Family lead tributes to much-loved landlady of Rugby's Squirrel Inn

Suzanne Garaghty, known as Sue, was the hugely-popular landlady of The Squirrel who died last Wednesday, October 12.

The pub announced the news on its Facebook page and opened that evening for people to share their memories of Sue, a process that has carried on in the days since.

The pub may be small in size but has a big reputation for its atmosphere, its support for live music and many memorable evenings.

Sue’s daughter Shelley told the Advertiser how her mum and late partner Chris Morgan moved to the Squirrel around 19 years ago and made it a special place to go.

She said: “Mum always loved music and especially live music. She started the live events at The Fitchew and Firkin (now The Bull) and was very encouraging to new musicians.

"A lot of them will say the first time they ever performed was there or at The Squirrel.”

Well-known Rugby bands such as Stupid Boots, The Jellyheads, Dukes Jetty and Paper Street Soap Company are names that come to mind as Shelley recalled some of the great nights.

"Mum always made it a party, she’d hand out maracas and tambourines and she’d get all the silly hats out.

"She’d also make a special celebration of people’s birthdays and put up banners and write people’s names up on the board.”

After the Fitchew & Firkin, Sue moved away for a while to run pubs elsewhere – but headed back to Rugby to be near Shelley, son Shaun and her grandchildren. For a while she worked at the new Brewsters, now Brewers Fayre, at Central Park in Rugby but then the Squirrel became available and as a favourite of Chris’s family in the past, they made the move there and loved it.

Chris died some five years ago but Sue and the team kept the Squirrel a big draw in the town and kept up its reputation for being a regular in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and winning awards – including one of its special 50th anniversary awards in 2021, given to just 50 pub and breweries across the country. It also featured regularly in the Rugby in Bloom awards.

Sue, 69, had had cancer for a while but in Shelley’s words, “She didn’t let it show and just kept on going and the Squirrel helped to keep her going.

“She was known for her long hair and in August 2020 had it cut to raise money for Myton Hospice. She continued to fundraise and this year's totals were 2k for Myton and 1k for Ben’s Fund. The staff at Myton are amazing and we will continue to raise funds for them in the name of our beloved mum.”

Since the news broke of her death, the pub and the family have been inundated with messages.

Shelley said: “There have been so many. She was brilliant, she loved everyone and welcomed everybody in.”

And Shaun added:”The Squiirel has always been the smallest pub in Rugby with the biggest heart and we have been blown away with so many people having kind words to say about our mum. We always knew she was awesome but it’s nice to know other people think so too.”