McLoughlin’s Bar is looking for a McLoughlin to take over the pub. The recruitment campaign demonstrates Heineken’s support of local pubs. Family-run Irish pubs face uncertain future as more than four in ten rural publicans say they are considering retirement but 84% have no family to take on their legacy*. The McLoughlins have run McLoughlin’s Bar for four generations across 155 years, but now current owner, Josie, risks seeing his name removed from above the door. With 88 million Irish descendants living across the globe, Heineken is using its marketing might to find a new McLoughlin to take over the pub on Achill Island, set against the backdrop of the wild, beautiful landscape of West Ireland. It’s searching from New York to Buenos Aires to Sydney.
A fourth generation McLoughlin, Josie was born upstairs in the pub, and when his parents passed, he took the reins and has been behind the bar for the past 43 years. Like many families in Ireland, Josie’s kin now live all over the world and he has no-one to pass the pub on to. So now, at retirement age, he is looking for a namesake to take over the running of the pub and keep the family name above the door.
Josie McLughlin explained. “I have no one to leave the pub to, and I’d resigned myself to looking for a buyer outside the family and seeing my name being lost to history. That would just break my heart. The name McLoughlin is woven into the very fabric of this pub. The past 50 years have been incredibly fulfilling for me and I’d love to see that story continue, finding a McLoughlin descendant to take it forward. If I could guarantee the McLoughlin name would still be above the door of the pub in another 155 years, I’d die a happy man.”
Heineken has the global reach and marketing clout that the McLoughlins don’t. The brand is erecting towering billboards and eye-catching ads in cities worldwide where large numbers of Irish people have emigrated, including New York, Boston, Sydney, Auckland, Buenos Aires and Phan Thiết (Vietnam). A widespread digital and PR campaign supported by a trio of PR agencies – TheRomans (global), Thinkhouse (Ireland) and M Booth (USA) – will leave no stone unturned in the search for a suitable McLoughlin. The global search, spanning Boston to Buenos Aires, is lighting up everything from Times Square to the pages of The New York Times.
Heineken will also be offering a succession package to “the new McLoughlin” to help them get their feet behind the bar, including mentorship, business support and initial investment guidance to ensure the pub remains a thriving part of the community.
Heineken has long believed the pub is the home of socialising, and nowhere is this truer than in Ireland. Whether it’s a big pub in the city, or a local that members of the community rely on for celebrations and get togethers, it’s the friendly spirit of these institutions that Heineken strives to protect. The campaign is part of a wider pub support campaign, For the Love of Pubs, that includes programmes dedicated to supporting and celebrating the pub trade.
Mark Noble, marketing manager at Heineken Ireland, stated, “When we heard Josie’s story, we just knew we had to do something to help. Pubs in Ireland are more than just places to enjoy a drink; they are living pieces of history, places of laughter, song, and kinship. With many of these institutions facing uncertain futures, we want to rally the Irish diaspora, inspiring a newgeneration of pub owners to take on not just a business, but a cultural legacy. For those who have longed to reconnect with their Irish heritage, this is more than an investment; it’s a homecoming: the chance to own a piece of Ireland, to pour a pint for old friends and new, and to keep the spirit of the pub alive for generations to come.”
Bruno Bertelli, global CEO LePub and CCO LePub Worldwide, commented, “This is an ambitious initiative as it combines creative and strategic wittiness to help secure the future of Ireland’s iconic pubs in fresh and unexpected ways. By leveraging Heineken’s global presence and reach, we are not only reconnecting Irish descendants with their roots but also ensuring that these cherished spaces continue to thrive as community landmarks. Through a thoughtful balance of tradition and forward-thinking solutions, we are reshaping the brand’s role in preserving cultural legacy, creating meaningful opportunities that harness the power of both heritage and innovation.”
Credits
Client: Heineken Global
Head of Global Heineken and Premium Brands: Nabil Nasser
Brand Strategy and Communication Director: Daniela Iebba
Global PR Lead: Jonathan O’Lone
Communication Managers: Guilherme De Marchi Retz, Nalini Bhagwandin, Alexander Drake, Alessandra Cavarra
Digital Manager: Bob van Iersel
Client: Heineken Ireland
Marketing Director: Fiona Curtin
Marketing Manager: Mark Noble
Senior Brand Manager: Rachael Crawley
Brand Manager: Colin Doyle
Agency: LePub Milan
Global CEO LePub, CCO LePub Worldwide: Bruno Bertelli
Global Chief Creative Officer: Cristiana Boccassini
Co-Chief Creative Officer: Mihnea Gheorghiu
Executive Creative Directors: Eoin Sherry, Gaston Soto
Associate Creative Directors: Julien Lefevre, David Campese
Head of Art: Andrea Ferlauto
Senior Designer: Fabio Iacomino
Art Director: Manuela Ghein Lombardi
Copywriter: Natasha Anatra
Global Head of PR & Communication: Isabella Cecconi
Senior PR Manager: Luca Orioli
Head of Strategy: James Moore
Global Client Service Director: Shirine Aoun
Client Service Director: Ilaria Castiglioni
Global Account Director: Gonzalo Gutierrez
Account Manager: Francesca Gatti
Executive Producer: Courtney Trent
Head of Digital Production: Vittorio Cafiero
Digital Producer and Project Manager: Kejsi HaxhiPUBLICIS DUBLIN
Board Creative Director: Ger Roe
Creative Director: Peter Dobbyn
Group Account Director: Ruth McCormack
Strategy Director: Adriano Eliezer
Account Director: Gemma Sherlock
Senior Agency Producer: Rachel Murray
Technical Lead: Cian McIntyre
Ireland PR & Advocacy: Thinkhouse
Founder and Head of Creative Innovation: Jane McDaid
Group Director, PR & Advocacy: Laura Wall
Senior Account Manager, PR & Advocacy: Lucy Carroll
Global PR & Coordination: The Romans
Managing Director: Kate Brazier
Creative Director: Dan Roberts
Associate Director: Liam O’Brien
Senior Account Director: Sophie Lambert-Russell
Account Director: Normandie Tottman
Account Executives: Rebecca Kapoor, Abbie Goodman
US PR: M Booth
Media Agency: Dentsu Red Star Ireland
Media Agency: Dentsu Red Star U.S.
Media Agency: Dentsu iProspect
Director: Dermot Malone
Production Company: Banjoman
Head of Production: Matt D’Arcy
Producer: Keith Bradley
DOP: Luke Jacobs
Editor: Rob Hergarty
Post Producer: Dafydd Upsdell
Colour Grading: Gabha
Colourist: Andrew Francis
Sound Design & Mix: Folding Waves
