How an Irish company came back from the brink – The Irish Times

The Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out in March 2020, has hit the Irish hospitality and retail sectors hard.

One business that found itself directly in the firing line was Moriarty’s, a family-run craft shop and restaurant in the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry that relied heavily on visiting Americans.

The company survived this near-death experience by becoming one of the first small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland to benefit from the government’s new small business rescue process, called Scarp, introduced in late 2021.

After paying off significant debts, Moriarty’s is now back in business and looking to expand beyond the Gap of Dunloe.

Denis Pio Moriarty is the son of the founders and runs the business with other family members. He joined host Ciarán Hancock in the studio to tell the story of his business’ survival during the pandemic.

He began by recalling the origins of Moriarty, from its opening in 1964 and its development history until the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020.

Produced by John Casey.