Well…What a Summer!

Before I say anything else, I want to start with the good stuff, because there has been plenty of it.

Nancy's Barn has been buzzing!

The auld barn has been full of people, laughter, birthdays, weddings, families, tourists, locals, coffee, chowder, steaks, breakfasts, lunches, pints, stories and the odd bit of absolute madness. And honestly? I love seeing it. After all these years, watching people walk through those doors and enjoy something that started as an old barn and a mad idea, still means an awful lot to me.

But, I don't really want to write another shiny little business post telling you how fantastic everything is, because running a small business isn't always fantastic. And maybe it's time I said that.

The Bits You Don't See

You see the full tables, the food, the photographs, the happy faces - you see Nancy's Barn looking lovely. What you don't see is what happens before the doors open, or after they close. You don't see the invoices, the wage and electricity bills, the insurances, price increases, the suppliers, the endless repairs, or the equipment that decides to die at exactly the wrong moment. You don't see the calculations going around in your head at 2am: "How are we going to make this work?"

Because the truth is…the margins in the hospitality sector aren't what they used to be. Not even close. You can have an absolutely packed week, work yourself into the ground and then sit down afterwards and realise that being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're making money, and that's one of the hardest things to accept. You can be exhausted and still feel like you've achieved nothing financially. Sometimes it's honestly soul destroying.

Then There's Being The Boss…

Being the boss sounds great, doesn't it? Until you realise you're not just the boss. You're the person people come to when they're upset, struggling, or had a bad day. When there's an argument, when somebody can't make a shift, or when somebody just needs advice. You're the friend, the counsellor, the fixer - the person who is expected to have an answer. And sometimes…you haven't got a clue yourself!

But you put on the face. You keep going. You sort the problem. You walk into the kitchen, you put the apron on and you cook, because that's what I've always done. I've been cooking since I was a wain, and despite everything else that comes with running this place, I'm still happiest when I'm standing at the stove, creating something and watching somebody enjoy it.

Rural Inishowen

There's something very special about running a little independent business here, but there's something incredibly hard about it too. We're not in Dublin. We're not in a big city with thousands of people walking past our door every day. We're in rural Inishowen. Beautiful, wild, bloody brilliant Inishowen, and I wouldn't swap it. But being a small independent business in a rural community comes with its own challenges. You don't have endless staff, endless money, a huge marketing department, and you don't have somebody sitting upstairs working out how to make everything happen. You've got yourself, your team, your family, and whatever energy you've got left in the tank.

The Bittersweet Bit

That's probably the word I'd use for self-employment. Bittersweet.

Because I'm unbelievably proud of Nancy's Barn. Proud of what we've built, our team, the food, the people who come back year after year, and proud that something I dreamed about actually exists. But sometimes I'm bloody tired. Not just physically. Mentally. There are days when you question everything: you wonder if you're doing the right thing? You wonder if you should simplify everything? You wonder what life would be like if you didn't have a business constantly sitting on your shoulders?

Then the next morning you walk into the barn. The wee fire is lit, the smell of coffee is in the air, someone is laughing behind the bar, the kitchen is firing, and the first customers walk through the door. And you think…

"Ah feck it. This is why."

The People

And that's the thing. Nancy's Barn isn't really the building. It's the people. Our team, the locals, the visitors, the suppliers. The people who have supported us through good times and bad, who have watched us grow, who tell their friends about us, who drive a bloody long way just to have a bowl of chowder, who walk through the door and make themselves at home. You are the reason we're still here. And I don't think I say that enough.

So Where Does That Leave Us?

I don't have all the answers. I'm still figuring it out. Maybe that's the next chapter of my life - working out how to keep the soul of Nancy's Barn alive without losing myself in the process. Because somewhere along the way, you can become so busy keeping the business alive that you forget to actually live, and that's something I'm thinking about a lot. I don't want to stop dreaming. I don't want to stop cooking. I don't want to stop creating. I don't want to stop Nancy's Barn. But I also want to find a way of doing it that leaves a little bit of Kieran left at the end of the day.

So yes…Summer 2026 has been brilliant. It has also been exhausting. It's been exciting, it's been stressful, it's been full of laughter and full of pressure, and it's been rewarding. It's occasionally made me want to pack a bag, move to Donegal's most remote hill and never answer the phone again!

But Mostly…

I'm grateful.

Grateful that I get to do what I do and that this little barn exists. I’m grateful for the people around me, and for the people who keep walking through our doors. And grateful that after everything…we're still here. Still standing. Still cooking. Still laughing. Still making mistakes. Still learning. Still dreaming. And still trying to make Nancy's Barn something we're proud of.

The summer is coming to an end. But maybe that's not a bad thing. Maybe every ending gives you a chance to breathe, to look around, to take stock, to decide what's next. And believe me…there is plenty more to come.

So here's to the end of another mad summer in Ballyliffin - to our team, our customers, and rural Inishowen. To the good and bad days, the long days and the days when everything goes completely sideways. And to the days when it all somehow comes together! Because that's hospitality. That's being self-employed. That's life. And that's my little corner of the world.

Burnt Ends…

To Be Continued.

Kieran
Nancy's Barn, Ballyliffin

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