Pubs reopening June 29th

[rebel bike]

If he does half as good a job on The Gateway as he did on The Southern Star it'll be a very good bar imho. Think it's got great potential (now that the all pervading smell that blighted it years ago is gone) and I hope it reverts to its old name - as it's the oldest bar in the city and one of the oldest in the country.

The Southern Star job was absolutely half arsed. Spoilt a lovely old bar and didn't even finish the job.

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

I think the guy knows how to run a decent pub properly. He'll change things that need to be changed and hold his nerve while the potential customers might take time to see the benefit. I'll be surprised if he doesn't make a good fist of it tbh.

It'll be interesting to see if he leaves the prices as they were, or will he bring them down.

Methinks they'll be the same if not higher

 

[Stacky]

The Southern Star job was absolutely half arsed. Spoilt a lovely old bar and didn't even finish the job.

It has a feel of a place half-done and not there for the long haul. It still needs investment but I can see why they have not risked it in the current climate.

 

[Stacky]

It'll be a very different operation I'd imagine. Both the Salmon and the Star benefit from being located in affluent areas, where as Barrack Street is essentially a student infested working class slum

The Salmon and Star offer a decent option for people from the affluent areas to go out for a few drinks in nice local pubs and are not too bothered about going to the city centre and who also want to avoid the nightmare of Douglas.

 

[SoundMan]

The Southern Star job was absolutely half arsed. Spoilt a lovely old bar and didn't even finish the job.

Can't agree with you tbh. I live out that general side of town and would occasionally go in there on the way into town. Front bar was OK and the old guys were good craic but it wasn't doing the turnover. Seems to be jumping most times I pass these days and there's a much better pint in there now. There's a guy John? a barman from Balincollig if his GAA top is anything to go by, who knows what he's doing when it comes to pulling a decent pint.

And the food in there from the burger van out the back is sumptuous, if a little pricy. And the whole beer garden vibe is good there - looking forward to going in there over the summer tbh

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

The Salmon and Star offer a decent option for people from the affluent areas to go out for a few drinks in nice local pubs and are not too bothered about going to the city centre and who also want to avoid the nightmare of Douglas.

Precisely. Douglas really is a pity. I used absolutely love the place and now I hate even passing through it, never mind going for a pint (South County excluded, especially as you can go there without really going into Douglas)

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

There's a guy John? a barman from Balincollig

There's a guy called John working in the South County too, could be the same fella?

He usually does the dayshifts

 

[SoundMan]

Precisely. Douglas really is a pity. I used absolutely love the place and now I hate even passing through it, never mind going for a pint (South County excluded, especially as you can go there without really going into Douglas)

Used feel the same way about the Briar Rose - great spot and not in Douglas. They cut the heart and soul out of the place with the new layout a few years back

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

Used feel the same way about the Briar Rose - great spot and not in Douglas. They cut the heart and soul out of the place with the new layout a few years back

Yep they absolutely ruined it. I went in one night to watch Tony Milner and the place was just absolutely soulless and empty. Gary formerly of Barry's looked to be managing it, but apparently he's gone from the place already. I don't blame him

 

[Stacky]

Precisely. Douglas really is a pity. I used absolutely love the place and now I hate even passing through it, never mind going for a pint (South County excluded, especially as you can go there without really going into Douglas)

You would not even stop there now as the whole place is just like a giant traffic transit hub and the whole village is just over commercialised and no reason to stop there anymore. The South County the odd time at a stretch.

It used to be possible to go on a decent pub crawl there but now you go into some of the pubs and they are just shoving a food menu into your face every 5 minutes.