Latest news with #GuinnessStorehouse
RTÉ News
21 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Irish publicans on the bar trade: "The show is basically over"
As nightclub numbers are dwindling, and Gen Z pivots away from booze, we ask publications how the Irish pub is doing in 2025. Kate Demolder writes. Ireland's pubs are closing, so say publicans and industry experts who have watched the decline in recent years. Once a bona fide third space, the Irish pub – a venue for celebration, commiseration and kinship [whether you're drinking or not] – is hitting breaking point, according to publicans. And the reasons for this are plenty. First up is price; in a time when drinks can leave you without change from a €10 note, the desire to have a tipple can wane. Second, they say, is education; a country known for its affiliation with alcohol, the average Irish person has seen the ravages of addiction first-hand, meaning the process of indulging in a night of drinking may have lost its initial appeal. Third is a change in consumer behaviour; one can't browse the internet these days without seeing another article about how Gen Z don't drink, instead choosing to spend time at gym classes and running clubs. "I have four kids aged between 22 and 30 and they're all gym bunnies," John Byrne, owner of The Lark Inn on Meath Street, says. "You see the younger generation in the pub maybe once a week for a match or a party, but you also might go a couple of months without seeing them. They don't see the pub as a way of socialising. And for those trying to save for a mortgage, forget about it." Byrne has worked on Meath Street for 35 years, often serving generations of the same family. Though tourists coming from the Guinness Storehouse bolster sales, he remains loyal to his locals. That said, he's had to pivot to innovative tactics to tempt young people in. "Quiz nights, bingo nights… different things to try give them a reason." He also refuses to raise his prices in an attempt to stand by his clientele. "Price is a massive thing," he says. "We charge €5 for a pint of Guinness and €5.50 for lager. Just last week, I was in town with my wife, and we paid double that. "People have a pop at me, saying you won't be making money charging those prices, but we're just trying to give people a reason to come out. It's a struggle, but once we're able to pay our bills and wages and have a little bit leftover, then we'll keep doing what we're doing." For Colm Redmond, of Johnny O'Loughlin's pub at The Zetland Country House Hotel in Connemara, the case is much the same. Redmond regularly makes headlines for his €4.50 pint of Guinness. "We're not trying to make money, we're just trying to keep customers," he says. Redmond is positive that business never picked up post-COVID. "A huge amount of people drink at home, which I genuinely believe is terrible for their mental health. The pub was never just about the booze, it was about teas and coffees and chats – and an awful lot of people are missing that." Back in March, French lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a bill making it easier to open bars in villages, a move aimed at reviving social lives in rural communities. France had just seen a sharp fall from about 200,000 bars and cafés serving alcohol in the 1960s to some 36,000 by 2015. Most of the closures were in rural areas, and echo the current situation in Ireland. According to a Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) study, some 114 pubs on average have closed across the country every year of the last 18. The study, conducted in August 2024, claims that 2,054 pubs have ceased trading in Ireland since 2005, a reduction of 24%. Every one of the 26 counties in the Republic has seen the number of pubs in it decrease over the last two years, with closure rates highest in more rural counties. CEO of the Vintner's Federation of Ireland, Pat Crotty, who himself is a former publican, needs just a few words to convey why publicans are shutting their doors. "It's very difficult," he says of running an Irish pub today. "The net position for the publican outside of an urban area is that he's dying slowly." Even for pubs relying on tourists, the CSO has shown that tourist numbers are down at a time when they should be up." Crotty insists that publicans' hands are tied by way of legal and financial obligations, and that very few can go on at the rate they're currently going. "Inflation, the Living Wage, VAT, excise tax, water costs… It's tax on tax on tax. The thing is that the government continues to make these decisions that affect publicans around the country, without consulting publicans. "And to make matters worse, publicans submit their forms with all the details of their financials, so the guys making the decisions know whether or not they can afford it. And in a lot of cases, they can't. Which is why pubs are opening on fewer days, the service is getting worse, and so many are closing." Echoing this is Redmond: "Tapas bars are Spain at its best, and that's because anyone can