In the Irish society, pubs have a very huge role to play in the daily lives. In remote and rural areas, it is a main centre for entertainment and the owners will get a huge financial benefit. The Tara Na Ri pub which was locked down at the time of pandemic has been transformed into a wildlife hospital. The closure was very big blow for the community residing there
The bar has been shut and not been used till now but other buildings are still being used, not as a pub but as an animal care unit.
A wild Irish goat has been secured from the mountain side and is now being kept in a building and looked after very well. The foxes settles in small rooms and swans make their nest in the hay left back at the stables. A buzzard with low health has been nursed back to health.
The family of James McCarthy, the owner, have kept the pub for over a decade and he says that they knew only a single way of living. After the lockdown period when he had to shutdown the pub, he joined hands with Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland (WRI) a government backed agency. He gave up serving pints and now he serves coffee and provide takeaway services at the front side of the pub.
This is the first animal rehabilitation facility in the whole of Ireland where animals are treated and medicated. Many species are being cared and kept well. A lots of baby birds, foxes etc will be protected and these will make their caretakers feel happy.
The local public had made brilliant efforts in setting up the animal hospital. They feel that the wildlife should be preserved or protected in the current situation where people died in huge numbers infected with Covid 19.