West Cork's award-winning Lifeboat Inn: 'TikTok was where it started for us'
Lifeboat (left) Martin Of O'halloran (right), Owners And The David Inn Buckley
The Lifeboat Inn, nestled on the waterfront of the seaside village of Courtmacsherry in West Cork, is the brainchild of partners David O’Halloran and Martin Buckley who first opened their doors in 2017.
The pair met in college in Cork back in 2009 and realised early on in their relationship that they wanted to open a restaurant together.
It quickly became what Martin and his husband David describe as “a dream goal”.
The pair moved to London together to gain experience before moving to Dublin and eventually settling in West Cork in 2017.
They bought the pub in their late 20s, which they say was a huge high for them after working hard and sacrificing everything to achieve their goal.
“The building needed investment and modernisation and there were no savings left to do much, so we just painted the pub and opened it two days later. We reinvested any profits into renovations and upgrades as we went along,” Martin told the .
“We could see early on that food would be central to the Lifeboat Inn’s identity, so developing that side of the business became the priority.
“Our biggest project to date has been the completion of the new kitchen, which marked a turning point for The Lifeboat Inn. It allowed us to improve the food offering, break into the wedding market, and it also set the stage for our social media videos.”
Speaking about the virality of their social media videos, the pair said their success on TikTok is “pure accidental”.
The Lifeboat Inn has racked up more than 43,000 followers on TikTok and 25,700 followers on Instagram, giving their audience a sneak peek of their everyday life and showing us what happens behind the scenes in the kitchen.
“TikTok was where it started for us. We could really have fun with it, and we didn’t have to be picture perfect like on other apps. I think hospitality gets a bad rap from people, but we like to show the positive side of it,” they said.
“There is never a content strategy plan. We simply live it, record it, and post it. We don’t take ourselves too seriously or overthink anything that goes out to the world.”
Martin believes that is why their followers have warmed to them.
“I think it is important to have a certain amount of social media presence nowadays, even if it’s just a page with a link to your website or just your business,” he said.
“It’s a lot to manage, but we get a great kick out of it, it attracts new customers into the pub from all over and brings fun opportunities our way. The locals get a kick out of it also.
“The support from the local community plays a huge part in our story. It’s a relationship that’s very important to us. When the pandemic hit, people got to see our grit and determination,” they said.
“On our side, we got to see the support and encouragement from them — they really wanted us to succeed and that meant a lot.
“They have also been on the journey with us and have seen the pub develop in real time. The business is unrecognisable compared to the first year. We opened with an unfinished product, but we now have an award-winning pub that reflects both us and the local area and we are very proud of that.”
Last month, the pair received the news that The Lifeboat Inn had been named Pub of the Year at the Good Food Ireland Awards 2024.
Judges described it as “a pub that represents the very best of Irish food and culture, one that takes the Irish pub experience to a whole different level of excellence”.
The Lifeboat Inn was selected following a series of mystery inspections and assessments approved by Good Food Ireland, and was shortlisted by an independent panel of Irish and international industry leaders.
The judges applauded the pub for showcasing local Irish produce, with consideration for traditional or speciality Irish dishes, supplemented by home-baked bread, cakes, and desserts.
The pub’s drinks selection of local Irish beers, spirits, and beverages also received a nod from the judges who described The Lifeboat Inn as “the epitome of the Irish pub experience”.
Recognising the award as “a huge honour”, the pair said: “We have a lot of respect for what Good Food Ireland represents. It’s all about championing local Irish producers, and that is something we have been passionate about since opening the pub. This award recognises our team’s hard work, our commitment to local producers and the incredible support of our community.”
Looking forward to 2025 — which is forecast to be another difficult year for the hospitality industry — David and Martin said they don’t take their successes to date for granted and that the struggle for those working within the sector is “never ending”.
“We don’t take anything for granted because the truth is that every day is a battle to survive,” they said.
“We saw a sudden rise in price increases at the beginning of 2022 and it hasn’t stopped since. January 2025 is just around the corner, and we are already looking at more increases again — it’s just never ending.
“With regards to the argument about Vat, the Government shouldn’t look at a family going out for a meal together as a luxury. The reduction in Vat would give restaurants a bit of breathing space to pay bills.
“We are also an incredibly labour-intensive industry, with wages accounting for 20 to 30% of costs, so perhaps they should look at lowering the PRSI to help manage those costs. They need to do more to support the industry which is now going through a very difficult time.”