go there and not have to spend too much to have a great meal and a glass of wine or whatever. Irish hospitality spots have to spend €30,000-€40,000 [on a kitchen] to sell a rasher. Those kinds of prices force restaurants to charge high prices, which means people can't go." The story of the Irish pub is one that is riddled with archaic and uncomfortable regulations. A prior example was the "Holy Hour," a practice introduced in the 1920s which dictated that all pubs be closed for an hour on Sundays, usually between 2pm and 4pm, in an attempt to curtail afternoon drinking by the workforce. Most pubs at the time simply shuttered their doors and continued to serve patrons inside. Realising this, the stipulation was dropped in 1999. The following year, a new requirement was listed. One that insisted meals be served to patrons of any establishment where alcohol was sold. The rule was dubbed the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2000, and regularly saw vats of chicken curry or chicken and chips carted around nightclubs and late licensed pubs as the music was stopped in an attempt to get people to eat. Most didn't, but it didn't matter. Some pubs simply placed a meal beside the pub's hatch to ward off Gardaí in case they came knocking. "Back then, gardaí would have looked in the door to see everyone was either being compliant or gone home," Crotty says. "Today, if they even looked, there would be nobody there." A 2024 benchmarking survey by the VFI found that 36% of pub turnover is currently consumed by labour costs alone, and that figure will increase to over 40% with the introduction of the Living Wage. The same survey found that 37% of publicans are considering retirement within the next two years, and 84% report that no family member wishes to inherit the pub. The pub's pivot in society from the main social setting to one of several might be responsible for this, so says Dr Perry Share, head of student success at Atlantic Technological University in Sligo and co-editor of the upcoming book The Irish Pub: Invention and Reinvention. There was no particular point when this shift happened, he says, but a number of different contemporary factors have resulted in a gradual pivot on a rolling basis from pub culture. "Drink driving legislation, the smoking ban, the rise in cafés, how people's houses are now invested in meaning that pubs no longer feel as necessary, bypasses, motorways, people buying better cars so they don't need to stop on long trips… they're all responsible," he says. "And that's the same across Europe. It's also not pub-specific. Places like hardware shops, banks, newsagents, post offices and a whole range of other businesses have been reduced in recent years to make way for consolidation. "Since the start of this century, I've noticed a drop from 13 pubs in my local town to four. And for the ones that remain, the owners are retiring and they're either going to be left empty or turned into residential spaces." Dr Share says that the difficulty in running a pub is also exacerbated by capital-rich groups which run multiple chains and locations at once. "It's hard to compete without being a niche development like, say, Fidelity in Smithfield, or having the backing of international capital. That said, while I don't think the Irish pub is going to disappear, I do know that certain types are disappearing all the time. The roadside pub being a perfect example." Despite this, Ireland still ranks third in the world for the number of pubs per capita, as per a survey by the Health Research Board. (The country listed with the highest number of pubs per capita is Slovakia - officially the Slovak Republic - while the second is Hungary.) However, figures collated by the blog Every Pub In Dublin show a stark reality. Just 30 new drinking holes – including replacement openings, rebrands and franchised developments like Pitch on Nassau Street – opened in 2024. Only two, however, are listed as "normal" pub openings: Old Fashioned Sams on Montague Street and Porter's on Camden Street. What does this mean? "An overreliance on tourism and international capital," Dr Share is certain. Could this be the decline of pub culture as we know it? "It's possible," Crotty says. "I hope not, but it is." And finally, when asked what he might say to someone who was enthusiastic to start up a pub, Redmond sighed before replying: "You're crazy. There's no future in the bar trade in rural Ireland unless things change dramatically. The show is basically over." Nobody's under any illusions about the future. In Dublin, Connemara or a roadside in Clare, the Irish pub is being put on the back burner. The question remains, however, where do we go now for our third space? With nightclubs and pubs closing, and late-night cafés practically non-existent, the only hope for the future of nightlife in Ireland is one that centres on systemic and legislative change. The ideas are there, and the will is too. The only thing that won't be? According to Crotty: "Pubs, if nothing changes from here on out."
