Keeping the West alive
In the wilds between Newport and Mulranny, Nevin’s of Newport stands as both a landmark and a lifeline. “We’re out in the sticks really,” says publican John Nevin, with characteristic understatement. “Mulranny is about three and a half miles from us and Newport is six and a half. It’s a destination venue.”
That sense of destination has become central to the success of Nevin’s, a family-run bar, restaurant and guesthouse that has adapted, expanded, and modernised over the past two decades without ever losing its warmth or local character. In a region where rural pubs have dwindled, Nevin’s has managed to not only survive but thrive, thanks in no small part to the tourism renaissance sparked by the Great Western Greenway, Ireland’s pioneering off-road walking and cycling trail.
A year-round business in a seasonal world
John Nevin of Nevin’s Newfield Inn, Co Mayo, the family-run bar and restaurant that’s become a Greenway favourite
Tourism is now the backbone of the Mayo economy, and nowhere is that more evident than in Newport, the midpoint of the Greenway trail linking Westport to Achill. But as John is quick to point out, the West of Ireland still lives and dies by its seasons.
“We’re a year-round business,” he says, “but our busy time would be June until the middle of September. That’s when we make a profit. The rest of the months we’d be breaking even, and a few months – November, December, February – we’d make a loss. But we stay open seven days a week, all year round. You need to have additional staff so that can happen.”
It’s a commitment few rural venues can sustain, and it comes at a cost. “Staffing is one of the biggest challenges we face,” John admits. Since Covid, recruiting has been difficult, particularly in such a remote location. Today, around 30% of his 45 staff are foreign nationals, a mix of short-term and long-term workers. “We’ve had to rent houses in the locality for staff to live in,” he explains. “That’s what we had to do to entice staff out here.”
The Nevin family themselves are deeply involved in the operation: John runs the show alongside his wife Anne and daughters Emily and Hannah, with long-serving manager John-Joe McNamara providing key support. “It’s very important to have a good team around you,” John says. “You don’t mind paying staff well if they’re good. We split all tips evenly between everyone, the kitchen, office and floor. The customer experience depends on all staff pulling their weight.”
From small shop to full-scale hospitality hub
The Nevin family bought the pub when John was 14. “I would have always helped out and I always liked the bar business,” he recalls. When his parents retired in 2001, John, then working as a production manager in manufacturing, decided to take the leap into hospitality full time. “It started off as a small pub and a shop,” he says. “We didn’t spend much money, just the essentials. Then the smoking ban came in and drink-driving laws got a lot stricter. We realised we needed to change.”
That realisation marked the beginning of a transformation. By 2004, Nevin’s had a commercial kitchen and guest bedrooms, followed by a function room in 2006. “We built a food business from scratch,” John says. “Customer care was the big thing for us. We knew we had to look after the customer.”
When the financial crash hit soon after, Nevin’s tightened its belt but never stopped improving. “We kept the heads down,” he says. “We wouldn’t go too long without refurbishing something. The place has to always look clean and fresh.”
The Greenway effect
An overview of Nevin’s Newfield Inn which includes facilities such as guest bedrooms and a camper van park which is visible to the front of the premises
If resilience kept Nevin’s afloat, it was the Great Western Greenway that gave it new life. The 42km route from Westport to Achill, which was Ireland’s first dedicated Greenway, transformed North Mayo’s tourism fortunes when it opened in 2011. It brought walkers, cyclists, and families into towns that had long struggled for footfall.
“It encouraged people to take holidays at home,” John says. “It was probably one of the first Greenways in Ireland to open, and it ran from Newport to Mulranny and we were right in the middle of it.”
John saw the opportunity immediately. “I talked to some of the local landowners to see if I could access through their lands to connect the pub to the Greenway. It cost a nice bit, but we got support from Mayo County Council. It’s about 500 or 600 metres from the trail to the pub, and it made a huge difference. Suddenly we were getting hikers in for lunch and the guest rooms were full every night.”
