Waterford chef announces restaurant closure 'with enormous pride' after almost 30 years in business
Paul and his wife and business partner Máire will close The Tannery in Dungarvan
A popular Waterford chef has announced that after 30 years in business, 2026 will be his restaurants last.
Paul Flynn, who owns The Tannery in Dungarvan, has announced he and his wife and business partner, Máire Flynn, will close the restaurant with "enormous pride in what they have built."
The news was shared via social media that the restaurant will close on January 1st 2027.
The couple will continue to run The Tannery Townhouse and the Cookery School on a seasonal basis, welcoming guests from Spring through Autumn.
The Tannery has become one of the most respected and beloved restaurants in Ireland, a place that has helped shape modern Irish cooking while anchoring Dungarvan as a serious food destination.
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It has outlasted trends, weathered recessions, survived storms (literal and metaphorical), and grown up alongside a loyal community of staff and customers who now span generations.
The restaurant has welcomed a magnitude of guest chefs and collaborators, from Fergus Henderson and Angela Hartnett to Jason Atherton, Stephen Harris, Mickael Viljanen, Richard Corrigan, Robin Gill, Mark Hix, Ross Lewis, and many more.
Alumni from The Tannery kitchen now cook all over the world, including Mickael Viljanen, who has gone on to redefine the top tier of Irish dining.
For Paul and Máire, the greatest pride lies not in awards or accolades, though there have been many, but in longevity – of staff, of friendships, of connections, and of relationships with guests who first came as children and now return with children of their own.
There will be no single farewell party but instead, in typical Flynn fashion, the final year will be one long celebration.
For the next eleven months, Paul and Máire invite regulars, old friends, and first-time visitors to be part of the last service season of The Tannery Restaurant – a rolling toast to three decades of cooking and the craic.
"If someone had handed us a crystal ball in 1997 and said, ‘You’ll still be at this in 30 years,’ we’d have bitten their hand off," Paul said.
"We’re closing because we can, not because we have to, and that’s a great position to be in. Hospitality has thrown everything at us over the years and we’ve always managed to dodge most of it. Navigating storms is our superpower. But 30 years feels like a good, round number, and we’d like to scale back on our own terms before I’m wheeled out of the kitchen. This last year is about enjoying these last months properly, cooking for the lovely people who’ve kept us going, having the kind of fun we were probably too busy to have the first time around," he added.
The final restaurant service in The Tannery will take place on January 1st 2027, with bookings for the closing period to be announced later this year.