NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Desperate for a drink on dry Good Friday in Ireland

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Desperate for a drink on dry Good Friday in Ireland

Posted on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 09:03 PM

Larger Text

E-mail

12 Comments

RSS

Archives

Good Friday is the one day in the year when you cannot get a drink in Ireland.

But it doesn't stop people from trying.

Years ago a bunch of famous writers suddenly developed a deep love for all things canine and made their way to the annual dog show at the Royal Dublin arena.

It transpired of course that Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan had discovered that the old Protestant establishment place served drink in the member's lounge at the dog show.

Stories that Behan scooped up a stray poodle and made his way inside and that Patrick Kavanagh paid a young lady to 'rent ' her dog to him for a brief while have never been confirmed.

What did happen apparently was a crush of strange dog fanciers at the following year's show on Good Friday as all and sundry figured out that the only place in Dublin with beer was the canine carnival.

Word is that that particular loophole was closed after the show was mobbed.

Last year Dublin bar owners came up with another scheme, They opened the pubs but didn't serve beer or any alcohol--only food and soft drinks.

That was the equivalent of showing a drowning man a life raft and then pulling it away.

Some pretended to live by the rules, others served drink out the back as is invariably done in those occasions.

The back door system can be quite complicated, especially in rural areas. Only those in the know are allowed to know the special rap on the back door that results in bottles being handed out.

It was quite common in the old days for all manners of characters to hang around the back door hoping to learn the secret knock.

It was perverse for the Irish of course, to insist on drink the one day they could not have it.

It made many of them even nore determined to get one.

They will be out and about this Friday too, mark my words

E-mail

12 Comments

See all comments

Cormac Mac | Mar 29, 2013, 09:39 PM EDT

It tastes even better after midnight on Good Friday. Take my word for it. And,as always, I've been on the "dry" for the seven weeks of Lent. That is a worthwhile exercise!

Report abuse

pmunited | Apr 27, 2011, 12:49 PM EDT

Good Friday used to be a very depressing day, much more so than Christmas Day which has much else going for it. Here we had a Friday and the weather used always seem to be good for the long weekend but no pubs open, and TV was full of religious shows (I did not live in multi-channel land).

Report abuse

mamaginnty | Apr 23, 2011, 06:10 PM EDT

Niall is not one of our own Mcdolan, he works for the "American Irishcentral"

Report abuse

mamaginnty | Apr 23, 2011, 06:05 PM EDT

Seamusmoore, sober up and get a life. We can guess where you were good Friday eve, sleeping in the nearest ditch.

Report abuse

seamusmoore | Apr 23, 2011, 01:33 PM EDT

niall, as usual, yours comments are factually deficient as Naraic123 points out: one staying in a hotel and/or guest house can get drink if they like. I stayed in the Hunter's Lodge in Newmarket-on-Fergus (just outside Shannon) and was served in the restaurant/lodge. @Nairac have a running gag tribute to your namesake with a local barkeep from Fermanagh: I always play Gimme 3 Steps (Skynyrd) and Disappear (INXS) as a salute to British "intelligence", going undercover as a "sticky" from Belfast in Provo-Land. Perhaps had he lived to serve in Iraq, he might have gone undercover as a Shia in the Sunni Triangle. Ah well, the Slab's pigs had a good feast.

Report abuse

CeiliGoddess | Apr 22, 2011, 03:23 PM EDT

Thank God I live in the USA. And I love President Obama!

Report abuse

mcdolan | Apr 22, 2011, 02:23 PM EDT

Niall, I am ashamed that you would print this as 'news'. We have enough problem with drink without one of our own printing rubbish stories to fill up empty space. It's not funny.

Report abuse

naraic123 | Apr 22, 2011, 01:24 PM EDT

Two days when pubs close - Good Friday and Christmas Day However all clubhouses are open for business e.g. Golfclubs, boating clubs etc. Also full service available in hotels for residents

Report abuse

abhainn | Apr 22, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT

It is not illegal to drink on Good Friday in Ireland; it is only illegal to sell alcohol. You can buy booze on Maundy Thursday and drink it the next day.

Report abuse

JBRAFTREE | Apr 22, 2011, 11:57 AM EDT

Forecast, forecast..Buy a few pints and a large jar a few days b-4 and store at home.

Report abuse

Sandyflash | Apr 22, 2011, 11:17 AM EDT

And I'm here sitting with a Jack Danials and honey, waiting to go to the stations of the cross.....

Report abuse

srdools | Apr 22, 2011, 11:13 AM EDT

Our Lord and Saviour barack Obama............

Report abuse