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Would you go to this Gentleman's Club?

  • 05-04-2012 10:06am
    #1
    gosuckonalemon
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 730 ✭✭✭


    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2012/0404/1224314336237.html

    "Pass the brandy and cigars – a new men-only club has opened in Dublin, but workshops and demonstrations are on these gentlemen’s agenda, writes ALAN O'RIORDAN

    IT’S ALL ABOUT “the pursuit of things gentlemanly”, says James English of the Gentlemen’s Academy. English comes from London, so maybe it’s easier for him to say this kind of thing with a straight face.

    But perhaps he and Chewy, co-founder of the Gentlemen’s Academy, a “learning institution devoted to style, manhood and merriment”, have a point. After all, the idea of exclusively male company hasn’t had fabulous press since about the time of Classical Greece. We don’t think high-minded pursuits and shared enthusiasms, we think stag weekends, lads watching the match down the pub, Toys 4 Big Boys.

    This is where the Gentlemen’s Academy comes in. As Chewy puts it: “I don’t like Champions League night. No interest. And a lot of my friends do. They’ll sit there every Wednesday, 15 guys in the Portobello, almost in silence, skulling pints, and that’s the Wednesday night. But there’s a different way, one that’s not really catered for. I mean, we’re still young; we don’t want to be joining a golf club, but we do want to get together.”

    The Gentlemen’s Academy have been getting together for a few months now. They’ve had a lecture on Irish literary history, a cheese night, and a dinner at the Sett Food Club. There’s an astronomy evening planned, a philosophy night, some fly fishing, and a hunter-gatherer weekend at a country house.

    Each event has a contribution from a member, or from an independent business, such as clothing store Indigo Cloth, the Wine Buff, or Sheridans Cheesemongers.

    Tonight’s event is Mixology, hosted by Paul Lambert, a world-class cocktail man who works in the Blind Pig bar. About 15 members are present: the kind of men you see in cardigans, jackets and perhaps sockless boat shoes going purposefully about Dublin 2 by night and by day.

    We settle in with a spiced mule, before Lambert introduces two hours of demonstration, do-it-yourself, and drinking. It’s informative, fun and, dare I say it, an edifying way to get tipsy on a Monday night. There aren’t any strawberry daiquiris, only old school booze-heavy (manly?) cocktails, such as the bittered sling – it is one of the very first cocktails, and is so old that the name once described any mixture of spirits, sugar, water and bitters. See – you can learn something while lashing back cognac- and bourbon-based concoctions.

    Peter, a first timer, says he’d been sceptical about the gender-segregation aspect. But by the end of the evening, he’s admitting: “I’m sold.” But there was a time, a generation ago or so, when young, style-conscious and aspirational young men were in revolt against patriarchy in all its forms. For them, the idea of a gentlemen’s anything would have been anathema. Now, ideas of manliness and manhood are back on the agenda.

    As Chewy says: “There was all that BS of the last 10 years about the metrosexual: men asserting themselves by wearing pink. We’ve gone through all that, come out the other side, maybe harking back a bit. I never thought of it being sexist. Some of the girls we know do their own thing, we’re not invited. Women are good at organising. They go and do things together. We wanted something like that because our nights out just weren’t appealing any more.”

    “Men like to be part of a group,” English chimes in. “And I think as we get older our thirst for education increases. For us, it’s about going into Fallon Byrne and knowing what cheese to buy, and what wine goes with it. It’s about practical and academic skills.”

    While membership has doubled in a few months, James and Chewy say they don’t want to be “too big too early”. But their website goes live this month, and they see that as being a “go-to site, for Irish men by Irish-based men”.

    Like the events, James says the site will have contributions from members and experts, and will be an outlet for independent businesses. They are also planning Dublin’s first Man Fair.

    “You’ve the wedding fairs, Toys 4 Big Boys,” says James, “so we wanted something tailored towards men with similar tastes: small Irish designers, food.”

    “We’re not talking the RDS just yet,” says Chewy. And, no doubt, you’d probably want to look elsewhere for a woman in a bikini stretched over a Lamborghini. But if it’s a break from lad culture you’re after, a place for grown-up manly pursuits, then maybe the Gentlemen’s Academy will be worth keeping an eye on."

    I have never read such pretentious **** in all my life.

    The "pursuit of all things gentlemanly" for fcuks sake!

    Is the journalist a brother of Alison by any chance?


«13

Comments

  • #2
    chin_grin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,808 ✭✭✭✭chin_grin


    BUNCHA QUAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRSSSSS.


  • #3
    Kev_2012
    Closed Accounts Posts: 976 ✭✭✭Kev_2012


    Discuss Irish Literature or watch Champions League hmmmmmmmmmm....


  • #4
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users Posts: 5,733 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    Image of the founders, James English and Chewy, for those who can't access the link.


  • #5
    fundlebundle
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭fundlebundle


    Sounds like fun to me
    There are not enough of these clubs for men.


  • #6
    mayotom
    Registered Users Posts: 742 ✭✭✭mayotom


    Read two lines

    Answer NO


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  • #7
    haminka
    Registered Users Posts: 562 ✭✭✭haminka


    The end of the world can't come soon enough.
    What a steaming heap of bull ...
    So they are against men wearing pink? Hawaiian shirts are much better taste?


