Tag Archives: pubs

“FEAR and despair” is impacting Clare publicans’ mental health as the closure of pubs and uncertainty over their re-opening continues, Clare Vintners Federation of Ireland chairman Darragh McAllister told a meeting this week. The meeting of the Clare branch held at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis saw six of Clare’s Oireachtas members hear the concerns of the county’s publicans. The meeting comes a week after it was announced that the re-opening of pubs that don’t serve food been delayed until August 31 at the earliest. In attendance were Cathal Crowe TD, Michael McNamara TD, Violet Ann Wynne TD, Joe Carey TD and senators Timmy Dooley and Martin Conway and Mayor of Clare, Mary Howard with apologies from senator Róisín Garvey. At the meeting, which was limited to 50 attendees as per Covid-19 regulations, Mr McAllister, welcomed the presence of the Oireachtas members. In a wide-ranging address detailing the current state of the trade, Mr McAllister highlighted the many false …

PUBLICANS around County Clare were compliant with the latest Covid-19 regulations when gardaí carried out spot-checks last weekend. All the pubs were serving meals and social distancing was being observed by customers, according to a local senior garda. Gardaí initiated Operation Navigation on Friday evening last, amid concern that some establishments are flouting regulations designed to suppress Covid-19. Bars which serve a meal costing at least €9 with drink could open their doors on June 29, as socialising restrictions eased. Pubs that do not operate a restaurant-style service must remain closed until Phase 4 of the roadmap begins on July 20. “We had an extensive round of inspections in all areas of the Clare Garda Division – town and villages – and all was in order. All Garda patrols were involved,” said Superintendent Brendan McDonagh. He added that anecdotal accounts of only a few meals being served where a large quantity of drink was being consumed hadn’t been found during …

Following discussions today with the Licenced Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), the Government is now calling on all public houses and bars (including hotel bars) to close from this until at least March 29. A total of 7,000 pubs, which employ 50,000 people, will close. The LVA and VFI outlined the real difficulty in implementing the published Guidelines on Social Distancing in a public house setting, as pubs are specifically designed to promote social interaction in a situation where alcohol reduces personal inhibitions. For the same reason, the Government is also calling on all members of the public not to organise or participate in any parties in private houses or other venues which would put other peoples’ health at risk. The Government, having consulted with the Chief Medical Officer, believes that this is an essential public health measure given the reports of reckless behaviour by some members of the public in certain pubs last night. …

SITTING in The Clare Champion offices are Bríd, who has been sober since 1993, Ger, who has been sober since 1991 and Aodhán, who has been off drink since 1990, with one relapse since then. Asked about what spurred her to give up alcohol, Bríd says, “I was sick of being sick, totally sick of being sick. I couldn’t see a way out; I wasn’t able to listen to anyone. I didn’t actually think I’d be able to get sober at all. I couldn’t cope, I didn’t have a life. My marriage was in bits, the lifestyle was in bits and I realised I had nothing else to blame for the way I was. I was just sick of being sick, sick of the misery. I think that’s the quickest way of explaining it.” For Ger, sobriety didn’t come at the first attempt and he took himself away from Clare to achieve it. “I was drinking from a young age. …

ADJACENT to Shannon Airport’s runway, The Honk Bar is in the rural townland of Rineanna in the parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus. John and Mary Quinlivan run the bar, which has been in John’s family for a couple of hundred years. “We’re the eighth generation here; it’s been in the family the whole time. It would be one of the oldest pubs in the country, definitely one of the oldest in Munster.” Born and reared there himself, John’s brother Pat also ran it, before John took over in 2001. “It’s part of the community. The local Community Alert was set up here; the few meetings that are on would be in here,” he says. It may be relatively isolated but its location close to the airport means it is fairly well known, right around Clare and Limerick. John has been around the bar all his life and says the changes in pub culture have been drastic. “When I was a young fella, …

Bishop Fintan Monahan shares the concerns of some people who fear Christmas Day will soon succumb to the demands of commercial pressure in the same way as Good Friday. Reflecting on the end of restrictions on the sale of alcohol in licensed premises on Good Friday, the Bishop of Killaloe has pointed out that many people have noted that the only two unique family days where alcohol could not be purchased were Christmas Day and Good Friday. However, the bishop believes it is now “just a matter of time until Christmas Day will succumb to the demands of commercial pressure in the same manner”. He described Good Friday as a special day in the Christian calendar, as it commemorates the death of Jesus Christ. He said it is a special day of mourning and a day when many Christians attend special religious ceremonies. Traditionally, because of the importance of the day and because it was the penultimate day of Lent, …

A total of 105 people were arrested for drink driving in Clare so far this year – an increase of 21. This has prompted an East Clare county councillor to ask if the enforcement level in this area is a “bit over the top”. At Monday’s meeting of the county’s Joint Policing Committee, Whitegate councillor Pat Burke suggested the idea of breathalysing people at all times of the day was a bit much. “I don’t know of too many women who are going to schools, collecting their kids, who are drink driving,” he said, adding, “Yet they are being breathalysed.” He also said he has a friend in his own area who likes to have three or four pints on a Sunday and will walk to and from the pub to do that. He said now, however, that he will no longer go to the pub because he is afraid to drive into work in the morning. Having received an …

FACTORS such as rising prices, the smoking ban and a severe recession have seen pubs endure several years of decline, but Ennis publicans are now preparing for what is likely to be one of their busiest ever weeks. Gerry Kelly is involved with The Diamond on O’Connell Street, Considine’s on Parnell Street and Dan O’Connell’s in the Square. Reflecting on the last time the Fleadh was in Ennis, back in 1977, he said, “I remember, I was working in The Cloister. Culture has changed an awful lot since. At that time, all the windows on the shops in town were barred up. But you don’t get a rough crowd following the Fleadh.” There are fewer premises now to take the drinkers, he added. “I would say there is about 14 pubs less than the last time it was here. It can be frightening when you think about it. If you remember the crowd that was in O’Connell Street after we …