A well-known city publican was laid to rest this week.
Eamon Reidy proprietor of O Riada's on Parliament Street, died after a short illness. He was just 54 years old.
His untimely death leaves a huge void in the vintners community in Kilkenny as Eamon ran O Riada’s — one of the oldest, and most popular pubs in Kilkenny city — for almost 20 years.
He was a well-known face about Kilkenny and had an extremely loyal customer base at his premises on Parliament Street in the city.
O’ Riada’s to this day remains an old style, traditional bar where there is always someone to have a chat or a banter with. It is a welcoming pub where many locals visited on a regular basis to meet with friends. Tourists also enjoy the traditional atmosphere present at O Riada’s.
Mr Reidy returned home from England some 20 years ago to take over the bar and ran it ever since. Following a motorbike accident some years ago, he spent the last few years of his life in a wheelchair but he remained a huge part of life at O Riada’s.
Mr Reidy received a civic guard of honour at his funeral on Wednesday morning by the members of Kilkenny Borough Council, as his brother Joe is a local Fianna Fail representative on the council.
Tributes were paid to the popular vintner at this months meeting of Kilkenny County Council and the meeting was adjourned for ten minutes as a mark of respect.
Mr Reidy was laid to rest on Wednesday. He is survived by his partner Catherine (Peg ) and his seven brothers; Joe, Brendan, Ger, Liam, Dermot, Sean and Brian.
