Peter Byrne and Siobhán Sweeney from The Cove Restaurant in Portnablagh have announced that after 25 years they have decided to retire and close the doors. Their final day of business with be Saturday the 31st of October they say it is a bittersweet announcement. In a statement they say “Cove Restaurant has been such a huge part of our lives, and it has been a privilege to welcome so many people through our doors over the years. We are deeply grateful to all our loyal customers, many of whom returned time and again and became more like friends. Your support, kindness and encouragement have meant more to us than we can ever express. Our suppliers and service providers have helped ease our journey throughout the years and we are extremely thankful to them all. We would also like to thank every member of staff who has been part of the Cove family over the past 25 years. Your hard work, warmth and dedication helped make the restaurant the special place it became, and we could not have done it without you. It has been an honour to serve our community and visitors to North West Donegal, in beautiful Portnablagh. We leave with countless treasured memories and enormous gratitude for everyone who shared this journey with us. Thank you for 25 unforgettable years.” Donegal County Council granted the couple permission to convert the restaurant into three residential properties this summer. They applied for the change of use from commercial to residential use, and the extension and refurbishment of the existing building to create a terrace of three dwelling houses. On the planning cover letter, they said: “Regarding the intended use of the three dwelling houses, we intend to sell the site with planning permission, if and when it is granted. We are confident that the three new dwellings could add much-needed high-quality permanent houses for three families.”
