There’s a Pub in Ireland with Your Name on it: Heineken® Launches Worldwide Search to Find New Owner, Keeping the Family Tradition Alive
Heineken has launched a global recruitment campaign to help preserve the legacy of McLoughlin's Bar, a 155-year-old family-run pub on Ireland's Achill Island. Current owner Josie McLoughlin, the fourth generation proprietor who has run the pub for 43 years, is seeking retirement but has no family successor to maintain the McLoughlin name.
The initiative comes as over 40% of rural Irish publicans consider retirement, with 84% lacking family successors. Heineken is leveraging its global marketing reach to find a new McLoughlin among the 88 million Irish descendants worldwide, with advertising campaigns in major cities including New York, Boston, Sydney, and Buenos Aires.
The selected candidate will receive a succession package including mentorship and business support. The campaign is part of Heineken's broader 'For the Love of Pubs' initiative supporting the pub trade. McLoughlin's Bar, established in 1870, features a beer garden, live traditional music, and views of Slievemore mountain.
Heineken ha lanciato una campagna di reclutamento globale per aiutare a preservare l'eredità di McLoughlin's Bar, un pub a conduzione familiare di 155 anni situato sull'isola di Achill in Irlanda. L'attuale proprietaria Josie McLoughlin, quarta generazione a gestire il pub da 43 anni, sta cercando di andare in pensione ma non ha un successore familiare per mantenere vivo il nome McLoughlin.
L'iniziativa arriva mentre oltre il 40% dei pubblicani rurali irlandesi considera la pensione, con l'84% che non ha successori familiari. Heineken sta sfruttando la sua portata di marketing globale per trovare un nuovo McLoughlin tra i 88 milioni di discendenti irlandesi nel mondo, con campagne pubblicitarie in città principali come New York, Boston, Sydney e Buenos Aires.
Il candidato selezionato riceverà un pacchetto di successione che include mentorship e supporto aziendale. La campagna fa parte dell'iniziativa più ampia di Heineken 'Per Amore dei Pub' a sostegno del settore dei pub. McLoughlin's Bar, fondato nel 1870, offre un giardino di birra, musica tradizionale dal vivo e vista sul monte Slievemore.
Heineken ha lanzado una campaña de reclutamiento global para ayudar a preservar el legado de McLoughlin's Bar, un pub familiar de 155 años en la isla Achill, Irlanda. La actual propietaria Josie McLoughlin, cuarta generación al mando que ha gestionado el pub durante 43 años, busca retirarse pero no tiene un sucesor familiar que mantenga el nombre McLoughlin.
La iniciativa surge en un momento en que más del 40% de los publicanos rurales irlandeses consideran la jubilación, con un 84% sin sucesores familiares. Heineken está aprovechando su alcance de marketing global para encontrar un nuevo McLoughlin entre los 88 millones de descendientes irlandeses en todo el mundo, con campañas publicitarias en ciudades importantes como Nueva York, Boston, Sídney y Buenos Aires.
El candidato seleccionado recibirá un paquete de sucesión que incluye mentoría y apoyo empresarial. La campaña es parte de la iniciativa más amplia de Heineken 'Por Amor a los Pubs' que apoya el comercio de pubs. McLoughlin's Bar, establecido en 1870, cuenta con un jardín de cerveza, música tradicional en vivo y vistas a la montaña Slievemore.
하이네켄은 아일랜드 아킬 섬에 있는 155년 된 가족 운영 술집인 맥클라우클린 바의 유산을 보존하기 위해 글로벌 채용 캠페인을 시작했습니다. 현재 소유주인 조시 맥클라우클린은 43년 동안 술집을 운영해온 4대째 소유자로 은퇴를 원하고 있지만, 맥클라우클린 이름을 유지할 가족 후계자가 없습니다.
이 이니셔티브는 40% 이상의 아일랜드 시골 주점 주인이 은퇴를 고려하고 있으며, 84%가 가족 후계자가 없다는 상황에서 진행됩니다. 하이네켄은 전 세계 8,800만 아일랜드 후손 중에서 새로운 맥클라우클린을 찾기 위해 글로벌 마케팅 범위를 활용하고 있으며, 뉴욕, 보스턴, 시드니, 부에노스아이레스 등 주요 도시에서 광고 캠페인을 진행하고 있습니다.