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Fontaines DC at Guinness Storehouse: A match made in heaven
Fontaines DC are the biggest Irish band in the post-band era. Bands are too much trouble – members won't do what they are told and an anachronism in a world where music, as Bono remarks, is increasingly assembled and not created. That they exist at all in the current music landscape is a marvel, but they are a band that has progressed with each album and kept a multigenerational fan base. Fontaines DC in the grounds of Dublin city's most famous tourist attraction, the Guinness Storehouse, was a match made in marketing heaven. Last weekend's Lovely Days Live was a successful attempt to marry top-class music with promotional activities without the flak visited on the Arthur's Day shindigs a decade ago. READ MORE The Storehouse is 25 years old and looms over the concert venue in the old yard at the front gates. Tickets for this concert and Saturday's one by CMAT were subject to a ballot and were immediately sold out. Grian Chatten stomps around the stage and cajoles the crowd into singing along, not that they need an invitation. Photograph: Tom Honan As a music venue, it is not optimal. It feels hemmed in between old buildings, the ground slopes down from the stage making it difficult to see at the back. The organisers should include a big screen the next time – if there is a next time. Lead singer Grian Chatten stomps around the stage wearing a scarf and shades on a cool and gloomy evening. He prowls and scowls and cajoles the crowd into singing along, not that they need an invitation. 'Dublin in the rain is mine, a pregnant city with a Catholic mind,' he sings on Big. There was no rain thankfully, as there's no shelter. Fontaines DC are one of the many Irish acts exercised by what is happening in Gaza at present and the looming court case involving Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara. There was no rain thankfully, as there's no shelter. Photograph: Tom Honan He was charged by UK police with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig in London last November. He's due to appear in court in London on June 18th. Chatten dedicated their performance of Favourite to Kneecap manager Daniel Lambert, who is also the chief operating officer for Bohemians FC. The club brought out a Fontaines DC themed third strip last year that was very much in evidence on Sunday. 'Never be scared to talk about Palestine,' Chatten said, which was followed by a smattering of 'free Palestine' chants from the crowd. Later, he shouted, 'free Kneecap, free Palestine' as he walked offstage following the closing song Starburster. [ Workman's Club heyday: Where we rubbed shoulders with Paul Mescal, Fontaines DC and Morrissey Opens in new window ] Lankum's brand of soporific Celtic drone music needs a more intimate venue than this and it did not help that much of their gear never arrived from Stockholm. The band did, however, get animated about Gaza, as well. 'Genocide is for losers. If you do not call out genocide, you're an even f**king bigger loser,' came the cry from the stage. The muted cheers suggested most of those present were there for the music, not the politics. Conor Deegan of Fontaines DC. Photograph: Tom Honan Grian Chatten expressed support for Kneecap's Mo Chara. Photograph: Tom Honan
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Morgana: 'What draws me to making art is that sense of just making something fun'
Straight off the bat, an hour to be exact after the announcement of Morgana's Lovely Days gig in the Guinness Storehouse with CMAT and BIIRD, I sit upstairs in Kaph on Drury Street with Morgan McIntyre, better known these days as Morgana. Our oat flat whites cost close to a fiver each, and McIntyre breaks the news that she's moving back to her native Belfast, where her mortgage will be cheaper than Dublin rent. The reality of living as an artist in Ireland — a land known for its rich music and culture — is that musicians and 9-5 workers alike are being pushed out due to rising rents (and coffee prices). Many take up full-time jobs to financially sustain themselves, which eliminates the flexibility needed to write, record, and tour. Beginning her musical career as part of the dream folk duo Saint Sister in 2014 after meeting co-collaborator Gemma Doherty in college, McIntyre has spent the last number of years developing her solo project. Affirming that Saint Sister are currently on a break to pursue their own musical routes, McIntyre explains that the most recent Saint Sister album, Where Should I End, acted as a canvas for her to develop and hone a version of the sound she would go on to create as a solo artist. 