire was happening.
“If they had been there when the roof collapsed, there’s no way they would have gotten out. It would have been like putting your hand on a bucket of lava. There could have been an awful tragedy here,” said Kieran.
“The experts say it might have been smoldering away for 40 minutes before it hit the fire alarms out in the hallway. Obviously, when the fire alarms went off the staff got everyone out straight away,” he added.
Kieran would particularly like to thank the local football clubs, SVP Castlefin, the emergency services and local businesses for all their support since the fire, stating, “Everybody has been unreal. It’s remarkable how you can take people for granted until something like this happens. People were just landing with their work clothes on and gloves to help clear the place out. They didn’t have to be asked. The guys from the soccer and Gaelic clubs decided to run a few fundraisers. Dermot McGranaghan organised a walk for us. We’ve been getting electricity from the guys next door,” he continued.
Kieran has revealed that the bar only had basic insurance and so most of his costs are not covered.
“This was the only income for myself and my wife. It’s a weight off your mind when you get help. You can go to bed at night and close your eyes without X and Y having to be paid tomorrow or the next day,” he said.
The Tinney’s Bar fire has once again highlighted shortcomings in terms of access to functioning fire hydrants. Kieran is calling for the upgrade of hydrant stations right across the county.
“However, even if they had all the water in the world it wouldn’t have put the fire out as it was smouldering for too long in the background but the fire service did a great job in getting it under control when they did,” he added.
The immediate priority now is to get a roof back on Tinney’s Bar within the next six weeks. When we called around yesterday, Kieran was removing rubble himself such is his dedication to Tinney’s.
“I hope we can come back stronger than ever before. Once the building is safe we will have the opportunity to use the lounge, which we didn’t really use much before. It’ll not be the Ritz but hopefully it will get things going,” he concluded.
A Charity Golf Classic will take place locally on April 26. Contact 074 91 31093 for more information.
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