Academy Award-nominated Irish actor Colin Farrell was once barred from a pub in Cork for “outrageous” behaviour.
Long before red carpets and Oscar nominations, a teenage Colin Farrell was making a very different kind of name for himself in a small West Cork town. While filming the 1990s Irish drama Falling for a Dancer, the then 19-year-old actor found himself barred from a beloved local pub in Castletownbere after the owner describing his behaviour as “outrageous”.
The pub in question was MacCarthy’s Bar, a traditional watering hole at the heart of the Beara Peninsula community. At the time, Farrell was far from the household name he would later become, and like many young actors, he was enjoying life a little too enthusiastically.
Barred in his teens for “outrageous” behaviour – a young Colin Farrell
Adrienne MacCarthy, the owner of MacCarthy’s Bar, spoke to Echo Live about Farrell’s ban, why it happened, and why it was lifted shortly after. She told the magazine that, “while his behaviour was outrageous back then, he was just young and enjoying life.”
Colin Farrell was once notorious for his partying lifestyle. However, in 2006, he gave up alcohol and drugs altogether.
There is no bad blood between the Hollywood A-list actor and the beloved pub. Instead, the story has become a fondly retold tale that locals smile about. Interestingly, when Farrell returned to Castletownbere in 2009 to film the movie Ondine, he didn’t recall being barred from MacCarthy’s.
A story locals now laugh about – from barred to warmly embraced
By the time Farrell returned to film Ondine, the ban was long gone and the welcome could not have been warmer. The pub owners and locals alike were delighted with the visit.
In an interesting turn of events, MacCarthy’s pub even features in Ondine. The owner of the pub spoke fondly about Colin Farrell, about how down to earth and normal he is when he visits.
On a more recent visit, he brought his family with him, including his son, showing him around the Beara Peninsula and popping into the pub like any other returning local.
A recent return – a family affair
It was in 2023 that Farrell returned to Castletownbere, and thus revisited the pub he was once barred from, while on a trip around the Wild Atlantic Way with his family.
A full circle moment, at the time of this return, Farrell’s son, Henry, would have been the same age as Farrell was when he was barred from MacCarthy’s.
The pub shared photos of Farrell and his family, welcoming him back warmly. The ban of a young 19-year-old, yet to be one of the biggest Hollywood stars on Earth, now a distant but fond memory.
