Gombeen Man in dedicated pub-spy guise here, putting you wide to what's hot and what's not in Dublin publand.I met an old school friend today for a lunchtime pint and a good moan about the state of the country. The venue was Mulligans on Poolbeg street, which styles itself as a no-nonsense "auld Dublin" pub offering convivial, if plain, drinking space for punters who still value a bit of an old chat with their pints and a corresponding absense of conversation-drowning musak.
So far so good, and I found it came up to scratch on those counts in the past. Today though, upon entering the darkened threshold, I was immediately aware of a similar absence of any customers. Well, maybe one or two - but this is lunchtime, remember. No wonder. One pint of Guinness and a rock shandy for my driving accomplice relieved me of a princely €10!!! Is it any wonder the place was empty if that's what they're charging these days?
Recession? What recession?
Irish publicans just don't get it, do they?
Back to Gombeen Nation main page
8 comments:
I bought a nice bottle of Chardonnay in the local supermarket yesterday (on special offer) for EUR 5. That's what people do now, they don't go to pubs but visit the offie/supermarket as it's so much cheaper (okay less expensive) than going to the pub. If publicans want to fill their pubs, they need to readjust their pricing and stop complaining.
A pint at lunchtime? Good Idea. I'm off ;-)
Ah yes, Ella. I appreciate a good bottle of wine. I'm quite fussy though - it has to be over 13% vol.
Harald, I'm afraid it was two actually. As a print man, I'll be surprised if you haven't encountered (or partaken) in this kind of lunchtime carousing?
It's a very rare thing for me now - maybe a couple of times a year - but when I worked in a repro house in London it was mental. One lunchtime a couple of us had 2 or 3 pints of Lowenbrau and a couple of Tequilla slammers to wash them down. Long time ago! I'd be having my stomach pumped out if I tried that now. And then I went back and did my job as a planner. A litho planner - not a city planner, you'll be glad to hear.
On the other hand: Some of the cities I know look exactly like you (or anybody else) would have planned them after loads of Loewenbrau (gosh!) and Tequila ;-)
Actually, I really had a pint after reading that in your blog.
And you got me: I also know about this tradition, and years ago back in Austria we were also used to it. But working here now, on my tiny little desk in our - not so tidy but also little - Industrial Estate in Tallaght, unfortunately there is not much left of this good old tradition ;-)
And I'm getting older as well. Nowadays, the amount of beer almost kills me which I had in earlier days before even going out.
"But working here now, on my tiny little desk in our - not so tidy but also little - Industrial Estate in Tallaght, unfortunately there is not much left of this good old tradition"
Well you see Harald, readers of the blog may be surprised to see that even I think that some traditions are definitely worth keeping! ;-)
They're a very straight-laced lot where I work now... not like my colleagues in Damat Studio, London, in the late 80s-early 90s (good bunch of blokes, actually).
Sadly repro houses as they were back then are also no more, and those skillsets are gone. You do it all on a Mac now. :-(
So we both agree: Steve Jobs and his Macs are the main reason why the two of us don't have the chance for our daily pints no more ;-)
Blame you for that, Steve!!!
"One pint of Guinness and a rock shandy for my driving accomplice relieved me of a princely €10!!!"
Are you local?
Well, local enough. It's in Dublin city, and I'm from Dublin city (still work there). Maybe I'm just getting stingier, but I think that's a bit steep? What's the damage around your way?
Post a Comment