When an alcoholic gets sober, people usually rejoice.
But not in the case of Colin Farrell.
Irish club owners are lamenting the sobering up of Ireland’s most famous party boy actor. Farrell entered rehab in August 2006, and has been off the drink since.
The Irish bad boy was the center of Ireland’s club scene in the early 2000s. A regular at Renards, one of Dublin’s most exclusive nightclubs, Farrell brought his entourage to Irish clubs, attracting loads of other partiers and running up huge tabs, on a nightly basis.
The Irish Independent calls Farrell “the poster boy for late Celtic Tiger-era excess, the A-lister who made us all want to party hard on a Wednesday night and come back the next night for more.”
During the clubbing heyday, supermodels and celebs like Bono and the Corrs brushed past velvet ropes regularly.
It’s hard to spot the stars in Irish clubs like Renards now that the Celtic Tiger has decided to go into hibernation.
Some club owners blame the recession, the strict licensing laws in Ireland and the fact that many pubs have turned into “late bars,” which can be open until 2 a.m., and have become heavy competitors for the night clubs that now stay open for just an extra hour.
But famous Irish club owner Robbie Fox was recently forced to shut down Renards. Forget the recession – he blames Farrell.
“The writing was on the wall when Colin Farrell decided he was giving up the drink,” he told the Independent.
“Colin practically lived in Renards and drew a lot of attention and a lot of business. When he went on the dry, it kind of signaled the end of A-list celebs hanging out every night in clubs like Renards and Lillie’s.”
So what do the Irish clubs need to revitalize nightlife in Ireland?
Valerie Roe, the former face of Lillie’s, said: “What’s needed is somebody to come along with the vision and guts to bring something new to the nightlife scene, put some energy back into it and get everybody else to raise their game.”
How about a new and improved Colin Farrell? Have any nominees?
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