The mobile bar has Guinness and lager on draught!

A kind hearted publican from Oldcastle who transformed his HI ace van into a mobile bar has been surprising his loyal regulars by delivering free pints to their homes during lockdown!

Traynor’s Mobile Bar is the brainchild of Martin ‘Speedy’ Smith (57) who pimped his van into a fully functioning make shift pub complete with Guinness and lager on draught and kitted it out with authentic vintage Irish pub memorabilia.

Martin who runs Owen Traynors Bar in Oldcastle alongside Ann Traynor Flynn, a traditional Irish pub that is over one hundred years old even enlisted the help of local Elvis impersonator Patsy ‘Elvis’ Boylan to entertain stunned punters!

Heartbroken at having to close the well known beer joint that he has worked in for 40 years the Meath publican says he came up with the genius idea to ‘say thank you his customers.’ He said:

“I have worked in that pub since I was a teenager and I was a bit down with it being closed for so long.

“I had been missing the customers and the craic in the bar.

“One day I was talking to my mechanic Stephen Curran and local farmer Oliver Flood and they said Speedy you should put a keg in the van and go around and give out pints to the customers, so I decided to do it.

“I cleared out the van, installed a cooler and a couple of taps and had Guinness and Carling Lager on draught, as well as all of the spirits and soft drinks and snacks, everything you’d find in a bar really!

“We drove out to all of our regulars, knocked on the door and we had the side door open with Traynor’s Mobile Bar sign on the van.

“Some of them were absolutely stunned, they couldn’t believe it that we were actually pulling a pint of draught out of the van. Then you opened the side door and it was all pub memorabilia inside so they had the authentic pub experience.

“We hadn’t seen our customers for months so it was a great way to catch up with everyone and we had a bit of craic too.

“One day we got to twenty different houses.

“We didn’t charge anyone but some people we called to donated to a charity on our behalf.

The Oldcastle publican was also joined by Patsy ‘Elvis’ Boylan, an Elvis fanatic and impersonator who belted out some of the king of rock n roll's classics for the thirsty punters.

“Patsy came with me on a few occasions threw on some records and sang some of Elvis’s classics for everyone, it was great craic!," said Martin.

Football mad 'Speedy' who revamped his 1992 Toyota Starlet into a tribute to his beloved Liverpool FC says he also wanted to do something to mark the team’s recent victory.

“I used the whole thing as a way to celebrate Liverpool winning the premiership as well.

“I have been a Liverpool supporter all of my life so was over the moon when they won the title for the first time in 30 years.”

Sheila Corrigan was one of the lucky punters along with husband Paddy and son Matthew that received a surprise visit from Traynor’s Mobile Bar. She said:

“We thought he was a vision driving into the yard, we said oh my god almighty what’s this.”

“It was just fabulous. He had everything, he had all of the glasses and all of the different drinks, it was so professional.

“We just sat on the wall and it was a lovely summer’s night. I had a gin and tonic and Paddy and Matthew had a pint of Heineken each.

“It was a treasured moment

“We will be the first back into Traynor’s Pub when it opens again. “