Ready for action
Publican Pat Doherty (centre) with manager Gerry Mulligan and assistant manager Bobby Mitchell at The Carrig, Killincarrig.
‘I am thrilled,’ said Pat Doherty of the Carraig in Killincarrig, on getting back behind the bar on September 21.
Having been closed for over six months, the new dawn will see the local pub open from 10.30 in the morning to 11.30 at night.
‘We had a lot of the work done already,’ said Pat. They have installed signage and hand santisers, as well as vacant and engaged signs for the toilet doors - where just one customer at a time can use the facilities.
They also have plenty of space on the premises to allow for social distancing.
‘Our customers are also thrilled,’ said Pat, who has received several calls from people who can’t wait to pop in for a pint.
‘I’m very positive about the future,’ he said. ‘I know we will be able to operate social distancing and safely.’
Pat said that as well as the main pub building there is plenty of outdoor space for seating and a smoking area.
‘I’ve got four sanitiser dispensers in the bar, six dispensers in the lounge and slider signs for the toilets,’ he said.
‘I think it’s important to do things properly, for my sake, my staff ’s sake and the customers’ sake,’ said Pat. ‘Otherwise people are not going to support you.’
He closed the pub on Saturday, March 14. ‘My daughter rang me up. She said a friend of hers, who is a doctor, had said
to ring her father and tell him to close the pub and go home, because this was very serious.’
Pat went around to all the customers that evening and explained the situation, closing the premises at 10 p.m.
The following day, the state asked all pubs in the country to do the same.
‘I haven’t re-opened since then,’ said Pat, and the intervening months have been tough.
‘Last year I spent a lot doing up the bar,’ he said. ‘I spent €150,000 on fire exits, moving the fire door, new beer lines, taps and more,’ he said. ‘It was going very well, and then Covid came along.’
This is his 22nd year at the
Carrig, and probably his most challenging. ‘ There’s an old saying,’ he said. ‘You can’t do business through a closed door.’
Three full time bar men work at the Carrig, Pat being one of them. He also employs a cleaner and five part time floor and bar staff.
He paid wages to the full time staff up to last month. ‘I had no overdraft before this,’ he said. ‘Now it’s up to its maximum.’
Pat said that everyone is looking forward to coming back to work as much as the regulars are looking forward to patronising the pub.
‘I can’t wait until September 21,’ said Pat.
He said he hadn’t received
any official guidelines outside of what he has read in the papers, but would expect to receive them from the LVA at some stage.
‘Everyone knows generally what they’ll be,’ he said.
While things will be different in many ways, Pat is optimistic about the success of introducing safety measures. ‘ There’s time to get organised,’ he said.
‘Everyone will be anxious maybe for the first day or two but people are versatile and will adapt.’
He said that customers have been away so long and will be pleased to be back so he is sure they will happily go along with everything asked of them.