Publican says he can't pay cleaner after losing nearly €200,000 in four months running bar

A publican told the WRC he lost nearly €200,000 in four months running a bar in Co Kildare and has 'nothing' for a cleaner pursuing his firm for holiday pay. Photograph: Getty Images A publican says he lost nearly €200,000 in four months running a bar in Co Kildare and has 'nothing' for a cleaner pursuing his firm for holiday pay. 'Jesus, my intentions were good with the staff,' the businessman told the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Tuesday. Darren Feehan said he suffered 'horrific' financial losses after taking over a public house in Celbridge when its former operator was about to shut down the business in April, 2025. The worker, Mary O'Brien, said she 'never received any holiday pay' and was 'let go with three days' notice' in August 2025, after 11 months work at the pub. She told the WRC she was seeking 199.2 hours' accrued holiday pay as that was the limit of the WRC's jurisdiction in the case. However, she said she ought to have received 620 hours' holiday pay over the course of her employment under two different employers at the pub, first the Mucky Duck Ltd and then with Feehan's company, following a transfer of undertakings. Mr Feehan's firm, Darren Feehan Bars Ltd, held the pub licence under the trading name 'Feehan's of Celbridge', according to official records. He told the WRC his firm took over in April last year, but then shut down the establishment four months later at the end of August. 'I've accrued losses of €192,000 in the space of four months, which is kind of horrific. Jesus, I wish Mary well, nothing personal to Mary, I hope she gets what she's owed,' Mr Feehan said. 'The company's about to be struck off. There's no assets,' he said. 'There's nothing there, there's nothing there that's left. Everything was bled out of the company,' the businessman continued. 'I took the whole lot,' he said of the takeover. 'All I can say is, the way it was presented to me wasn't the way it turned out to be, and there was a lot more at play. 'I can't say too much with the media present. You don't lose €192,000 in four months in a public house without something being horrendously wrong,' he said. He said he had 'suffered a lot personally' due to what happened in the business. 'I've suffered enough with it personally. I've nothing,' he added. He said his pub company was 'just about to be struck off' as it had not traded for over a year. 'The company owes me €192,000 personally. There's more chance of an eagle flying in the window,' he said. 'The banking's wound up, the Revenue's wound up, there's only me in it waiting for the strike-off,' he said. He went on to say he had been through 'absolute hell' and expressed concern about the WRC's decision in Ms O'Brien's statutory complaint being registered as a judgment against the company. 'If that's the case, Jesus Christ, I don't know what I'm going to do,' Mr Feehan said. Adjudication officer Andrew Heavey said the company might owe Ms O'Brien money in relation to her statutory complaints 'but I imagine the entity has other creditors'. 'Yes, which obviously can't be fulfilled,' Mr Feehan said. 'Basically, Ms O'Brien will just become one of those creditors,' Mr Heavey said. O'Brien said she was 'sorry' for Mr Feehan. Mr Heavey then closed the hearing.