The legendary owner of Cork’s Hi-B Bar has died
It’s the end of an era.
Publican Brian O’Donnell, owner of the Hi-B bar on Oliver Plunkett Street, has died following a short illness.
A statement shared by Mr O’Donnell’s daughter on the pub’s Facebook page said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father Brian O’Donnell at 12.30am Friday morning in the Mercy Hospital after a short illness.
“On behalf of the family we would like to thank the wonderful staff of both St Luke’s Home and the Mercy Hospital for the wonderful care that he received over the last number of years.”
The Hi-B has been in the O’Donnell family since the 1920s, but Mr O’Donnell famously turned the bar into a place quite unlike anywhere else in the city.
The publican had a famous distaste for mobile phones, the use of which was banned inside the bar. This and various other strict rules enforced on the property did nothing to dissuade his loyal visitors and the Hi-B regularly tops lists of the ‘best bars to visit in Ireland’.
The Press Association describes it as “a small establishment with an expansive beer list and a 1920s-living-room vibe,”
“A gent’s loo like a sewer, a sound system made up exclusively of vinyl LPs, and a tyrannical owner who has been known to prowl the premises in his pyjamas.”
May he rest in peace.
