A Brief History of The Smuggler’s Rest

The Smuggler's Rest has been on the corner of Harbour Lane and the Fore Street for longer than anyone currently alive can reliably remember, which in Kerris Bay terms means it has always been there and always will be.

The current landlord, if pressed, will tell you the building dates to the 1780s, that the two low door frames are original, and that the stuffed mackerel above the fireplace arrived in 1987 under circumstances he declines to elaborate on. All three of these things are probably true.

The pub has had seven names across its documented history. The Smuggler's Rest is the seventh and has held since 1923, when the previous name — The King's Arms — was quietly retired following a period that locals refer to only as the Unpleasantness and which I have been unable to fully document despite considerable effort.

The corner booth by the window is, by informal but absolute consensus, the best seat in Kerris Bay. It has a view of the harbour, shelter from the door, and acoustic properties that make it possible to hear approximately seventy percent of what's being said at the bar. I do not say this as a criticism.

The Smuggler's Rest opens at noon. It closes when it closes. The food is good on Thursdays.

Penny