“We are a husband and wife design duo based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and working together as Abigail*Ryan. We create bold hand-illustrated florals on our homeware using (we think) an uncommon colour palette. We have two pups, Angus (grumpy) & Hamish (happy-go-lucky) and three chickens, Helga, Brigitte and Henrietta. Colour really drives our approach to painting. We generally like flat modern finishes, and bold saturated hues. I'm [Abigail] an illustrator, so generally create my detail work with pen and ink, but I like the qualities that paint can bring to that and the possibilities that unfold when the two combine. Annie is an incredibly warm and charming person, and we loved spending some time with her in Belfast. She has a great sense of fun, and an infectious smile and endless enthusiasm. A genuinely lovely person... and her professional achievements are really inspiring. It’s fantastic to see how a business that has been running for such a long time found its stride and now has over 1,200 stockists.
A wonderful success story for any entrepreneur to aspire to! What you’ll see from us To kick off we hand painted a beautiful Victorian chaise, and we are also using the paint to create a Japanese Shibori-inspired tie-die project to overhaul a Parker Knoll chair frame. We’re also really inspired to create beautiful flat modern finishes with Annie's Flat Brushes, so we have been experimenting with those. And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.Mondrian 1950Fabric MondrianChair MondrianVintage MondrianMondrian StijlMondrian DesignArt Mondrian1950 S ChairChair RetroForwardMid Century Upcycled Parker Knoll Armchair in Mondrian fabric. This striking completely restored Mid Century Chair has been completely‘Some of my earliest memories centre around my grandmother’s kitchen in the West of Ireland, eating Boxty and bacon, or freshly baked soda bread with churned butter, blackberry jam and eggs collected fresh from the hen house.
Another great favourite was buttermilk scones dotted with fat sultanas, and topped with a dollop of cream. All these delights were served on a speckled plate, and eaten in the comfort of an old Parker Knoll armchair, beside a turf fire.’‘Hospitality is our key ingredient and we endeavour to treat our customers as we would guests in our own home. The Family bring their own unique and diverse skill sets together to form a cohesive team with a shared ethos that embodies the hospitality and philosophy of my grandmother Sheila Holohan, I know she would be proud of her legacy and what we have achieved together’. Calvin Holohan.Olivia has recently taken up the reins as restaurant manager and has overseen the establishment and consolidation of the new business. Under Olivia’s guidance the restaurant has quickly established a strong reputation for quality food and exceptional service levels provided in the relaxed and comfortable surroundings that Holohan’s have become famous for.
A music night has been introduced on Thursday evenings (Beer, Boxty & Ballads) which is proving very popular but perhaps Olivia’s greatest achievement to date has been to oversee The Pantry’s gradual rise through the Tripadvisor ranks and as of September 2016, the restaurant sits proudly at No1 as Belfast’s favourite restaurant!While the Holohans concept was Calvin’s brainchild, he readily acknowledges the pivotal and driving role played by his mother Jane in getting the businesses up and running. Jane’s recent background has been in counselling, psychotherapy and community work, but has long harboured a desire to work in hospitality. She is passionate about the business and is quick to respond if customers are not fully satisfied with their dining experience – a rare enough occurrence as our Trip Adviser reviews will attest. It would be impossible to encapsulate all that Jane brings to the business, she is always on hand and works in whatever capacity is needed to ensure the smooth running of The Pantry.Derek, a late comer to the hospitality industry, found a natural habitat at The Barge and has now made a seamless transition to The Pantry.
A former member of the defence forces Derek has brought his methodical and systematic skill set to Holohans. He is a man of many roles within the company ranging from premises management, R&M and procurement, through to genial host and front of house manager. With his natural warmth and Dublin brogue, Derek is a firm favourite with customers and staff alike. He continually strives to maintain the high standards of customer service that have become synonymous with the Holohans name.The latest addition to our dynamic team is Pearse Holohan, former long term Operations Manager and CFO for Swagelok, a large US multinational based in Perth, Western Australia. Pearse answered the family entreaty to relocate temporarily with his family to Northern Ireland and head up the operational and administrative side of the company. With a background in accounting and law, his role will be to consolidate our current position, establish systems and help drive the business forward. We are confident that once ensconced in Belfast, the more obvious attractions of Perth will fade and in time he may even become reconciled to the local climate.
David joined the Pantry team from Robinson & Cleaver in May 2016 and has had a wonderful impact already. A great worker and a consummate professional, David has revamped the kitchen areas, built a new kitchen team and introduced a new summer menu that has earned rave reviews and accolades across the board. The restaurants rapid rise to prominence and strong reputation for high quality food are in no small measure down to David’s input and hard work. David is committed also to the Holohan ethos of using locally and ethically sourced high quality produce wherever possible and has become a dab hand at Holohan’s signature ‘boxty’ dishes.With six young children Emir is clearly family oriented and an integral part of the Holohan family group. A relatively recent arrival to Northern Ireland, she has quickly developed an affinity for Belfast and its environs. Emir is the company’s marketing and business development specialist and ace networker. She loves the hospitality industry and is determined to keep Holohan’s Restaurants at the forefront of diner’s attention by maintaining our high profile on Tripadvisor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and reminding patrons of the many fantastic promotions running at The Pantry.