MANY a glass has been raised in the past week to perhaps the longest-serving bar lady in the world - Margaret (Peg) Carmody in Hospital. Peg passed away last week aged 95. She pulled her last pint in Carmody’s bar earlier this year.
She took over the running of the pub in November 1956 when it passed down from the parents of her late husband Joe (pictured above on their wedding day). Peg spent an incredible 68 years being the bar. One of her seven children, Helen, said it was her mum’s wish that her family and regulars would have a farewell in the pub “She rested in the bar until her wake.
Mom returned home to the bar after the wake and spent the night with family before her final journey. We did not want her to be on her own. “When the coffin was brought back from the funeral home we laid her out in the pub and some of her regular clients joined us.
Mom had always wanted a send-off with free pints to celebrate her great life,” said Helen, who described her mother as a “remarkable woman”. After all, Peg had taught Helen and her six siblings - Pat, Tommie, Joe, Margaret, Geraldine, and Catherine, and her grandchildren, how to pull the perfect pint. She even taught Micheal Martin how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness a number of years ago.
The Tanaiste called in to see Peg during the recent mayoral election campaign such was the effect she had on him. Helen said Peg passed away peacefully in the family home which is what she wanted. She is now reunited with her late husband Joe, who passed away in 1995, and grandson Darren Whelan, who tragically died on holiday in Greece in 2021.
One regular said “the pub will never be the same” but the Carmody name will live on as the pub will remain open and in the family. A beautiful eulogy, on behalf of the Carmody family, was read out at the funeral Mass by grandson Johnny. He wrote it with the help of his dad Tommie Carmody.
“At the age of 95, Peg lived a life full of love, resilience, and had a spirit that has left a mark on all who had the privilege of knowing her. Peg was a proud mother of seven, a cherished grandmother to 21, and a beloved great-grandmother to 8 and counting. "Her family was her world, and she dedicated her life to ensuring that they were cared for and well-educated.
Her unwavering love and tireless efforts to provide for her family have shaped the lives of her children and grandchildren in ways that words can scarcely convey,” said Johnny, who had travelled from Perth. He said Peg's life was a testament to hard work and dedication. “For 60 years, she owned and ran a pub, an extraordinary achievement, especially considering that she never drank herself.
Her pub was more than just a business; it was a place where loyal customers became friends, and friends became family. Peg took immense pride in her work, and her legacy is woven into the very fabric of the lives she touched through her pub.” READ MORE: Green Limerick: Single-use cups to be ditched in Adare Johnny said Peg was a lover of life, had a unique sense of style and always presented herself impeccably, dressed to the nines.
“Her elegance and grace were matched only by her warmth and kindness. As the leader of our family, Peg will be deeply missed. But her legacy lives on in each of us, a testament to a life well-lived.
Today, we do not mourn her passing; instead, we celebrate the incredible 95 years she graced this world and the stylish, spirited way she lived them. "Peg, you will always be held in the highest regard, your memory cherished and your life celebrated. Thank you for the lessons, the love, and the legacy you have left behind.
” May she rest in peace..
