Donegal Vintners to honour Brennan sisters
Patricia Brennan and her late sister Nan – the Brennan sisters, of Brennan’s Criterion Bar in Bundoran, will be honoured by the County Donegal Vintners Association, for their long time service to the pub trade in Bundoran.
The presentation will be made to Patricia at the annual dinner dance of the Donegal Vintners which will take place on Thursday February 7th at the Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran.
Martin Gibbons, Chair of Donegal VFI, welcomed the acknowledgement saying “Patricia and Nan have given exceptional service to the pub trade and it’s only right and appropriate that as we are having the annual dinner dance in Bundoran, that their service be acknowledged. Nan (RIP) was secretary and treasurer of the local vintners group for over 30 years. Brennan’s Criterion Bar on Main Street, as well as being the oldest pub in Bundoran, is one of the most iconic pubs in the county and indeed the entire country and was such a popular spot until it finally closed its doors on September 30th this year.”
Philip McGlynn of the Great Northern Hotel added ‘the “two sisters” always had a welcome for everyone that walked through the door of the pub – “it was a sad day for the town when Nan died in 2017 and subsequently when Patricia made the decision to retire and close the doors earlier this year. However we are very happy for her and wish her well and many happy years of retirement. As soon as word got out about the presentation to Patricia, the phone has been hopping for tickets. I would advise anyone who wants to be there on the night to get their tickets soon.”
Tickets are now on sale from the Great Northern Hotel and Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer of Donegal Vintners.
Brennan’s Criterion Bar first opened on St Patrick’s Day in the year 1900 with Nan and Patricia taking over the running of the pub with their father in 1963. The two Brennan sisters have featured in countless news articles, TV shows, the movie “The Irish Pub” and most recently in the Hophouse 13 TV ad which was filmed shortly before Nan’s death.
Patricia sat down with Bundoran Tourism Officer Shane Smyth to talk about Bundoran amongst other things – read the transcript here and listen to the interview on the Bundoran Weekly podcast from Friday 8th February 2019!
