My Brother-in-Law Runs The Spinnaker Bar in Dunmore East

I'm Mike English. I run impt.io, a web company in Waterford. My brother-in-law Peter just took over The Spinnaker Bar in Dunmore East. He runs the kitchen and the bar himself. This site exists because I'm married to his sister and I know how to build websites. Here's what it's actually like when your brother-in-law runs the pub.

Peter Took Over The Spinnaker in 2024

Peter is the new owner of The Spinnaker Bar, Lower Village, Dunmore East. He took over in 2024. Before that, he worked in pubs and kitchens around Waterford. Now he's behind the bar and in the kitchen himself most days. When you ring (051) 383 133, you're talking to Peter. When you email spinnakerbardunmore@gmail.com, that's Peter. When you walk in Friday night and ask for a table, Peter's the one sorting it.

The Spinnaker sits on the harbour in Lower Village. Working fishing boats tie up twenty metres away. Day-boats land hake, prawns, crab. Peter buys direct off the boats when he can. The menu changes with what comes in. He posts the week's hours and specials on Facebook because harbour life doesn't run on fixed schedules.

What Peter Serves at The Spinnaker

Peter runs a harbour pub menu. Seafood chowder €13.50. Prawn cocktail €12. Mussels €14 in chorizo, sherry, cream, with garlic bread. Beer-battered fish €22.50 off the day-boats when it's in. Seafood pie €23. Lamb shank €27. 8oz striploin steak €37. Sunday roast on the day — Peter cooks it himself, and it sells out.

Not everything is fish. Chicken korma €22 with rice and naan. Vegetable korma €20. Beef burger €20. Pizzas from €13.50 to €21. Wings — buffalo or bbq — €14. Desserts €8.95: cheesecake, creme brulee, strawberry mousse, chocolate orange tart. Chips, mash, vegetables, salad €5 each. Cold pints. Live music on the deck at weekends when the weather holds. Every Premier League and GAA match on the big screen.

Why I Built This Site for Peter

I'm married to Peter's sister. I build websites for a living through impt.io. Peter was running the pub off Facebook posts and a phone number. No website. No way for people searching "Dunmore East pub" or "seafood Waterford harbour" to find him unless they already knew. So I built this.

This site exists to route search traffic to Peter. When someone googles "lunch after Doneraile walk" or "live music Dunmore East", they land here, read about the pub, and ring Peter on (051) 383 133 or message him on Facebook. That's the entire purpose. I don't take bookings. I don't run the pub. I just make sure people searching online can find my brother-in-law's place.

How Peter Runs The Spinnaker Day-to-Day

Peter's at The Spinnaker most days. He opens the bar. He cooks the food. He clears the tables. He books the tables for Friday and Sunday evenings. Walk-ins work most other days — just turn up. For groups of six or more, ring ahead. Peter needs to know numbers so he can prep the kitchen.

Hours change week to week because Peter adjusts to the village rhythm. Summer weekends are packed. Winter midweek is quiet. He posts this week's hours live on Facebook. If you want to know if he's open Tuesday lunch, check Facebook or ring. He answers the phone himself. You're not dealing with a chain or a hotel group. You're dealing with Peter.

What Dunmore East Is Like

Dunmore East is a working fishing village at the mouth of Waterford Harbour, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Population around 1,500. Twelve kilometres south-east of Waterford City. Thatched cottages. Pastel-painted houses. Cliff walk at Doneraile. Counsellor's Strand for swimming. Lifeboat station. The River Suir meets the Celtic Sea here.

The harbour is the centre. Fishing boats, sailing boats, day-trippers. The Spinnaker sits right on it. You can sit outside on the deck with a pint and watch the boats come in. Ash and Laura play live music some weekends — Peter posts the schedule on Facebook. It's a proper harbour pub in a proper fishing village. That's what Peter runs.