Irish pubs abroad

pancakes rule

Anyone work in an Irish pub abroad? I've an interview for one in France coming up. What's it like? Who goes there- is it mostly tourists or Irish or natives? How good does my knowledge of their language need to be? And any craic?

Sheep Lover

Very similar to pubs here but they are over there.

The Dogs Bollix

Are they really Irish pubs if they are abroad?

If its in France, is it not a French pub?

jimboblep

worked in a few on the continent, generally a mix of locals and irish and british, depends on the pub but usually they are happy to have someone irish serving craic is ok but you will get a lot of people in wanting to talk about the ould sod which i never understood.
just lay on the paddy act nice and thick you will be grand.
best of luck

A Primal Nut

The Dogs Bollix wrote: »

Are they really Irish pubs if they are abroad?

If its in France, is it not a French pub?

Nope they call themselves Irish pubs because they are Irish themed. Like how Woolshed is an Australian bar and Jimmy Chungs is a Chinese Restaurant.

Anyway....they mostly attract tourists and expats. Particularly in western Europe and major US cities they go for irish staff to give it extra authenticity I suppose. So language usually isn't an issue. But it depends on the individual bar and where it's located so good to ask.

wretcheddomain

Hateful cesspits of tourists who are terrified of trying something original in a new city.

SEPT 23 1989

I prefer to have a drink in the local kip when abroad

Egginacup

You'd want to speak a bit of French. But it's not a difficult language to pick up if you're interested. If you did it for your Inter Cert you'll be surprised how much you'll remember. Anyway I can't speak for Irish pubs in France but I've lived in The Netherlands, Germany Belgium and the US. I would usually go to the local Irish pub to watch a match as the native taverns would not usually have foreign TV satellite feeds.
But generally the clientele would be a mixture of expats and locals. In Amsterdam there are several "Irish" Pubs close to the main squares and they tend to attract tourists as well.....usually people who are hungry and fancy a big bowl of stew or fish and chips and Irish pub grub is reliable.

As for craic.....yes, you'll have good fun providing the boss/owner isn't a total dick. I'd say go for it if you get it. Do your job well, don't take the piss and show up on time everyday. You'll make tips and probably have several sexual encounters with both punters and work colleagues. Win-win!

TwoShedsJackson

If there's a neon shamrock in the window, avoid, otherwise it might be ok.

Grayson

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Hateful cesspits of tourists who are terrified of trying something original in a new city.

I'd pop into one occasionally for some comfort food. After eating so many unidentifiable meals it's nice to grab some fish and chips. I'm pretty much the only Iish person, if not the only foreigner in them. It all really depends on how touristy the place/city is on what the local/tourist ratio is.

Niemoj

Was in one in Germany, they're quite amazing in that you're in this lovely modern shopping centre, you step through a door and it's like you're right back in Ireland, it's dark, crowded and oh so comforting...

wretcheddomain

Grayson wrote: »

I'd pop into one occasionally for some comfort food. After eating so many unidentifiable meals it's nice to grab some fish and chips.

Are you telling me you can't find something akin to fish and chips elsewhere?

Cities like Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid etc. all do fish and chips to some degree - yet you'll invariably find tourists flocking to Irish pubs, paying extortionate prices for the same thing. To me, it just doesn't make sense.

NachoBusiness

Sean's Place, Santa Ponsa, 1989. Great craic.

*I may or may not have been underage.

Birneybau

Niemoj wrote: »

Was in one in Germany, they're quite amazing in that you're in this lovely modern shopping centre, you step through a door and it's like you're right back in Ireland, it's dark, crowded and oh so comforting...

Berlin? I popped in somewhere like that and there was a denim waistcoat wearing mulleted man singing "Sweet Home Alabama" in German. Have still not gotten over it.

Mr_Muffin

They are useful as the sometimes provide proper fry up a with Irish sausages, rashers etc and other Irish dishes that you tend to miss when living abroad.

Niemoj

Birneybau wrote: »

Berlin? I popped in somewhere like that and there was a denim waistcoat wearing mulleted man singing "Sweet Home Alabama" in German. Have still not gotten over it.

Yep, in the Europa shopping centre I believe.

Grayson

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Are you telling me you can't find something akin to fish and chips elsewhere?

Cities like Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid etc. all do fish and chips to some degree - yet you'll invariably find tourists flocking to Irish pubs, paying extortionate prices for the same thing. To me, it just doesn't make sense.

I'm just back from the far east and the big trip before that was south america.
In the far east there's loads of western food outlets. Plenty of restaurants offering stuff like a full Irish/English breakfast. However there's still backwaters where all you get is local food. After enough time in them it's nice to have some western food. For my birthday this month I went to a fancy restaurant in saigon with friends. Afterwards we popped into the nearest pub which happened to be Irish. I don't feel like I'm missing out on local culture by doing it.

In South america I found one place that did a full breakfast. I went there a couple of times.

Egginacup

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

If there's a neon shamrock in the window, avoid, otherwise it might be ok.

Actually TSJ is very correct on this one. The neon shamrock (or name Blarney Stone) is a tell-tale sign that the establishment is a complete slum frequented by tattooed criminals, raging alcoholics who landed in the local environs and their lives spiralled downwards thereafter, demented toothless female pissheads who are regarded as "great characters" and surly bar staff who have resigned themselves to their fate of dishing out the cheapest beer to the tightest punters in return for nothing more than the price of the slop and a cauldron of withering abuse.
The sexiest customer is usually a bleach-blond skank with a chipped tooth, big ears or b.o.

