Collison backs new restaurant

John Collison, the billionaire tech businessman raised in Dromineer, is set to get into the restaurant business, as an investor in a high end establishment planned for Abbeyleix in Co Laois.

The restaurant will be headed up by the 31-year-old Irish chef Cúan Greene, who has worked in some of the world’s top eateries, including the Bastible in Dublin 8 which now has a Michelin star.

Collison is one of the main partners in the venture that will comprise a 16-bedroom guest house and 32-seat restaurant.

The tech entrepreneur, who co-founder Stripe with his brother Patrick, paid €20 million in 2021 for the Abbey Leix estate, an 18th century mansion on 1,120 acres.

The new restaurant, to be called Ómós, will be based at Millbrook House, a late-Victorian property on 4.2 acres which is adjacent to Abbey Leix estate and was acquired by the Collison brothers in 2022.

The property, in a state of considerable disrepair, was purchased from Laois County Council for a sum in the region of €400,000 on the understanding would be fully restored.

According to a report in The Irish Times, planning applications are to be lodged this week.

If granted, the restaurant and guesthouse are likely to open in the summer of next year.

Restoration work has taken place on the house, a listed building, over the past year to stabilise the structure.