A Cookstown barwoman has recounted the memories of her 43 years working behind the bar in the Co Tyrone town.
Maggie McCaughey has been serving customers in the Cartwheel Bar in the town for 27 years, having previously worked in the well-known Clubland nightclub and The Prairie Inn.
Speaking to MyTyrone, Maggie said in more than four decades working behind the bar she has seen it all, but wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, the years just rolled in very quickly and I realised I was here for a year and then got in for another year and now I’m still here,” Maggie said.
“I never thought for one minute that I would have stayed that length of time in any job.
“I’m nearly ready to hang the boots up, but I’ll not be moving anywhere unless they move me out before that!”
Referring to the changes that she has seen in the industry over the years, Maggie said the prices are one that sticks out firmly in her mind.
“I can remember a pint was 48p or 49p and then I remember them going up to £1 and I thought that was very dear for a pint of beer.
“When the smoking ban came in that was a big change. You'd have people coming into the bar, reading the papers and having a bit of craic.
“Now it’s all different, the whole trend is different but they are the younger generation and I’m the older generation and you just have to go along with it.”
Current owner of The Cartwheel Catherine Martin, daughter of original owners Brendan and Rose Mulgrew, took the reins on seven years ago but says Maggie is the one who keeps all the staff right.
The Mulgrew family have been leading lights in the hospitality businesses in Co Tyrone since the 1970s, with Catherine’s late brother Raymond taking on Clubland in the 1990s during its heyday.
“She’s very much the right hand woman, she’s the one that keeps us all right,” Catherine said.
“Without her I don’t know what we would do, she’s very respected in the area, wide and far.
“There are generations of people that she’s served over the years.
“She’s the benchmark really of how you want a bartender to be. I’d be nervous and still am a wee bit nervous now if I’m not doing things right.
“The customers would have nothing but a good word to say about her, she’s just had a really good rapport with customers and people over the years.
As good a storyteller as a bartender, Maggie recounted many yarns of her time working in the town, including one where she emerged from the bar to find her car had been turned upside down.
Luckily for Maggie however, her green Fiat was only receiving a few minor adjustments from some regulars.
“It was my first car and I thought ‘my god’ - then they turned it around again and it went like a banger, it flew after that.
“I had great experiences, there was weddings and different things. It just becomes part of your life really.”
Summing up her right hand woman, Catherine added: “Maggie’s a treasure, one of a kind and hopefully she’ll be with us for a right while.”
