When Benji Sheehy left Tullylease during Ireland’s recession, he could hardly have imagined that 13 years later he would own an Irish bar in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, thousands of kilometres from the North Cork village where he grew up.
A move that began with an opportunity to manage a bar in Malaysia has since taken him across two countries, through a decade in hospitality management and into business ownership, with The Corkman Bar now bringing a distinctly Cork identity to one of the Malaysian capital’s best-known entertainment districts.
For Sheehy, the journey has been about more than building a career abroad. It has meant starting a family, adapting to life in Southeast Asia and finding a way to bring something of his Irish background into his business.
Sheehy’s move to Asia came at a difficult time for Ireland’s economy. Having worked in the construction industry, he found opportunities at home increasingly limited as the recession took hold.
“The recession was a big factor in my decision to leave,” he explained. “So when the opportunity came up in Kuala Lumpur, I decided to take the chance.”
Sport had been a major part of his life growing up in North Cork. He represented Cork at under-14, under-15 and under-16 level before winning a county under-21 hurling medal with Duhallow. He later played senior club hurling with the division.
Moving abroad meant leaving that chapter of his sporting life behind, but it did not take long for him to find another connection to Ireland.
After arriving in Kuala Lumpur, he joined Orang Eire, the city’s local Gaelic football club. The team gave him an opportunity to stay involved in Gaelic games while meeting fellow Irish people living and working in Malaysia.
Sheehy spent the following decade working with Irish bars in Kuala Lumpur and managing venues across Malaysia and Indonesia.
The role provided extensive experience in hospitality, from overseeing busy establishments and leading staff to understanding what makes an Irish bar stand out in an international setting.
After 10 years with the company, he decided it was time to build something of his own.
In 2023, he opened his first bar in Indonesia. The venture marked a significant step towards independence, but after selling the business, he returned to Malaysia, a country he had come to regard as his second home.
Family was also an important part of that decision. Sheehy met his Malaysian wife, Lynn, in Kuala Lumpur, and the couple married in 2021. They have two children, Queeva, aged nine, and Daniel, aged four.
In 2024, he opened The Corkman Bar on Changkat Street, bringing his own interpretation of an Irish pub to a busy entertainment district in the Malaysian capital.
“Growing up in a quiet, tight-knit place like Tullylease, if you had told me 13 years ago that I’d end up running an Irish bar in the middle of KL, I’d have laughed at you,” he said.
“Setting down roots here and bringing a piece of home to the other side of the world has been an amazing experience for me.”
For Sheehy, the appeal of an Irish bar lies in its character as much as its drinks or food.
Growing up in Tullylease, he saw the local pub as a central part of village life. That experience continues to influence how he runs The Corkman, where he wants customers to feel comfortable, welcome and free to enjoy themselves.
He believes Irish hospitality has travelled well internationally because of the way owners and managers interact with people, treating customers as equals rather than simply serving them.
“The massive success of Irish bars in KL, I feel, is due to Irish owners and managers engaging with customers as equals from the second they walk through the door, embodying the spirit of ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’,” he said.
“Also, humour and wit are major components of the Irish service.”
Sheehy also sees similarities between Irish and Malaysian social life, particularly the importance of gathering over good food and drink.
At The Corkman, his aim is to combine those shared values with familiar Irish touches, from a pint of Guinness to traditional food and the lively conversation associated with a night out at home.
“As soon as my customers walk through the doors of The Corkman, I want them to feel the infectious energy of the ‘craic’,” he said. “I want to transport them back to Ireland with a good pint of Guinness and some good Irish food.”
The name The Corkman is a direct link to Sheehy’s origins, connecting the business in Kuala Lumpur with the place where his story began.
His career has taken him far from North Cork, but his background remains an important part of how he sees himself and the business he has created.
He has built a life in Malaysia while retaining his connection to Irish sport and the wider Irish community abroad. The bar brings those experiences together, offering a familiar setting for Irish expatriates while introducing other customers to the Irish pub tradition.
Looking back, the decision to leave Ireland was driven largely by the economic circumstances of the time. What followed was a career that developed in ways he could not have anticipated, from managing bars across two countries to becoming an owner himself.
Thirteen years after taking a chance on a job offer in Kuala Lumpur, Sheehy has established a business and family life in Malaysia, with the name above his bar ensuring that his North Cork roots remain part of the story.
