History
The Mc Hugh family have owned Nancy’s for over seven generations, and it has managed to retain the traditional feel and family atmosphere that make people want to come back again and again.
Originally named “Charles Mc Hugh’s”, the bar owner passed away at a young age, leaving his wife Nancy to run the business and raise her family alone. A strong minded woman, Nancy helped the business go from strength to strength, and raised her family to continue doing so.
Moving on to the early 1970’s, we saw another strong woman at the helm when Margaret, mother of the current owner, took over after her husbands death and again saw Nancy’s grow in popularity with locals and visitors alike. Margaret’s love of antiques can be seen throughout the building- each room plays host to a different selection of her collected items, and they help Nancy’s feel like the very unique place it is.
Bringing our history right up to the present, we have the strongest woman so far- the one and only Ann Barrett Mc Hugh.
Ann married Charlie in 1973 and a few years later she began serving food in Nancy’s. Expanding on her mother in law Margaret’s introduction of local oysters, she began serving more fresh local seafood, delicious beef burgers and also came up with a fabulous seafood chowder recipe which is still used in our kitchen today. Ann served wonderful, fuss-free food to many hungry visitors for almost 40 years, and expanded both the menu and the kitchen as Nancy’s grew in popularity. Having just recently taken a very well earned break from cooking, she has handed over the reigns to eldest son and head chef Daniel, so she can rest assured that her legacy will continue to go from strength to strength.
The one and only Don Breslin. Don worked in Nancy’s for over 30 years, he was a wonderful mentor and friend, and he left this life too soon due to cancer. Although he tended bar, he was so much more than a bartender. A smiling face, a warm welcome, a cheeky joke, a patient teacher, a loyal friend, a great colleague and a wonderful member of the Nancy’s family. Don is remembered fondly and is missed every day.