선정된 후보자는 멘토링 및 비즈니스 지원을 포함한 승계 패키지를 받게 됩니다. 이 캠페인은 하이네켄의 더 넓은 '펍에 대한 사랑' 이니셔티브의 일환으로, 펍 산업을 지원합니다. 1870년에 설립된 맥클라우클린 바는 맥주 정원, 전통 음악 라이브 공연, 슬리브모어 산의 전망을 제공합니다.
Heineken a lancé une campagne de recrutement mondiale pour aider à préserver l'héritage de McLoughlin's Bar, un pub familial de 155 ans situé sur l'île d'Achill en Irlande. L'actuelle propriétaire, Josie McLoughlin, la quatrième génération à diriger le pub depuis 43 ans, souhaite prendre sa retraite mais n'a pas de successeur familial pour maintenir le nom McLoughlin.
Cette initiative intervient alors que plus de 40 % des taverniers irlandais ruraux envisagent la retraite, avec 84 % d'entre eux n'ayant pas de successeurs familiaux. Heineken utilise sa portée marketing mondiale pour trouver un nouveau McLoughlin parmi les 88 millions de descendants irlandais dans le monde, avec des campagnes publicitaires dans des grandes villes telles que New York, Boston, Sydney et Buenos Aires.
Le candidat sélectionné recevra un package de succession comprenant un mentorat et un soutien commercial. La campagne fait partie de l'initiative plus large de Heineken 'Pour l'amour des pubs' qui soutient le commerce des pubs. McLoughlin's Bar, fondé en 1870, dispose d'un jardin à bière, de musique traditionnelle en direct et d'une vue sur la montagne Slievemore.
Heineken hat eine globale Rekrutierungskampagne gestartet, um das Erbe von McLoughlin's Bar, einer 155 Jahre alten Familienkneipe auf der irischen Insel Achill, zu bewahren. Die aktuelle Eigentümerin Josie McLoughlin, die vierte Generation, die die Kneipe seit 43 Jahren führt, plant ihren Ruhestand, hat jedoch keinen familiären Nachfolger, um den Namen McLoughlin zu erhalten.
Die Initiative kommt zu einem Zeitpunkt, an dem über 40 % der ländlichen irischen Wirte über den Ruhestand nachdenken, wobei 84 % keinen familiären Nachfolger haben. Heineken nutzt seine globale Marketingreichweite, um einen neuen McLoughlin unter den 88 Millionen irischen Nachkommen weltweit zu finden, mit Werbekampagnen in großen Städten wie New York, Boston, Sydney und Buenos Aires.
Der ausgewählte Kandidat erhält ein Nachfolgepaket, das Mentoring und Geschäftssupport umfasst. Die Kampagne ist Teil von Heinekens umfassenderer Initiative 'Für die Liebe der Pubs', die den Pub-Handel unterstützt. McLoughlin's Bar, die 1870 gegründet wurde, bietet einen Biergarten, traditionelle Live-Musik und Ausblick auf den Slievemore-Berg.
- Heineken providing business support package including mentorship and investment guidance
- Global marketing campaign reaching major international markets
- Strategic initiative addressing succession crisis in Irish pub industry
- Current owner has no direct family successor after 155 years of family ownership
- Highlights broader industry challenge with 84% of rural pubs lacking succession plans
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
- Family-run Irish pubs face uncertain future as more than four in ten rural publicans say they are considering retirement but
84% have no family to take on their legacy* - The McLoughlins have run McLoughlin’s Bar for four generations, but now current owner Josie risks seeing his name removed from above the door
- With 88 million Irish descendants living across the globe, Heineken® is using its marketing might to find a new McLoughlin to take over the pub on the beautiful Achill Island on Ireland’s west coast - searching from New York to Buenos Aires to Sydney
ACHILL SOUND, Ireland, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading global beer brand Heineken® has launched a worldwide recruitment campaign to help independent Irish pub owner, Josie McLoughlin, find a new successor.
Joseph ‘Josie’ McLoughlin owns McLoughlin’s Bar on the rural Achill Island. Situated at the edge of the world, the pub rests against the backdrop of the wild, beautiful landscape of West Ireland. A fourth generation McLoughlin, Josie was born upstairs in the pub, and when his parents passed, he took the reins and has been behind the bar for the past 43 years.
Like many families in Ireland, Josie’s kin now live all over the world and he has no-one to pass the pub on to. So now, at retirement age, he is looking for a namesake to take over the running of the pub and keep the family name above the door.
