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After three decades in Dungarvan, Waterford’s acclaimed restaurant The Tannery will close its doors — but owners Paul and Máire Flynn are not stepping away from hospitality altogether. They plan a smaller, more personal dining project and will continue to operate The Tannery Townhouse and its cookery school on a seasonal basis.
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The Flynns say the choice to wind down the restaurant after 30 years is personal, not the result of market pressure. Paul told Morning Ireland the pair feel ready to slow their pace and make time for life beyond the kitchen.
They emphasise a desire to pace themselves rather than to exit the business world entirely. The final service at the Dungarvan site is scheduled for 1 January 2027, giving staff and regulars time to prepare for the change.
A smaller, intimate chapter
Rather than keeping The Tannery as it is, the couple plan a new venture with a much-reduced capacity. Máire told the Irish Times the new format will seat no more than 28 diners, compared with the roughly 90-cover dining room the restaurant once hosted.
Paul describes the menu as deliberately simple: a pared-back, no-choice offering that will still include vegetarian options. The aim is to deliver quality on a smaller scale and with less daily strain on the owners and team.
Food, memories and a local legacy
Both owners reflect on how Irish dining has changed since they opened. Máire recalled that ingredients like pesto were once considered exotic, and that diners from Dublin initially treated Dungarvan as remote — a reminder of how tastes and supply chains have evolved.
Generations of customers form part of the restaurant’s story. Paul notes families who once dined there with young children now visit with the next generation. It is a legacy he acknowledges with wry humour as he contemplates stepping back.
One dish has endured from the early menu: the crab crème brûlée. Paul joked it might even outlast him in memory.
Looking after staff and customers in the final year
The Flynns say the remaining year will be spent celebrating that history. They want to welcome back long-standing patrons and ensure staff are cared for as the restaurant closes.
While the Dungarvan restaurant will shut, The Tannery Townhouse and the couple’s cookery school will continue on a seasonal basis, preserving part of the brand and its connection to the local community.
