This news segment from RTÉ in 1996 shows one Dublin pub's idea to build a nursery in a back room of the bar - the perfect place to keep the kids quiet while their parents down a few pints.
The Photos of Dublin Twitter account recently reshared the nostalgic video, which showed how for only £1 an hour, parents could peacefully enjoy a few drinks knowing their children were being supervised in the next room.
Grainger’s pub in Baldoyle, Dublin installed the supervised créche in 1996, the first of its kind in Ireland.
The facility was initially rejected by Fingal County Council, but months later, An Bord Pleanála intervened and permission was granted, reported The Daily Edge.
In an RTÉ News report broadcast on March 3, 1996, reporter John Murray interviewed the parents and children in the pub to find out what they thought of the new facility.
One of the young lads told Murray: "I think it’s handy for the big people like my mum and dad because they can drink their pints in peace."
Another little girl said she loved the slides and overall thought the créche was "very good craic."
The parents were even more enthusiastic.
One woman thought the pub crèche was a great idea, saying that while a few people might abuse the service, "the ordinary person" would be able to go to the pub on a Sunday and not worry about the kids running around.
Publican Mark Grainger said he wouldn't allow parents to exploit the service.
"We’ll be making sure that people who come into the pub will be responsible. If they’re here more than 2-3 hours, we’ll be looking for them going ‘It’s a bit Irish at this stage having children here so late’.
The pub was shut down in 2010 and later reopened as the White House Bar and Restaurant in 2015. Unfortunately, there's no longer a crèche on the premises.
However, judging by the Photos of Dublin tweet, some people wouldn't be opposed to the reintroduction of a pub crèche, with one person writing "So whose starting a petition lads??"
You can watch the 1996 RTÉ News report about Ireland's First Pub Creche, courtesy of Reeling in the Weird on YouTube, here:
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