'Towards the end of that period of time, I was writing songs that were more in the pop world,' she says. Doherty was, at the same time, leaning into her composing roots, which resulted in a beautiful body of work and the start of their resultant solo avenues. Approaching this solo project on the cusp of 30, the Morgana persona was born out of a newfound confidence in the singer. 'I was only really interested in making folk ethereal experimental music in my 20s,' she says. But another part of her felt pressure not to put too much of herself forward, both in her music and the way she expressed herself. 'I really wanted to be the kind of in-the-background cool-gal aesthetic that doesn't give too much away,' she admits. 'And it just isn't me,' she laughs. 'I will tell anyone anything. I'm such an oversharer.' Though she would love to make music in the style of Saint Sister again, 'the more experimental, more focused stuff', it would only make sense to bring Saint Sister back from hiatus for this, she says, rather than making space for it in her current era. For now, 'Gem is flourishing', she tells me. Morgana: 'I'm such an oversharer.' Picture: Niamh Barry Elements of theatrical performance define McIntyre's live stage presence. Having only released two songs officially under the moniker, she has garnered a dedicated fanbase through her live performances and collaborations with other Irish musicians such as Sorcha Richardson and Nealo. 'I feel like maybe I am more myself than I have ever been on stage,' she tells me with a gentle confidence. She thus far has attracted an audience of '25-year-old to 35-year-old women who maybe don't fit in a very specific box,' who she reckons are trying to attune to their authentic selves, and don't want to ascribe to who they're told to be on social media. McIntyre aspires to be a beacon of this. 'I'm hoping to be someone on stage that is trying to shake off a lot of self-consciousness,' she says. 'I know that when I see other women do that, I feel better about myself. Like CMAT, for example. She's amazing.' Beginning her solo career with a slot supporting CMAT, the two are reuniting tonight at the Guinness Storehouse gig. CMAT — who has built her audience on radical honesty and being unashamedly herself — is a source of inspiration for Morgana, who brings a similar level of theatrics to her live performances. Theatre has been ingrained in McIntyre from a young age, and so staging, props, and audience involvement are a unique and thrilling element of any Morgana show. She asserts that the crossover between theatre and live music is small, with the stage making theatrical flair an easy addition — using a bit of creative thinking. 'I was a little theatre nerd when I was a kid,' she admits. Spending much of her time doing improv and school plays, she initially wanted to be an actor. 'When I left school I applied for loads of drama schools,' she says. 'I didn't want to do music.' Using the stage to not just sing, but perform, brings McIntyre back to her school days. It allows for self-expression in a way that artists often do not utilise. 'What drew me and what draws me to making art is that sense of just making something fun,' she tells me. A live Morgana performance brings the word 'glimmer' to mind. There is something ethereal about the set up, the way that she includes the crowd. Performing at St James' Church for Other Voices in December 2024, Morgana began her performance outside the church, moving backwards into the pews filled with an awe-inspired crowd. She wore a disco ball helmet, sending flecks of light onto the stained glass windows and white walls of the revenant building. Theatre has been ingrained in McIntyre from a young age 'Prepared to party, ready to cry,' is the slogan that adorns her merchandise, but unironically, party and cry she did while speaking about what the festival means to her during this performance. 'Prepared to party, ready to cry' is also a standout lyric from her latest track, Power Cuts. Forced to leave Dublin, contending with comparison and doing everything she can to achieve her dreams, the track reflects a modern-day 20- to 30-something trying to realise their potential and live life to their own standards while fighting the system that oppresses them. Putting her all into her dreams in her 30s, McIntyre knows more than most the resilience that is required to keep going in an industry that tends to celebrate youth. 