Celebrated restaurant The Tannery in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, is to close at the end of 2026 after 30 years in business. Husband and wife owners Paul and Máire Flynn said the decision to close was being made “on their own terms, and with enormous pride”.
The couple – chef Paul and front-of-house expert Máire – will continue to run The Tannery Townhouse accommodation and Cookery School from spring to autumn and will offer dinner to Townhouse residents. The Tannery restaurant will hold its last service on January 1st, 2027.
“If someone had handed us a crystal ball in 1997 and said ‘You’ll still be at this in 30 years’, we’d have bitten their hand off,” Paul said. “We’ve had the run of our lives. We’re closing because we can, not because we have to, and that’s a great position to be in. Hospitality has thrown everything at us over the years and we’ve always managed to dodge most of it. Navigating storms is our superpower.”
He added that 30 years “feels like a good, round number”, and that the couple wanted to scale back on their own terms “before I’m wheeled out of the kitchen”.
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Echoing her husband’s sentiments, Máire paid tribute to The Tannery’s 25 staff, who were told of the closure plan earlier on Thursday, and said the decision “comes from a place of gratitude and confidence”.
“We feel incredibly proud of what The Tannery has become and of the people who built it with us,” said Máire. “Our staff are the beating heart of this place, with so many with us for years. We’ve watched families grow up through this restaurant.”
The Tannery has grown over its three decades along with the culinary reputation of the area around it. It was a key player in the annual Waterford Festival of Food, which has welcomed a long list of internationally notable chefs. The Tannery kitchen itself has also produced a number of eminent alumni, including Mickael Viljanen of Michelin-starred Chapter One.
Paul is also a Michelin veteran, having led the kitchen at Chez Nico in London while in his 20s, later returning to Ireland to work in La Stampa in Dublin and before then establishing The Tannery.