It’s a perfect example of local initiative complementing national tourism infrastructure, a story repeated across Mayo, which welcomed record numbers of domestic and European visitors last year. “The landowners who gave up their land for the Greenway won the Meitheal Award,” John adds. “They did it for tourism, for locals to walk, for children to cycle safely. It’s been great for everyone.”
Adapting through adversity
Like every pub in Ireland, Nevin’s faced its toughest challenge during Covid. “It was a very difficult time,” John says. “You didn’t know when you’d be open or closed.” True to form, he saw an opportunity amid uncertainty by investing in an outdoor dining area. “We built it out the back, got planning permission and licensing for it, and it’srestrictions, it fitted about 30, but it kept us trading.”
That space is now a permanent feature, complemented by a covered seating area at the front, complete with a roof to block the summer sun. “We get a lot of stags and hens, and families too. It’s lovely out there in the summer.”
The business has continued to expand: Nevin’s now has 12 guest bedrooms, eight campervan sites, and can serve up to 120 diners in the function room. “In the city, you can rely on footfall from the street,” John says. “We have to entice people here. Campervans are great — they park up, come in for a meal and a few drinks, then go cycling on the Greenway.”
The location also benefits from nearby attractions: Achill Island, Ballycroy National Park, and Mulranny Golf Club all bring visitors through the door. “We get a lot of bus tours and small weddings too,” John adds. “You have to keep looking at new ways to create business.”
Technology meets tradition
Nevin’s has two service robots that work on the floor. They can carry up to eight plates from the kitchen to the tables so staff can spend more time with customers
The natural beauty isn’t the only draw to Nevin’s though. A very novel addition a few years ago has also put this place on the map. Nevin’s is one of the first pubs in Ireland to introduce service robots. “We have two robots that work on the floor,” John explains with a smile. “They carry up to eight plates from the kitchen so staff can spend more time with customers. They’re a great novelty for kids and older people as they don’t expect to see that in a rural pub in Co Mayo!”
Far from being a gimmick, the robots represent John’s pragmatic approach to modern hospitality. “They’re a way of improving efficiency, not replacing staff,” he says. “A hospitality business still needs the human touch.”
Challenges and changes in the trade
Like many publicans, John has strong views on the pressures facing the drinks and hospitality sector and the recent changes to the VAT rate made in October’s Budget was music to his ears. “The VAT rate change is very important to us,” he says. “I’ve been lobbying for this for years. You can see how many restaurants have gone out of business. Costs have gone phenomenal, food, insurance, energy. My insurance went up 15% this year for no apparent reason.”
Still, he remains pragmatic. “I don’t mind wages going up or auto-enrolment for staff. They’re building up a rapport with the customer and they know what the customer needs so that’s invaluable.”
He’s also exploring solar panels and other sustainability measures, reflecting a growing awareness across rural hospitality that long-term efficiency is key to survival.
The beating heart of the community
Despite its growth, Nevin’s remains true to its roots as a community hub. “We’re central to the community here,” John says. “If people need a lift home, that’s the reality of what we do down here. Occasionally we have to jump in and help out. We sponsor the local GAA senior team and help out wherever we can.”
With tourism from mainland Europe increasing via Ireland West Airport Knock, Nevin’s welcomes a cosmopolitan mix of guests: Americans, French, Germans, and Italians are regulars. “The Italians are probably the highest number,” John notes. “Knock Airport is a great addition to us. It’s only about 40 miles away.”
Yet for all its international reach, the pub’s spirit remains unmistakably local. “You have to be here for your customers,” he says simply. “That’s what keeps it all going.”
Looking ahead
Two decades on from taking over the family pub, John Nevin is still astonished at how far the business has come. “I never thought I’d be running something this size,” he admits. “But it’s like everything, you just have to keep moving forward.”
With a new kitchen expansion underway, a loyal team, and a steady stream of Greenway cyclists passing the door, Nevin’s of Newport stands as a model of rural resilience, blending tradition with innovation, and proving that the right mix of community spirit and tourism can keep the West alive
