Check out the French couple and the Kilkenny pub they call home

“We wanted to have a new experience of life outside of France, we very much liked Ireland when we visited here before and the Irish people so we decided to make the move,” he added.

The pair had previously spent time in Ireland in 2018 and they visited twice last year in seek of a place to call their new home.

“Last summer we rented a small campervan and we went up to Drogheda and Dundalk and looked at a number of places close to Dublin, including Portlaoise, Carlow and Naas. Then we went down around the coast and visited Wicklow, Waterford, Cork and even arrived in Kilkenny via Cahir. We spent a week touring around and then we went back to France and from there we stated to look online for a pub to rent. We found five pubs that were available and we thought might be options for us.

“One pub was in Dublin but there was no live-in accommodation with it and to rent somewhere would be very expensive. There was another one in Cork which was in a bad state and if there was a big rain the river would enter the pub!

“There was a good pub in Co Carlow but it was too big for us and would have been too much work. We want to work as a family unit and not have staff. We checked out a number of different regions and we had a good feeling about the place,” said Vincent who added that when found Dunphy’s in Kilmoganny it was a perfect match for what they were looking for. The couple along with their 14-year son, Hans, live above the pub, while their older son Calixte (24) is living in France.

Dunphy’s had been closed since August 2023 and the locals have missed the social outlet which is the beating heart of the small village. People living in the village are over the moon to welcome the couple and embrace them into the local community and are delighted to have the opportunity to taste craft beers from France as well as wines that are bought directly from small French producers.

Vincent and Natalie have settled in well to village life which is no surprise as they used to live in the small village of Sanilhec, close to Nimes in the South of France.

“I think that the way of life here is very similiar to the village that we lived in in France, it goes at a slow pace and this is the way we like it. We feel a good ambiance here,” added the couple.

Vincent also works as a craft brewer producing La Calade beers in France and travels back every six weeks to keep a watchful eye on the brewing process. The name of the micro brewery, La Calade comes from the name of the small paved roads in Provence in France. The La Calade micro brewery is another labour of love for Vincent and Nathalie and Vincent’s mother, Danielle is also on hand on the ground in France to make sure all is going to plan.

Danielle is also involved in the brewing and checks on the temperatures and pressure of the beers as it is being brewed.

“We have a range of four recipes - lager, pale ale, Amber IPA and stout and they are all inspired by the style Irelandais and are available in Dunphy’s along with some French wines that we have brought over from our winemaking friends in France and we have brought over a cask of whiskey,” he said.

“We have great plans for Dunphy’s and we are delighted that we are the only bar in the village. We have the traditional bar and then the lounge area and we hope to put our own stamp on it,” he added.

Dunphy’s on Chapel Street in Kilmoganny is open from Thursday to Mondays and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The pub opens at 5.30pm and closes at 11pm on Sundays and Mondays, 11.30pm on Thursdays and 12.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.