Sean took over the mantle at Cronins in 1980, when he married his Dutch wife Thecla, who had come to Ireland after finishing art college.

Thecla brought lots of ideas, enthusiasm and with her love of cooking, made Cronin’s known as a great lunchtime destination with lots of local seafood treats including chowder, mussels and oysters.

Sean’s biggest hobby (like his mother Jo) is collecting curios and antiques. You can see both their fingerprints all over the bar with an astounding collection of brick a brac and local history that will amaze you. Sean finds it hard to pass a rare antique or unusual item of interest, from lighthouse bulbs to hand painted toby jugs and a dedicated section of the bar to his favourite sport of boxing. To this day, he continues to amaze people with his infinite knowledge of Irish whiskeys and loves chatting to our regular customers while sipping a cup of coffee.

The third generation in the Cronin family are Denis and Joleen who grew up in Cronins and pub life was part of their daily routine. As with many family business’ both children became heavily involved over the years with Denis inheriting his mum’s culinary flair. He is Ballymaloe trained and in 2009 opened the Mad Fish Restaurant, a quaint dining room tucked into the back of the pub, which picked up numerous Irish food awards. Joleen brought a fun mixture of events, exhibitions and her digital marketing skills. With her creative eye, she now runs her own photography and video business, with a special focus in the food, hospitality and tourism sector.

Both Sean & Thecla are now enjoying their retirement from a busy professional life since November 2019, when their son Denis and his New Zealand wife Caroline took over Cronins. Together they have four children and a very busy life managing Cronins!