Drinkers raise bar with Christmas crawl

Kevin Kelly from Clare said he was sticking to bottles of beer and avoiding spirits. The group have several rules for their “12 pubs” crawl, which include no talking about sport or work, and no cursing. “By the last two pubs the rules go out the window. If you make it that far you’re off the hook.”

Another group of 20 friends had just begun their pub crawl in the Mercantile. Most of them said they do it every year and usually eat something after pub six to pace themselves.

Mary Donnelly from Clare said it was her third time doing the 12 pubs. “I stick to long-neck bottles as I couldn’t handle pints all night,” she said.

The view from behind the bar

Colin McCusker, manager at The Bank, said the 12 pubs trend had grown gradually in the past two or three years. “The first year was kind of a gimmick but then every year the Christmas sweaters get more creative and people try to outdo each other. Every year it gets bigger and better.

“It depends on what level you get the people on the 12 pubs at. If you get them when it’s early they’re fine but later on can be tricky. We like to see them early in the afternoon as we know they will be moving on to another pub,” he said. “Generally people are quite civilised.”

But how were the participants feeling the morning after the night before? Naomi Goff said she felt “grand” and spent the day shopping. “We started off with 12 people and ended up with six or seven as people trailed off during the day.”

Orla Gavin recalled it as a fun night. “We all feel fine today . . . For us, it was not about a big drinking session, it was more about the social aspect.”

Jennifer Broderick was feeling a bit tired. “We were all home by 1am as it was a long day so we didn’t bother to go to a club afterwards. For us it’s not so much about the drinking aspect. With so many of us working abroad, it’s nice for us to all meet up at this time of year, wear a silly jumper and have some fun.”