Josie, whose family has run McLoughlin’s for 155 years, explains, "I have no one to leave the pub to, and I’d resigned myself to looking for a buyer outside the family and seeing my name being lost to history. That would just break my heart. The name McLoughlin is woven into the very fabric of this pub. The past 50 years have been incredibly fulfilling for me and I’d love to see that story continue, finding a McLoughlin descendant to take it forward. If I could guarantee the McLoughlin name would still be above the door of the pub in another 155 years, I’d die a happy man.”
Heineken® has stepped in to help Josie and his partner Jackie launch a worldwide search for a new custodian who’ll keep the McLoughlin tradition - and the heart of the pub - alive. Someone who can act as the next guardian of a rich tapestry of stories, pints and, of course, the craic.
It is using its global reach to launch a recruitment campaign, with towering billboards and eye-catching ads being erected in cities worldwide where large numbers of Irish people have emigrated, including New York, Boston, Sydney, Auckland, Buenos Aires and Phan Thiết (Vietnam). A widespread digital and PR campaign will leave no stone unturned in the search for a suitable McLoughlin.
Heineken® will also be offering a succession package to “the new McLoughlin” to help them get their feet behind the bar, including mentorship, business support and initial investment guidance to ensure the pub remains a thriving part of the community.
Heineken® has long believed the pub is the home of socialising and nowhere is this truer than in Ireland. Whether it’s a big pub in the city, or a local that members of the community rely on for celebrations and get togethers, it’s the friendly spirit of these institutions that Heineken® strives to protect.
With names such as O’Donoghue, Fitzpatrick and McLoughlin’s above the door, they’ve served as meeting places, socialising spots, storytelling hubs and cultural landmarks for centuries. Today they face the challenge of succession. Many publicans like Josie have dedicated their lives to their pubs, to find they have no-one to take over their legacy.
Heineken® wants to ensure that pubs remain at the heart of social life in Ireland and beyond. The campaign is part of a wider pub support campaign ‘For the Love of Pubs’ which includes a suite of programmes which are dedicated to supporting and celebrating the pub trade.
Mark Noble, Marketing Manager at Heineken® Ireland says, “When we heard Josie’s story, we just knew we had to do something to help. Pubs in Ireland are more than just places to enjoy a drink; they are living pieces of history, places of laughter, song, and kinship. With many of these institutions facing uncertain futures, we want to rally the Irish diaspora, inspiring a new generation of pub owners to take on not just a business, but a cultural legacy. For those who have longed to reconnect with their Irish heritage, this is more than an investment; it’s a homecoming: the chance to own a piece of Ireland, to pour a pint for old friends and new, and to keep the spirit of the pub alive for generations to come.”
All it will take is finding just one of the 88 million people of Irish descent that want to reconnect with their roots by owning a pub that bears their namesake.
So, are you a McLoughlin?
Imagine walking into a pub with your family name above the door, a place where past generations have gathered, and future generations can continue to gather. At the edge of the emerald isle, where the Atlantic crashes, the fire crackles and the stories flow as freely as the pints, sits such a place.
Established in 1870, McLoughlin’s can be found in the heart of Achill Sound. Punters can expect a warm welcome, a fabulous beer garden for summer, a roaring fire in the winter and traditional live music played late into the night.
From its doorstep, there are views that stretch out across the sea and up towards Slievemore mountain - a stunning backdrop for incredible sunsets.
Beyond its stunning scenery - Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning film The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed here - Achill Island off the wild west coast of Ireland offers a vibrant community and the warmth of social connection.
If you’re a McLoughlin and you’re passionate about keeping the family name above the door for future generations, there’s a pub in Ireland with your name on it.
Visit www.pubsuccession.com to learn more and apply.
For Irish publicans looking for support and resources they can visit www.loveofpubs.com.
Notes to editors:
For more information, images and interview requests, please contact
- Ireland - lauraw@thinkhousehq.com
- USA - heineken@mbooth.com
- Worldwide - heineken@wearetheromans.com
References:
*Vintners' Federation of Ireland AGM April 2024
About Heineken®
HEINEKEN® is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken® brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN® has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 85,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken® N.V. and Heineken® Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN® has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken® N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken® Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY).
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FAQ
What is Heineken's global search campaign for McLoughlin's Bar about?
What support package is Heineken offering to the new McLoughlin's Bar owner?
Where is McLoughlin's Bar located and what are its features?
Why is Heineken launching this pub succession campaign in 2025?
