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For the past 10 years Dolans has hosted the Siege of Limerick, a bi-annual heavy metal festival that aims to promote Irish and international metal in the city. Twenty-eight bands performed at the event on bank holiday Sunday; a tall order for most but for Mick Dolan, it was business as usual. “We do events like these all the time, so we’re well prepared for any eventuality. Ticket sales were very good and we were lucky in that it went off without a hitch. Since Covid, our business model has changed but live music is the heart of Dolans and that will never change.”

Mick and Valerie Dolan moved to Limerick with their two children Neil and Sarah in 1994. The couple had intended to purchase a pub in Co Clare but when that fell through, they were forced to reconsider their options. When the original Dolans on Limerick’s Dock Road went up for sale, a move to Limerick seemed like a good idea. Having spent six years in the Merchant Navy, Mick was familiar with the city but also knew Limerick’s docks had a reputation for being somewhat ‘dodgy’. Nevertheless, he took a chance and put in an offer. The idea was to open a pub that celebrated and promoted traditional Irish music and created a platform for local musicians to showcase their talent. “Originally, my idea was to have only live and original bands playing at Dolans. I didn’t want DJ’s or tribute bands or anything like that, but after a few months I copped on and realised we needed to cater to everyone’s tastes, not just my own. So we changed it up and today we have a mix of everything, from comedy and spoken word to DJ’s, tribute bands and original groups.”

In recent years acts like Franz Ferdinand, Mumford & Sons, Ian Brown, Glen Hansard and Kasabian have played at Dolans. It's very much a family affair with Valerie, Sarah and Neil all working in various roles at the venue. Trad groups still gather in the pub for nightly sessions while the upstairs venue plays host to emerging acts, the Warehouse is used for larger events and The Big Top marquee comes out for special big gigs. Over the years, the venue has evolved to suit the customer and perhaps never more since Covid. The pub no longer serves breakfast or lunch and doesn’t open on a Monday or Tuesday. “Business is not what it was before the pandemic. People’s attitudes around going out have changed. The cost of living crisis means people have less money in their pocket for a night out, so maybe they’ll have a bottle of wine at home and then go to a gig or for a pint. When people do have a bit of spare money, we're finding that they're very much up for a night out. People need that release, especially at the moment." With staff shortages and a lack of demand from customers, Mick isn’t likely to put breakfast and lunch back on the menu. “Previously we would have had two or three teams in the kitchen, but now we’re down to just one. We’re well set up to open for dinner five days a week but that’s it. The business just isn’t there and neither are the staff. Costs have also massively risen; making any money on lunches would be too difficult.” The price of fish has, says Mick, “gone astronomical” while rising food costs across the board have restricted Dolans’ food offering. “We try and get our suppliers to hold costs for six months, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. If and when the VAT rate goes back up to 13.5%, that will have a massive effect on my business. Every ticket sale will have to go up 4.5% and that’s huge for us. I can’t understand the motivation behind increasing the VAT rate; there isn’t a huge return on it and yet it will negatively affect thousands of businesses across the country.”

It’s not just food costs that have gone up – maintenance costs have also skyrocketed, as have electricity and gas. "Insurance is probably the biggest challenge. We have to get individual insurance for each gig we hold, which is pretty difficult.”

At the 2022 Bar of the Year awards, Dolans won the overall People’s Choice Award. “I put the win down to two things – our staff and the atmosphere you get in a place like Dolans. If staff are happy, that comes across to people coming into the pub.” Whatever the future brings, live music will remain Mick’s passion. “I love it and I’ve no intention of stopping any time soon. There are challenges at the moment but I’m naturally a very positive person. If part of the roof fell down beside me here, I’d say isn’t it a good job it wasn’t the whole roof. I’m optimistic too because we’re not afraid to adapt and change to what the customer wants. That’s what has driven the business for almost 30 years and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

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