Matters Of Public Interest

A GOOD DAY FOR IRISH PUBS – AFTER 476 DAYS BAD ONES

It has been a long time coming but from July 5 all pubs in Ireland will be allowed to take the big step of reopening for indoor service. Watering holes across the country closed their doors 15 months ago, on March 15 2020, the eve of their biggest and busiest time of the year. That’s 476 consecutive days of being out of business. Just for reference, pubs in Perth shut down by the end of that same month but were back in business after a couple of months, serving takeaway orders at first and then by degrees opened up to ever increasing numbers of customers, and things have largely returned to pre-COVID ‘normal’ for the WA hospitality sector. At 12.01am Wednesday 23 June, WA moved into Phase 5 of the COVID-19 roadmap. This meant the removal of the 2 square metre rule and that pubs could now have 100% (not 75%) of punters on the premises, while major venues and events no longer face any limits on crowd size. Some controls – such as mandatory contact registers – will stay in place but essentially punters and revellers in WA will be able to party like its 1999 all over again (please forgive the Prince pun). Meanwile, back in Ireland, outdoor service was allowed at Irish pubs from June 7, marking a slow return to something like normal business for them. “We are pleased to have finally received confirmation that all pubs will be able to reopen for indoor service from 5th July,” said Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA. “It has been a long time coming, but this is a time for hope and optimism. The 5th July will mark the beginning of the recovery for pubs and other hospitality businesses. Many pubs will not be in a position to offer outdoor service, so confirmation of the date for reopening indoors was vital. It is extremely important that all pubs, food and traditional, will now be able to open together. We are absolutely delighted that the Government has taken this on board and that there will be no further divisions in our industry. Our members are all simply ‘pubs’ once again. Hopefully no one will ever have the need to use the term ‘wet pubs’ in future.” Ireland’s second pub lobby body the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI), which represents drinking dens outside Dublin, welcomed the resumption of business on June 7 with its “We’ve missed you” campaign.

BY LLOYD GORMAN

Above: Twitter user @Gaothmhor posted on this image on June 8 with the caption, “The Universe has returned to its proper order, #Sham and #ThePrince are back in @jackcsbar (Killarney, Co, Kerry) #GuinnessTime”

Padraig Cribben, VFI Chief Executive, said: “It’s a big day for the pub trade as 4,000 pubs are set to reopen for outdoor service. There is a strong sense of anticipation among publicans to get open and get back to what they do best. The message from publicans to old regulars and new customers alike is ‘we’ve missed you and welcome back’. “For the vast majority of publicans, outdoor service will keep them ticking over until indoor trading resumes on 5th July. We’re acutely aware that thousands of our members cannot open this week at they have no outdoor space and will have to wait another four weeks to resume trading. We’re hoping for a busy summer once all pubs open. There is a sense in the trade that people want to get out of the house and meet up. To get pubs back open will be a great sign the country is returning to normal.” Ireland’s hotels and guesthouses were allowed to reopen a little earlier (June 2) than their publican counterparts. The Irish Hotel Federation welcomed a resumption of trade but issued a press releases warning that its members were facing €60 million in reopening costs. “Our members are delighted to be reopening and are really looking forward to welcoming back team members and guests. However, the cost of reopening a hotel after months of prolonged closure is significant given the volume of operations and facilities involved,” Tim Fenn, IHF CEO said. The Federation called on the government to provide extra grant support to operators in the hard pressed sector.

EARLY ADVANTAGE FOR NI LOCALES

Pubs and punters in Northern Ireland had a bit less of a wait than their cousins over the border. They were able to offer ‘indoor hospitality’ from May 24. Their shut down was also less severe, with the sector closed down before Christmas. But there were restrictions of course, including six people to a table, table service only and no dancing, live music or playing pool or gaming machines. “This has been a difficult and draining period for everyone within the hospitality industry and [this] announcement will bring hope to businesses, with people getting back to work and livelihoods restored for many across the sector,” Colin Neill, Chief Executive of Hospitality Ulster said. “The health and wellbeing of customers, staff and the wider public will be the priority for all the hospitality sector business owners. I know that our members have stringent Covid secure processes in place so that customers can enjoy the hospitality offer once again. “However, this is not ‘job done’ - with extensive restrictions still in place, many businesses will still struggle to break even, let alone make a profit. It is vital that we see these restrictions removed as soon as possible and engagement from the Executive as we begin the long road of rebuilding what was Northern Ireland’s fourth largest private sector employer, preCovid,” he continued.

WINTER STINTER

The winter and wet might be here but that shouldn’t be a bother now for punters in the beer garden at Masonmills Gardens. Surrounded by its own village of traditional Irish pub and shopfronts, the alfresco drinking area is a popular place for punters to enjoy the outside areas of the Hills venue. The one drawback of the beer garden has now been dealt with, with a new covering that provides plenty of shelter from the elements. The only danger now is the risk of spending even longer there than you might have expected to be the case.