When I officially took over Galway Bay in August 2022, there were plenty of congratulations, but there was also a lot of relief. Galway Bay wasn’t going anywhere. It was staying in the family.
Meanwhile, in my own head, there was a pretty long list of things that needed to be done.
My dad was still coming in most mornings in the beginning, showing us how he had always done things. My husband was stepping into a lot of the behind-the-scenes work my dad had always handled—the stocking, cleaning, maintenance, and all the little things people don’t necessarily see.
Dad showed him the ropes while also teaching me how he handled the money and the business side of things.
My dad was old school. Paper and pencil. No computer. Technology definitely wasn’t his thing. He barely knew how to use his phone.
So first, I had to learn his system. Then, little by little, I started changing things over, bringing more online and figuring out a system that worked for me.
Dad also used to spend a lot of time running around picking up supplies and materials for the pub. I started finding ways to order more of those things online and have them delivered. Not necessarily cheaper—because if there’s one thing I learned pretty quickly, it’s that the cost of running a small business has gone up a lot. But ordering more online made things a little easier and saved some of the running around.
And then there was the equipment. By this point, most of it was pushing 20 years old, and it seemed like once one thing broke, something else wasn’t far behind. Little by little, we were replacing and repairing things that had been there almost as long as the pub itself.
As time went on, Dad didn’t need to come in every morning anymore, but he still came by. Sometimes he would help with a few things or find something to do just to stay busy. Other times, I think he just wanted a little company with his morning coffee. And occasionally, he’d come in for a drink.
He wasn’t running the place anymore, but Galway Bay was still his place, too.
Dad holding my first Galway Bay liquor license in 2022.
The pub itself needed some serious attention. We started cleaning it from top to bottom, and it took weeks.
Thankfully, I inherited a few things from my mother—including her cleaning skills and her slight obsession with bleach. So I was pretty well prepared for that part.
But not everything that needed cleaning involved soap and water.
As I spent more time behind the bar, I started realizing there were things happening that I hadn’t necessarily known about before taking over. There were some difficult decisions that needed to be made, and part of cleaning things up meant making some changes behind the bar, too. We had to let some people go, set clearer boundaries, make sure the bartenders were communicating with one another, and put systems in place so everyone was on the same page.
It didn’t happen overnight, but eventually people started noticing the changes. We heard comments about how much cleaner the place was. It started feeling safer and more comfortable again, and that meant a lot.
Once we started getting a handle on the things that needed fixing, we could start thinking about what we wanted to change and add.
We updated the sign out front.
We also decided to take out the pool table and turn that area into more seating with tall tables and stools. It gave us more room for people to sit, hang out, and enjoy the pub.
We started trivia nights and music bingo. We had karaoke and live music for as long as we could, until city regulations eventually put an end to both.
Little by little, the place was starting to look—and feel—different.
I also started bringing Galway Bay into the social media world a little more. I became much more active online, started more social media pages, and began making videos and posts.
It gives me another way to show people what’s happening at Galway Bay—the drinks, the events, the funny moments, and some of the personalities behind the place.
And somehow, through a good part of all of this, I was still working my full-time job.
I was trying to run Galway Bay, work a full-time job, be there for my son, take care of a home and household, and handle everything else that was happening with our family.
It was a lot.
Eventually, I made the decision to leave my full-time job and focus on Galway Bay. Walking away from a steady job was a tough decision.
Walking away from corporate life?
Well, I can’t say I miss that part. LOL.
Those years weren’t only busy because of Galway Bay. There was a lot happening with our family at the same time.
We were able to take a family trip back to Ireland. By then, I think we all knew it would probably be Dad’s last trip back home. And it was. Looking back now, I’m especially grateful we made that trip happen.
Later, as Dad reached the point where he needed more care, our family cleaned out his house, got it ready to sell, sold it, and moved him up to my brother’s house in New Hampshire, where he could be with family and have the full-time care he needed.
During that stretch of time, we also suddenly lost one of our employees. It was a very difficult loss for everyone at Galway Bay—our employees and our patrons. When you work in a neighborhood pub, the people behind the bar and the people sitting on the other side of it become part of each other’s lives. Losing someone so suddenly was hard for everyone.
When I look back at 2022, 2023, and 2024, it’s kind of amazing how much was packed into those few years.
There were days when running a bar was probably the easiest thing on my list.
But little by little, Galway Bay was changing.
It was cleaner. It felt safer. Things were more organized. We were trying new things, figuring out what worked, fixing what didn’t, and having some fun along the way.
And eventually, it started to feel like the Galway Bay I remembered before COVID.
Not exactly the same, because it couldn’t be. Dad was stepping away, and I was finding my own way of doing things.
But it felt good again.
And after everything it took to get there, I was finally starting to feel like I had found my footing as the owner of The Galway Bay.