Luck of the Irish or business savvy? Iain’s Southsea bar is staying afloat amid challenging times

Back in 2008, Iain Kirby left his role as Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy to take on a very different project.

It would all revolve around a derelict estate agent on Osborne Road in Southsea, where he soon got to work overhauling the building into his very own Irish bar and café – Shenanigans.

“For 24 years I was in the Navy, so you’re always answerable to somebody no matter what rank you are”, he said.

“I could have gone one way or another but decided to start my own business, and for some reason, I picked a bar.”

For Iain, whose grandfather hails from the Emerald Isle, the rest came naturally.

“Everywhere you go in the world there’s an Irish bar.

“But there wasn’t one in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy. So I decided to theme it.”

Over the next 12 or so years, Iain continued to attract more patrons and grow his bar’s reputation alongside its Plymouth sister venue, Kitty O’Hanlons – that was until the pandemic struck.

At the height of lockdown, an empty Shenanigans was passing up on £20,000 in monthly revenue, as many other businesses in the area went under.

Not to be deterred, however, Iain once again knuckled down and prepared to welcome back patrons with a whole new look.

That meant new staff, new furnishings and equipment around the bar, a refreshed menu – and doubling down around the two key events on any Irish venue’s calendar, the Six Nations in February and St Patrick’s Day in March.

With that busy period now out the way, things have died down, but Iain remains cautiously optimistic for the future.

“The hardest part of running a business is now”, he said. “Southsea is quieter at the minute with the loss of major stores.

“My costs have increased but I can’t put my prices up, otherwise nobody would come out. So, my aim is to keep trading and do what I’m doing.

“We’ve got a very good following, fantastic regulars and a great team of staff. It’s on top, so hopefully it’ll continue.

“A good, friendly, safe atmosphere. That’s what I’m trying to achieve.”