A local authority has halted all work on transforming the fictional "Cohan's Pub" in Cong, Co Mayo - which featured in The Quiet Man film - into an actual public house because planning regulations have not been followed.
The dispute over planning involves Jack Murphy, an extra in the John Ford classic, his sister, Nancy, their nephew, John Connolly and Mayo County Council.
The local authority has halted all works on the transformation of the former souvenir shop at Main Street in Cong to a pub cum restaurant because no planning permission was sought for the change of use of the premises.
With the roof of the building already removed and the interior gutted, this poses an accommodation dilemma for Jack and Nancy Murphy who says they are quite literally left without a roof over their heads.
It's also a major setback to plans by John Connolly to make Cohan's, the fictional pub where John Wayne and Victor McLaglen supped creamy pints in the film, a hostelry in real life.
Mr Connolly, who started work on the refurbishment last autumn, planned to have "Pat Cohan's" open by June next to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Irish premiere of the movie.
The new landlord hoped to have the fixtures and fittings used in the interior shots of The Quiet Man, which were filmed in Hollywood, shipped to Cong, to give the new pub extra authenticity.
Mr Connolly could not be contacted for comment over the past few days but his aunt and uncle, Jack and Nancy Murphy, insisted that the proper planning procedures were followed.
On March 20th, Mayo County Council returned the application for planning permission on the grounds that there was no site notice.
The Murphys insist the planning notice had been prominently displayed in a window but "somebody had come along and put a wardrobe in front of it" when an official from the planning department of the local authority called.
"This is all red tape," Jack Murphy commented. "The roof had to be taken off. It was in a bad state. It is a great inconvenience for us to have to live in a rented house."
A spokesman for the planning office of Mayo County Council said yesterday that Mr Connolly did not have the required planning permission for the renovation of the premises.
"Mr Connolly lodged an application for planning permission in February but this was declared invalid earlier this month," the spokesman said.
A decision on a fresh application for planning permission is due in May.
"He [Mr Connolly] should not have touched the building without the permission of the planning authority", the planning spokesman said.
"This is a prominent structure in a scenic village which is very sensitive from a planning point of view."