Parish priest in Co Louth opens his own coffee wagon
Fr Paddy Rushe is determined to make evening coffee a trend in Drogheda, Co. Louth, where he operates 'An Trucail' at least four times a week.
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The popular Parish Priest of Monasterboice is renowned for his love of coffee and even uses 'Paddystarbucks' as his social media handle.
He has been operating his coffee wagon since December at a decommissioned church 'Gerrard's' on Mary Street in Drogheda between 6-9pm and has built up a growing regular clientele.
Fr Paddy's venture began out of a love of coffee and a podcast on coffee shops which he started on February 29th - leap year - last year.
The 'Beansandmore' podcast has notched up 22 episodes to date on coffee shops around his native Armagh, Louth, Meath and Dublin.
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"The podcast is another of my passion projects," he laughed.
"But it is about community and how the coffee shops have played a part in building on that and any meaningful experiences they have had.
"I love the interviews, the editing and all the technical side of things.
"I was dropping a leaflet on the podcast into a shop one day and I noticed a horse box beside it so I asked about it and was told it was for sale. After much deliberation and research, I decided to buy it and give it a go.
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"I've tried a lot of coffee over the years and I decided on making my coffee using the Dundalk firm GreenBean which is marvellous. I named the wagon 'An Trucail' as a nod to my late brother Eoin Pól, who was a Gaelgóir and who passed away two years ago with cancer."
He opened the wagon on St. Stephen's Day last in tribute to his late sister Mary Ann who passed away suddenly in her sleep at the age of 33 in 2017, and also because Fr Rushe knew there wouldn't be a lot of coffee shops open on that day.
"Mary Ann shared my passion for coffee which actually came from our mother. As soon as we were old enough, we learned to make her a coffee and then our own coffee and it stemmed from there.
"When my mother retired from teaching, she opened up her own coffee shop so it really is a passion at the heart of our family."
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Fr Paddy says he can't understand why coffee is considered a 'day' thing and aims to get caffeine trending in Louth at night, as it is in much of the continent.
"I'm trying to provide a service in the evenings. I don't think you can get a good barista coffee in the town in the evening, unless you go into a pub, hotel or restaurant.
"A lot of coffee wagons have their own signatures, some do baked goods but I just do a simple wrapped treat like a KitKat or Toffee Crisp.
"I would like to make the An Trucail experience about chilling out in the evening and relaxing in a lovely location in the company of friends.
"I think evening coffee is starting to become fashionable but I also serve caffeine free drinks for those who fear falling asleep will be a problem later in the night, " he laughed.
More about Fr Paddy's An Trucail journey can be found at www.antrucailcoffee.com or on Facebook @AnTrucailCoffee and Instagram @antrucailbeansandmore.
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