'Things like coming off stage, coming out, interacting with the audience, putting on a character,' McIntyre describes, 'things that are the most basic elements of a theatre show... when you put them in a gig space, they go so much further. They kind of excite the audience.' For a while, the artist told herself that she couldn't do anything other than music, that she wasn't qualified. 'I kept saying I couldn't do anything else,' she admits. Her manager, Conor Cusack, told her otherwise. Being a musician requires so much learning on the job, he pointed out, she'd acquired project and team management skills, she could go into production or project management. 'When he said that, I was like, it's that I don't want to do anything else. I just really love making music and I'm just gonna keep going.' This love has carried McIntyre to the heights she has reached now. With only two official releases under her belt, the Belfast singer has garnered a reputation for creating immersive live experiences which leave her audience with a sense of belonging. 'Prepared to party, ready to cry' captures the ups and downs, the highs and lows of life as a late 20s, early 30s girlie. A forthcoming EP will be released on June 11, with the album not due for release until 2026. A long wait for those of us desperate for the on-demand listening of tunes we've heard and connected with live. But she's not in a rush. She's doing things at her own pace. And her time is now. Morgana performs at Tipperary's When Next We Meet festival on June 7. Read More Sounds From A Safe Harbour reveals headliners for music extravaganza in Cork
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Diageo eyes global push for Guinness 0.0 with plans to win Gen Z for Irish brand
'Guinness is a great example of our growth ambition in action,' Ms Crew said. 'Guinness 0.0... has grown at a tremendous rate since launch, but arguably, we are only really getting started on what it can do.' Diageo is planning to accelerate sales of traditional Guinness and the non-alcoholic version around the world, targeting Gen Z and female drinkers among its key growth levers. It's also planning to leverage its sponsorship of sporting events such as the Premier League and a continued focus on the Six Nations rugby championship. Laura Merritt, president of Diageo's North America beer market, said there is 'significant runway for growth' for Guinness in the market there and that the beer's sales are 'thriving' in the US. The US market has about $68bn (€60bn) of beer sales every year, while the non-alcoholic beer market there accounts for 1.5pc of sales. Ireland, the UK and the US accounted for 60pc of Guinness net sales in Diageo's fiscal 2024 year. Guinness is the biggest beer brand in Ireland, accounting for a third of all pints served in the country. In the US, it's the fastest-growing on-trade beer. Speaking at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin yesterday, Ms Crew effectively put an end to any lingering speculation that Diageo could sell the Guinness brand. Guinness is Diageo's third biggest brand, after Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff. Diageo is by far the world's largest spirits group. Launched in 2021, Guinness 0.0 has been a significant success story for Diageo. Despite that success, non-alcoholic beer still only accounts for about 2pc of the total beer market in Ireland. Last year, Diageo announced an additional €30m investment at its St James's Gate site in Dublin to cater for the increased demand for Guinness 0.0. Ms Crew said that Gen Z – those typically born between 1997 and 2012 – is engaging in what Diageo calls 'mindful' drinking. 'It's forecast to be the largest generation ever, underpinning future growth,' Ms Crew said, adding that Diageo has done 'a great job in recruiting women to Guinness'. She told investors that Guinness sits well with a trend of consumers 'looking for exploration'. 'Guinness holds an important place in our portfolio and is rightfully a key part of our strategy to recruit and premiumise consumers,' she said. Diageo is also using AI to develop targeted advertising to consumers – a key tool in its plans to grow Guinness sales in Ireland and elsewhere. The drinks maker shot down speculation earlier this year that it was poised to sell the iconic Guinness brand. It had been reported that Diageo was exploring a potential spin-off or sale of Guinness, in what would have been the biggest corporate change for the Irish beer brand since it was merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997. Earlier this week, Diageo announced plans to save $500m (€444m) in costs by 2028 following years of sales declines. The new programme will be backed by 'appropriate and selective disposals' in coming years, according to Diageo.
