Jim of the Mill’s

Tipperary Tales, Profiles of Notable People, 2026

One of the fascinating tales of Tipperary is the story of Jim of the Mills, which stretches back into the nineteenth century. Early in the eighteen hundreds the original Jim of the Mill built a mill in Ballyboy, Upperchurch. In 1830 he added a pub and it became the centre of life for the people in the area, catering for most of their needs.

The mill was powered by the Owenbeg river, which flowed by on its way to the Clodagh and eventually into the Suir. The mill provided a great service to the local farmers grinding their corn, but was also a meeting place for neighbours to swap the latest information from the district at a time when mills and pubs were the main sources of information.

Jim of the Mills became a stopping point for many people from outside the area over the course of time. The Limerick senior hurling team that played at Thurles in the first half of the twentieth century were occasional visitors. Tyler Mackey was a regular on his way home to Ahane. Later the great Limerick team of the thirties made many a call. In fact Mick Mackey called there after his last match and left his hurley after him. Do they still have it? Alas, no! Jim believes it may have been used for driving cattle and its significance forgotten! The Rackards called there a few times with their friend, Paddy Mockler, from Thurles. And the man from Dallas, Patrick Duffy, along with many famous names, were later visitors.


Inherited the Pub

During the course of the twentieth century the place declined in importance when the mill closed down and the pub also. Fast forward to the eighties and the current Jim of the Mill, who was born and reared in Seskin, Thurles inherited the place and brought it back to life. Jim, who was born in 1951, farmed and played hurling as a notable full-back on the Sarsfields team, winning a county final in 1974. He was also a keen tug-of-war contestant and was part of a team that won a Munster championship..

He re-opened the pub in the early eighties on a part-time basis, bringing cases of beer and other requisites in the boot of his car and opening two nights a week, on Fridays and Saturdays. Jim O’ the Mills soon became a popular venue again and was generous in its opening hours, especially at night! This development attracted the rigours of the law and Jim had a number of days in court and some hefty fines.

The reason for the limited opening hours was due to the fact that Jim was still living in Seskin, where he did his daily work on the farm before going out to Ballyboy in the evenings. He eventually went to live there in 1990, ultimately changing the pub opening to Thursday nights and reducing it to one a week. This makes it probably unique in Ireland as a pub with one opening in the week and being listed as one of the 10 best pubs in Ireland!

Marriage

Jim’s permanent move from Seskin came about with his marriage to Kae Clancy in 1990. In the course of time the couple reared five outstandingly talented girls, Róisín, Áine, Greta, Cáit and Erin. Renovations to the house were carried out and conversion of the old mill section into a habitable state. This section with its powerful beams has now been changed to a living-room. The mill wheel is gone and there is no sign of the mill works as the Owenbeg continues to flow by. On a summer’s evening in the lawn beside the house it is an idyllic place to be even though the main attraction is the entertainment in the pub on one evening a week .

What makes Jim of the Mills such an attractive venue for people!? It is not a large place as crowds move around to find a place to sit or to stand, According to Jim it’s a location where people get an opportunity to sing, a place to renew friendships, a venue where the clientele from a wide area get an opportunity to hear new songs. Jim himself revels in a range of favourites which include John McCormack, The Boys of Bar na Sráide, Boulavogue and a wide range of Tipperary songs.

A Session

Sean Laffey of the Irish Music Magazine, has described a normal session: ‘Most nights you will be treated to a grand feed of unusual songs and long ballads, with short interludes of traditional music thrown in to break up the flow and give you enough time for a refill at the bar. On the night in question, there were more musicians than normal, many of whom were very young, school was out for the summer and the kids were out playing. The repertoire consisted of a great deal of Kerry influenced sets and polkas, with a local accent. This may be a reflection on the age of the players or perhaps it goes back to a time when this part of the county supplied itinerant spailpín labourers to the rich farmers of Kerry and Limerick.

‘Songs were very local, many in Irish, with Stephen Foster’s Hard Times being the best known of the more commercial ones that were sung on the night. Around half-past midnight a large family rolled in from Tyrone. This brought out a series of rebel nationalistic songs from the locals, many of whom had Tyrconnell versions to entertain the visitors with.

‘The musical highlight of my evening was when the eponymous Jim O the Mill, took out his fiddle and sang a wonderful swinging version of the Percy French song. The Darling Girl from Clare. Then it was ham sandwiches all round, more pints and a few songs. We left early, my Mr Ryan had a barn of cows to milk, and as we pulled away for the direction of Dundrum the sun was just beginning to rise. Jim O' The Mills will take some finding and you'll need a herd of excuses to get out of the place before dawn.’

Popular Venue

Jim of the Mill’s has been included in the ten most popular pubs in Ireland. One has to ask why a pub in a remote area, that hasn’t been renovated for years and with little comfortable accommodation for the many who come there on the one night of the week that it opens should be such a popular venue?

Probably its greatest attraction is the proprietor, Jim Ryan, himself and an outstanding character in his own right. A most unprepossessing individual with a rakish look and the cap pitched sideways on his unruly locks, he is transformed into an amazing entertainer, when he bursts into song and accompanies himself on a musical instrument. He is also a noted story-teller and enjoys the general craic. Then there is the venue, which is more in tune with what pubs were like in the ‘forties and ‘fifties. The atmosphere of these times has been retained with the flag floor and the open fire.

This is the unusual setting that attracts people from far and near who come there to listen or to sing and the large numbers of people bring with them a great variety of songs and tunes that constantly refreshes the entertainment.

Also, the crowd that attends is renewed as people learn of this unique place and put it on their bucket list to visit. At present it has become an attraction for younger people who find it as attractive as the older generation in the past. This may be due to the activities of Jim’s daughters who have used their many talents to add to the story of this unique place.