Monthly Archives: September 2014

They are still our most important tourist attractions, but Ireland's pubs are struggling to survive. In some counties up to one-third of the pubs have called last orders for the last time, but other bars have adapted and continue to thrive. While the closure of factories is accompanied by much soul-searching, the disappearance of pubs often goes unheralded. This week it was reported that in the past decade 2,000 pubs have closed. Many of these closures have been inevitable - a result of changing lifestyles and drinking habits. A typical night out for many young people involves getting tanked up with cheap off-licence booze first, and possibly finishing the night off with one or two pints in a pub. In truth many of the defunct hostelries - typically lining the streets of country towns - were poky, dreary and undesirable. [...]

From the popularity of Irish pubs with tourists, to the iconic Irish brands that are known the world over. From farmers who are producing world-class ingredients to the brewers and distillers who are creating world-class products. From Mizen Head to Malin Head, in every town and village in this country, there are families who are relying on the drinks industry to make their living. This is an exceptional industry, with fantastic stories full of rich detail to tell. The 'Support Your Local Campaign' has been set up by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland. See more here about what you can do to take part. Twitter: @supporturlocal

Rye River has partnered up with the Swinkels family, independent brewers of Bavaria and the Netherlands second-largest brewer. Following the signing of a long-term agreement Rye River will distribute the beer in tandem with its own McGargles range of craft beers. Bavaria brewery has been run by the same family for seven generations and also produces its own no-alcohol beer. With premium lagers declining by 3% year-on-year, Niall Phelan, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Rye River Brewing Company, believes, “The agreement is set to see this value beer increase its position to once again become the fifth-largest beer brand in the Irish market. “We believe there’s a great synergy between both our brands and with customers continuing to change the way they spend, even with an increase in disposable income, value lagers are set to continue growing year-on-year. “As [...]

In a genius marketing move, P.J.O'Briens Pub in Southbank, Melbourne, Australia, who recently won an award for Best Guinness in Australia 2013-2014 from Guinness themselves, have come up with a perfectly timed alternative to the Arthur's Day celebrations this year. Guinness released a statement earlier this summer announcing they were replacing the Arthur's Day celebrations this year and would be running the Guinness Amplify event in its place; a series of over 500 live music gigs around Ireland for September through to October. As the date of Arthur's Day fell half way to St. Patrick's Day, the team at P.J. O'Briens have come up with  a "Halfway to St.Patrick's Day Celebration". Aoife Reilly, General Manager at P.J.O'Briens, Southbank told us: "We run Guinness as a Beer of the Month for September at $7.50 a pint in the build up to [...]

In a genius marketing move, P.J.O'Briens Pub in Southbank, Melbourne, Australia, who recently won an award for Best Guinness in Australia 2013-2014 from Guinness themselves, have come up with a perfectly timed alternative to the Arthur's Day celebrations this year. Guinness released a statement earlier this summer announcing they were replacing the Arthur's Day celebrations this year and would be running the Guinness Amplify event in its place; a series of over 500 live music gigs around Ireland for September through to October. As the date of Arthur's Day fell half way to St. Patrick's Day, the team at P.J. O'Briens have come up with  a "Halfway to St.Patrick's Day Celebration". Aoife Reilly, General Manager at P.J.O'Briens, Southbank told us: "We run Guinness as a Beer of the Month for September at $7.50 a pint in the build up to [...]

Dublin Whiskey Company has announced plans for its new whiskey distillery and visitor centre in the capital. The company will be investing over €10 million in developing a 300 year-old site in Mill Street, Dublin 8, in the very heart of the Liberties – the historic birthplace of Irish whiskey. Over 60 people will be employed during the construction phase beginning in early 2015 with 30 permanent jobs coming onstream on completion of the project at the latter end of the year. DWC’s historic Mill building dates back to 1691 and was once the malting house of local distiller and brewer John Busby. Marie Byrne, Edmond O’Flaherty and Pat O’Brien founded DWC in 2012 and it was recently granted planning permission by Dublin City Council to establish its distillery and visitor centre just 300 metres from St Patricks Cathedral. The [...]