Sir, – After reading Paul Cullen’s article (“Pubs could help solve Ireland’s drink problem, Home News, February 20th) may I relate two experiences I had in the past 12 months?
One evening I was enjoying a quiet pint after work with a colleague when the owner of the pub turned the lights down so low that we could hardly see each other. The owner refused point blank to turn the lights back up to a reasonable level, saying it was “my pub”. The fact that we were the only two people in that part of the bar didn’t seem to matter.
The second experience was in another pub, where, after leaving my car in the car park overnight I was berated by the owner for not collecting the car early enough the next day – even though the car park was nearly empty. I will never set foot in either of those establishments again.
Instead, I go with my wife to a well-run pub near the train station in Dalkey that appreciates our business.
I think one of the biggest problems for publicans in Ireland is that they don’t have a God-given right to people’s custom, and this isn’t 1972 any more. – Yours, et,
AIDAN COYLE,
Springhill Park,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.