  • #8
    BraziliaNZ
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,671 ✭✭✭BraziliaNZ


    Sounds boring. If I want to hang out with men I go to gay saunas at least you get something out of it.


  • #9
    DrumSteve
    Registered Users Posts: 10,799 ✭✭✭✭DrumSteve


    Anyone for a spot of foxhunting?


  • #10
    gosuckonalemon
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 730 ✭✭✭gosuckonalemon


    Chewy is hardly the most gentlemanly of names either!

    They seem to think that being a gentleman necessitates acting like a pretentious tit.


  • #11
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,427 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    Sounds like a club for ponsy knobheads tbh.


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  • #12
    Sykk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,327 ✭✭✭Sykk


    Damn right I would. I would bedazzle them with my stylish hat.


  • #13
    OldGoat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,631 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    I'm in.
    /Polishes monocle.

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



  • #14
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    If they'd not mentioned "style" and "designers" they might have had me.....


  • #15
    chin_grin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,808 ✭✭✭✭chin_grin


    OldGoat wrote: »
    I'm in.
    /Polishes monocle.

    I knew you'd find (and post) on this one. :pac:


  • #16
    OldGoat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,631 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    chin_grin wrote: »
    I knew you'd find (and post) on this one.


    I shoulda founded the bloody thing!

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



  • #17
    chin_grin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,808 ✭✭✭✭chin_grin


    OldGoat wrote: »
    I shoulda founded the bloody thing!

    I thought you did when I was reading the article!


  • #18
    foxyboxer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,528 ✭✭✭foxyboxer


    So anyone interested in learning something new or looking at self improvement means that they are pretentious as opposed to blending in and watching Barcelona winning the CL.......again.


  • #19
    MonkeyTennis
    Registered Users Posts: 3,098 ✭✭✭MonkeyTennis


    I like the idea of getting drunk and eating nice food


  • #20
    gosuckonalemon
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 730 ✭✭✭gosuckonalemon


    foxyboxer wrote: »
    So anyone interested in learning something new or looking at self improvement means that they are pretentious as opposed to blending in and watching Barcelona winning the CL.......again.

    "Tonight’s event is Mixology, hosted by Paul Lambert, a world-class cocktail man who works in the Blind Pig bar. About 15 members are present: the kind of men you see in cardigans, jackets and perhaps sockless boat shoes going purposefully about Dublin 2 by night and by day."

    I think there are better ways to learn new things and self improve yourself without having to be surrounded by the types of knobs described above.

    An elitest, pretentious bunch of muppets.


  • #21
    WoollyRedHat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,462 ✭✭✭✭WoollyRedHat


    In other news, Irish Times in Identity shocker, thinks it is Victorian, how delightful.

    A real mans club should have a gladiator arena... back to our real male instincts... We shall feed those who wear sockless boatshoes to the lions.


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  • #22
    LilyCricket
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 232 ✭✭LilyCricket


    Sounds like a bunch of try hards to be honest


  • #23
    smash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 34,809 ✭✭✭✭smash


    No mention of strippers? Sounds like a crap gentlemen's club!


  • #24
    AngryBollix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,536 ✭✭✭AngryBollix


    Surely naked and good looking women are the centre piece of any gentlemans club worthy of the name


  • #25
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    I'm not a man, but I think it's a good idea. There's not an awful lot of variety in Ireland of ways to socialise. If you're not interested in getting off-your-face drunk on cheap beer every night, then what do you do?

    At least this club is offering some alternative. Even if it does come across as a little pretentious.


  • #26
    Dostoevsky
    Registered Users Posts: 1,023 ✭✭✭Dostoevsky


    Kev_2012 wrote: »
    Discuss Irish Literature or watch Champions League hmmmmmmmmmm....

    Irish literature, of course. Oh to be "cool" and fit in by only have commercially popular interests...


  • #27
    suicide_circus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    fluorescence wrote: »
    I'm not a man, but I think it's a good idea. There's not an awful lot of variety in Ireland of ways to socialise. If you're not interested in getting off-your-face drunk on cheap beer every night, then what do you do?

    At least this club is offering some alternative. Even if it does come across as a little pretentious.
    Cheap, it aint!


  • #28
    amacachi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,316 ✭✭✭✭amacachi


    Alan O'Riordan? Surely not!


  • #29
    gosuckonalemon
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 730 ✭✭✭gosuckonalemon


    fluorescence wrote: »
    I'm not a man, but I think it's a good idea. There's not an awful lot of variety in Ireland of ways to socialise. If you're not interested in getting off-your-face drunk on cheap beer every night, then what do you do?

    At least this club is offering some alternative. Even if it does come across as a little pretentious.

    Exactly!


  • #30
    PauloConn
    Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭PauloConn


    Nothing wrong with a few snifters of brandy followed by some fencing and a duel after.... perfectly acceptable in these extravagent times


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  • #31
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    suicide_circus wrote: »
    Cheap, it aint!

    Relatively speaking ;) Dutch Gold vs some artisan expensive Belgian beer!


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