Irish pubs swap diddly-aye for contemporary style

With nearly 2,000 Irish pubs around the world enjoying commercial success in locations from Kyoto in Japan to Siberia to the strip of Las Vegas, the foreign market for the concept is nearing saturation.

The main design companies driving the export of Ireland's most identifiable product are broadening the focus of their portfolios from the diddly-aye shamrock style decor to include larger international projects.

Such was the rapid mushrooming of Irish pubs in global locations that it was inevitable that foreign markets would soon reach a point of saturation. It was back in the early 1990s that popular Irish pub culture began to find appeal in foreign markets. Germany was the first big market to embrace the concept and the venues were popular with local populations and with Irish students migrating for working summers.

Germany, Italy, Holland and France all sport a number of Irish pubs in most dense urban areas. Today there is little room for growth in this traditional European market according to Conor Kenny of McNally Design International, which incorporates the Irish Pub Company.

"The main European centres are pretty much accounted for and these cities can now be considered a mature market. Irish pubs are not a fad, they're not theme bars with a short life span. There's still a growing market but there are only so many high streets that can take the concept successfully. North America is where the potential for growth lies, along with South America and Eastern Europe," said Conor Kenny. The Irish Pub Company has offices in Sydney, Dubai and Tokyo, and has recently opened up a new office in Las Vegas, where it is involved in the design of a casino. As an approved supplier of the Guinness Irish Pub, Dublin-based Sonas Design has completed a number of projects in Europe, USA and Asia, and is currently on site at a new Irish venue in Kyoto.

"The US market is still the main focus for us, but overall the market for Irish pubs is slowing down. We've recently completed our largest project to date at the Orlando Sheraton North Hotel in Florida, in the downtown commercial district. An Tobar was originally a nightclub and bar and measures up to 6,220 sq ft. The pub design is based on a streetscape of Dublin, including a replica of St. James's Gate at the Guinness Brewery," said Niamh Hogan, sales and marketing executive at Sonas.

Recently the design company has been expanding its services and portfolio to include contemporary international projects, one of which was a finalist in the interior design category at this year's Glen Dimplex awards. Internationally renowned for its architecture, the Helsinki Railway Station was the venue for Sonas's project, The Pullman Bar, which opened last summer. Originally designed by Eliel Saarinen, one of the founding fathers of the Art Deco movement in the US, Helsinki Railway Station is to Finns what the Louvre is to the French.

The Pullman Bar is divided into three separate schemes and includes The Whiskey Bar and The Cigar Shop. All are designed in early 20th century style and emphasise the original ceiling. This is the second project Sonas has completed in Finland; its first was the Oak Barrel Bar in Helsinki's Vantaa Airport.

The Hub bar at the Forte Posthouse Hotel in Aylesbury in the UK, completed last June, is a distinctive and modern hotel bar displaying contemporary design. More recently, Sonas Design has expanded its services to include corporate fit-out and design solutions for office interiors.

MUSIC, drink, food and atmosphere are the essential ingredients for the success of an Irish pub abroad. The concept found broad appeal in many diverse markets that had a limited nightlife scene dominated by nightclubs, cafes and sports bars. Increased tourism to Ireland was also responsible for making our pub culture a big hit with visitors and the initial drive to export the concept came from Guinness. The Irish diaspora had laid the ground work in the US and UK markets and had long established social venues, mostly bars and pubs that became popular with local communities. Irish pubs abroad are very distinctive in their interior and exterior design, and are easily recognisable by locals and tourists alike.

"It's a misconception that all Irish pubs abroad are diddly-aye and Disney-like with big green shamrocks everywhere. Most are designed along traditional Irish cottage pubs or Victorian style lines that aim to recreate an Irish atmosphere and appeal to a broad customer base. They are designed for longevity and not as a fashion trend," said Conor Kenny.

Restaurants, pubs, hotels, nightclubs and leisure, as well as corporate are the main market sectors that McNally Design concentrates on, along with offering clients business planning and marketing services. A large-scale bar and restaurant of over 12,000 sq ft in the Emirate Towers in Dubai is one recent project.

McNally Design was also responsible for the complete overhaul and reposition of one of the UK's most established pub chains. Yates's Wine Lodges operate 130 bar and restaurants across the UK and following a stagnant period of business, McNally Design worked with the group and identified growth segments, rationalised design and branding and repositioned the chain within the marketplace. Yates's Wine Lodges now has turnover growth from 12 per cent to 23 per cent.