Irish Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Four-star Aloft in heart of The Liberties is the perfect city-centre hotel
I love a good hotel. Forget nights out in bars and pubs, hotels are where it's at for me. You can eat and drink in comfort, the whole family can join and it's the height of luxury. Living in The Liberties in Dublin, I'm surrounded by new ones that have sprung up all around us in the past few years. But I hadn't found OUR hotel yet. You know that perfect hotel that works for a family gathering; is handy for a coffee meeting or a few drinks with friends; and has a good restaurant to drop down to dinner when the mood takes. Somewhere nearby that relatives from abroad can stay when they come to visit. A place conveniently around the corner where you can escape domesticity for a night of romance with the husband. Or indeed without the husband, as the case may be. Well, I've found it and it's the sky-scraper-like Aloft Hotel on the cobbles of Mill Lane, the road that runs from the residential area of The Tenters and comes out at St Patrick's Cathedral. Some of you might remember the old, legendary pub that used to be there on the corner, also called The Tenters. They've kept it on the ground floor, where it's now the hotel's chic gastropub. Aloft's location is deceptively central; as it feels like it's in a neighbourhood amid apartments and terraced houses. Yet you can walk to Temple Bar in ten minutes and the Guinness Storehouse is the same distance in the other direction. The vivid, all-glass, brightly-coloured, seven-storey, four-star Aloft is a towering tribute to modernity in one of the oldest and most historic areas in the capital. Yet this urban chic amid the ancient architecture is complementary and not clashing. It works, in a kind of Belfast/Berlin/Basel type vibe. It's not like anything we're used to in Dublin. The whole hotel has a pleasingly European feel. Everything is centred around the family, in a way that you don't feel like you're coming down to the kids' level. The hotel offers family sized rooms, and they can be turned into a campground, with a roll-out bed of its own complete with a teepee. Even pets are most welcome, with cosy beds and food provided, once you ask in advance. The hotel's focal point is the stunning WXYZ rooftop bar, with its floor-to-ceiling bar windows providing impossibly high views of the city. Its vertigo-inducing, swish, spacious balcony area is the perfect place for a sundowner after a busy day. It was the talk of the locality when the hotel opened five years ago. I often look up while walking past and wonder who's lucky enough to be up there. Books, board-games and even newspapers - remember them? - provide entertainment and a pool table at the end is a fun addition. There's also the sight of Lofty, the hotel's robot waiter, mostly used for room service but who can often be seen gliding along on errands. There are sweet local touches everywhere, a nod to its legacy and the importance of community. When we visited, I enjoyed the Billy's Barracks cocktail, named after Liberties' photographer William Mooney, who is now 93 and still a patron of the place. In the sophisticated Tenters gastropub on the ground floor, old maps of the area - which used to be a Huguenot hotspot - adorn the walls. The restaurant is 1920s style, with rich teal banquette seating, and wood and brass food here has an emphasis on quality, with its beef from FX Buckley, and strong seafood and grill options overall. I had the slow braised 10oz featherblade beef (€31) with herb mash, carrot puree, tenderstem broccoli and red wine jus, which was so meltingly delicious I ate all of it, despite myself. My husband (Only joking, I did bring him) had the striploin steak of Hereford beef (€35), with wild mushrooms and pepper sauce, which also went down a treat. There's a genuinely friendly vibe here due to its genius - and genial - general manager Jonas Treffers. Jonas can't do enough for you, and that culture permeates the place. The staff at Aloft seem like a community, and you can feel the goodwill and sincere hospitality. After an indulgent evening, it was time for bed in the stylish and modern king room, with its huge bed, and 49inch LCD TV. I preferred to lie down and look out floor-to-celling windows onto the Teeling Distillery site below. It was so close to home for me, I was able to get up in the morning and round teenagers up for school and come back for another lie-in before respectfully reasonable check-out time of 12 noon. I was glad I did return, because it was then I got to experience the piece de resistance, a walk-in power shower that looked out through glass frosted windows onto the streets of the capital. If you've never showered in front of the whole city before, I'd highly recommend it. I will dream of that shower for the rest of my life. Rates at Aloft [Aloft, 1 Mill Street, Dublin 8, D08 XK58] start from €189 B&B based on two people sharing. For bookings, events, or to find out more, visit
