Iconic Mayo pub known as "The Academy" up for sale
The landmark Castlebar pub with its unique facade has been put on the market.
An iconic Mayo pub has hit the market.
Cannon’s bar, may have been closed since 1989, but the pub affectionately known as “The Academy” remains a source of great affection in Castlebar.
The pub and its attractive façade is one of the landmarks of the Market Square area of the county town.
The property, which includes living accommodation on the first floor, is being sold as it stands without a current license and requires modernisation throughout.
Some of the contents attracted a great deal of interest when they were auctioned off earlier this year.
The pub was run by Eddie and Hannah Cannon and later, Eddie's son Michael Cannon.
Nicknamed 'The Academy', thanks to Eddie's intellect and extensive library, Cannon's was said to be a “popular meeting place for saints, scholars, political commentators, poets and philosophers,” who would prop up the bar to engage in discussion and debate, upholding the pubs glowing reputation as a poor man's university; The Academy.
The snug bar was a haven of sociability and conversation in Castlebar and boasted a pint of Guinness “always a few pence lower than other places.”
Lisa Cannon, a familiar face on Irish TV screens for some 20 years, still has fond memories of the pub when it was open to the public and run by her grandparents.
“Many people would have grown up with my grandfather's pub. The old Irish pub tradition is very much an important part of our culture and our heritage. It’s one of the most important establishments in Co Mayo," said Lisa.
"It really has that uniqueness, everybody knows the pub. Generations have grown up there," she added.
