Irish luck for historic hotel
An Irish lass marries a kiwi bloke with the surname Murphy and together they buy a pub in Wairarapa. Ah, the luck of the Irish, or just a tale with a happy ending? Perhaps a bit of both, because whatever way you look at it, the outcome is a win-win for Greytown. By Walt Dickson. Photos by Lucia Zanmonti.
As one of the oldest surviving hotels in New Zealand, the Greytown Hotel is of historical significance and that alone makes it an important building, irrespective of what side of the bar you are on.
Tony and Ursula Murphy recognised that when they took on the lease in 2015 with the aim of one day owning the pub. They didn’t have to wait long, purchasing it from Trust House Ltd the following year.
“Yes we now own it, but in a way we are just custodians,” Tony says.
Like the previous owners who did a “magnificent job” upgrading and restoring the old building, Tony and Ursula are committed to protecting this rich piece of Wairarapa heritage.
“Until you live in a place like this you don’t realise how much respect you develop for it,” Ursula says.
Known to locals as the ‘Top Pub’ on account of its location at the northern end of town, the hotel was built in 1860. Various extensions have been added over the years, creating rooms in different styles and, noticeably upstairs, different floor levels.
The Kiwi-Irish pairing’s admiration extends way beyond the physical building, it is after all a pub, something which they know a thing or two about.
After 14 years pouring pints and running bars in Ireland, Tony returned to New Zealand with Ursula in 2005, plying their trade in Porirua and Hutt Valley.
They chanced upon the Greytown Hotel when heading north to Riversdale Beach for a family holiday.
“The moment we walked in we knew it was a special place . . . it had a definite Irish feel about it,” Ursula says.
“It reminded me of back home - there were characters sitting on bar stools and the place was full of different generations, things that we think are really important.”
Don’t under-estimate the humble bar stool, says Tony. A common feature in pubs in Ireland, bar stools are conspicuously absent in New Zealand drinking establishments.
“Having people sitting at the bar opens up conversation and adds to the atmosphere,” Tony says.
“When we came back that was one of the first things we noticed about Kiwi pubs, few had bar stools.”
The Murphy’s have always wanted a ‘family-friendly’ feel to their pub and that means kids in the multi-generational mix. With three kids of their own, two of them living upstairs in the family home (daughter Aisling, 9, and son Liam, 11), there is no escaping the family-friendly vibe.
“We like to think of ourselves as being a ‘locals pub’. We have a lot of regulars and we really look after ‘em, but when people from out of town call in we make sure they feel welcome too,” Ursula says.
As well as good cheer from behind the bar, the Top Pub is also serving up delicious food in the adjoining “1860 Restaurant”. With the head chef Austrian, and sous chef Chilean, there is a distinctively international twist to the menu.
