With Easter one of the most popular times of the year for people taking a trip to Ireland, it often comes as a surprise to visitors that the country’s bars and restaurants completely shut for Good Friday. In fact, the one thing a visitor to Ireland can not do since the year 1927 is to raise a glass of alcohol in a pub on Good Friday…but that all might be about to change in Dublin this year.
If you are visiting Ireland’s capital city of Dublin this Easter bank holiday weekend and if you are looking for restaurants open on Good Friday, Fire Restaurant and Lounge in Dublin city centre is one of the few restaurants in Dublin and bars in Dublin that is opening its’ doors on the day. Unlike most venues in Dublin Fire has a special day planned including a special menu comprising non alcoholic beers and mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) to complement exciting fish menus.
Fire Restaurant- one of the only restaurants in Dublin that is throwing open it’s doors on Good Friday in Ireland
“Tourism is enormously important to Ireland, Dublin and our business,” said Padraic O’Kane of FIRE. “We’ve a hard won reputation for a Céad Míle Fáilte, yet each year for one night, at the start of the vital tourist season, restaurants and bars are shuttered.” “We decided that this would be the year that we’d buck the trend, and throw open our doors.”
“FIRE offers excellent Irish food, cooked to perfection. Whether you want the very best beef available or the freshest seafood, a wonderful dining experience is now back on the table for Good Friday,” Richie Wilson, Head Chef at FIRE said.
Ireland’s controversial drinking ban on Good Friday as stood resolute for 88 years, however the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association, which represent over 4600 publications are pushing to have the law overturned. One of the main reasons that the associations are looking to get the law overturned is the rise in visitor numbers to Ireland as well as the level of sporting events taking place in the country over Easter. This includes the European Champions Cup rugby match which is expected to attract thousands of visitors to Dublin over the Easter Weekend.
Dublin’s Lord Mayor Christy Burke is also hoping that the Good Friday ban will also be lifted on time for Easter 2016, when Ireland will celebrate the centenary of the 1916 uprising from English rule. The Minister’s Department has acknowledged that the ban has become more and more of an issue in recent years due to it clashing with a large number of sporting events.