A TUBE driver from London has put a new spin on an old business in Glengarriff.

Of course, the lease owner, Jason Moriarty, has family connections in Glengarriff that go way back.

His mother, Bridget, moved to London for work in the sixties, but the villagers welcomed Jason back like a long-lost son.

For a man who double-jobbed most of his adult life and retired on medical grounds at the age of 50, his new venture shows that he couldn’t stay retired for long.

Jason returned to the bungalow his mother built in Glengarriff, four years ago, and spent his time ‘galivanting around’ until an irresistible opportunity presented itself.

A café business closed and Jason stepped in to open Moriarty’s of Glengarriff - The Village Coffee Shop.

It fits right in with his first enterprise: operating a pizza franchise in the UK about 30 years ago.

‘I’ve always had two jobs: I was a London Underground tube driver for 25 years, and I kept doing relief management for the pizza franchise. I also worked in chip shops and takeaways, helping friends in the business take a break,’ he said.

That co-operative spirit has certainly been reflected back to him because Jason can’t get over the help and support he has received locally.

‘Locals, even other food businesses in the village, have helped in so many ways, like driving to Cork and Killarney to collect things.’

Jason did a makeover inside and out because ‘all that was inside was a rusty fridge and broken coffee machine.’

Now, it’s a place for the community, and visitors to Glengarriff, to hang out.

As an extra embellishment, the exterior of the coffee shop was done out in the local GAA colours. And the official opening had a ribbon cutting ceremony and a champagne toast.

Initially, the premises, which is owned by Bernard Harrington, will serve coffees, teas and soft drinks, along with sandwiches and sweets, but the plan is to branch out over time and expand the menu.

Jason Moriarty’s connections to Glengarriff can be traced to the 1940’s when his nan, Mary McCarthy, knitted clothes, mainly for tourists, working out of the building that is now The Spinning Wheel.

His grandad, Eugene McCarthy, and his great uncles, Tim and Paz, took people from the sand quay to Whiddy Island.

During the same period, his great aunt Aggie McCarthy worked at Casey’s, whilst his mother worked locally for a time at the Bay View and Glengarriff Castle.

Jason’s Uncle Teddy was also one of the original boatmen of The Harbour Queen and his grandson is still on the boat today.