Egginacup

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Are you telling me you can't find something akin to fish and chips elsewhere?

Cities like Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid etc. all do fish and chips to some degree - yet you'll invariably find tourists flocking to Irish pubs, paying extortionate prices for the same thing. To me, it just doesn't make sense.

Hardly extortionate. Usually you'll get a great juicy burger on a good bread bun with real cheddar, and good fat chips for about 12 euros. What are you expecting? And I've never seen fish and chips served in any restaurant in the Netherlands. There was Al's Plaice near to Centraal Station but that's long gone and it wasn't great anyway. Tourists go to Irish pubs because they are familiar. I wish people would drop this snobbery about people who go to the Irish pub once in a while. How do you know that the people there haven't spent all week or month immersing themselves in the local culture and decided they wanted a beer in a pint glass and talk shit with some Americans instead of sitting alone and glumfaced in the bierkeller while a family of Germans tucked into their blutwurst at the next bench, or suffering Andre Hazes blaring out of the speakers as red-faced Amsterdammers roar along between gulps from their fluitjes.

Reiver

They're good as an unofficial tourist office sometimes. I pop into one when I feel really homesick. Nice break from speaking trying to speak Polish and vodka.

Depends on the joint, some are great, some are absolute dives. And yes, always much pricier than the local stuff.

OneArt

Egginacup wrote: »

Hardly extortionate. Usually you'll get a great juicy burger on a good bread bun with real cheddar, and good fat chips for about 12 euros. What are you expecting? And I've never seen fish and chips served in any restaurant in the Netherlands. There was Al's Plaice near to Centraal Station but that's long gone and it wasn't great anyway. Tourists go to Irish pubs because they are familiar. I wish people would drop this snobbery about people who go to the Irish pub once in a while. How do you know that the people there haven't spent all week or month immersing themselves in the local culture and decided they wanted a beer in a pint glass and talk shit with some Americans instead of sitting alone and glumfaced in the bierkeller while a family of Germans tucked into their blutwurst at the next bench, or suffering Andre Hazes blaring out of the speakers as red-faced Amsterdammers roar along between gulps from their fluitjes.

Irish pubs (at least in big German cities) are always a bit more expensive but it's a certain brand you're paying for.

The real crime is the disgusting way they underpay their staff, putting them on dodgy contracts and paying them stupid wages like 6 euro whilst raking it in. A bit like language schools as well, the greedy ass buckets.

Reiver

OneArt wrote: »

Irish pubs (at least in big German cities) are always a bit more expensive but it's a certain brand you're paying for.

The real crime is the disgusting way they underpay their staff, putting them on dodgy contracts and paying them stupid wages like 6 euro whilst raking it in. A bit like language schools as well, the greedy ass buckets.

In fairness to language schools, you are generally paid a fair wage for the country you live in. I do know however that I won't be retiring on what I save from working in Poland.

Egginacup

OneArt wrote: »

Irish pubs (at least in big German cities) are always a bit more expensive but it's a certain brand you're paying for.

The real crime is the disgusting way they underpay their staff, putting them on dodgy contracts and paying them stupid wages like 6 euro whilst raking it in. A bit like language schools as well, the greedy ass buckets.

I'll give you that. Local workers in local bars are more protected than the blow-ins who work for a summer in "Wolfgang O'Reilly's" or "Sven Murphy's" before fucking off to Goa. My local Dutch bar in Amsterdam was charging me 4.50 for a pint of Dommelsch while the Irish pub was charging 5.50 for Bavaria. I didn't care much as I could easily afford it.... but that doesn't make it ok. But that's supply and demand for you. Local bars rely on local people, regulars, etc., so their prices have to be reasonable and the service has to be good. It only takes one mistake or pisstake and you could lose a sizeable chunk of your clientele. With the Irish pub, sadly, they can get away with a looser definition of customer satisfaction. Having said that. Regulars to the Irish pub are usually given a bit more special treatment than the weekend warriors. I have a regular Irish pub in Amsterdam and I can always rely on them to give me loads of ice from their machine if I'm having a house party, packs of napkins, even boxes of Heineken glasses for free.

But the staff thing is a problem....you are right on that score. Still that's just the opportunistic guys who run the place.

JustTheOne

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Are you telling me you can't find something akin to fish and chips elsewhere?

Cities like Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid etc. all do fish and chips to some degree - yet you'll invariably find tourists flocking to Irish pubs, paying extortionate prices for the same thing. To me, it just doesn't make sense.

To you it doesn't to many.it does.

Cienciano

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Hateful cesspits of tourists who are terrified of trying something original in a new city.

Sometimes you might want to watch a match, sometimes the local pub scene is terrible, sometimes they're very popular with the locals, sometimes if you're somewhere obscure it's interesting to see their version of an irish pub, sometimes if you've been away for a long time its nice to have a taste of home, sometimes its a good way to meet people...

Aidric

A mixed bag. The ones on the holiday resorts are hellholes.

Cities like Vienna and Prague have really nice cosy establishments with decent grub.

A Primal Nut

They are great places to meet people

Gwynplaine

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Hateful cesspits of tourists who are terrified of trying something original in a new city.

Usually in a GAA jersey too.
Gobsh¡ts.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I visited an Irish pub here in Frankfurt once a few years ago when I first started seeing my partner at the time. She insisted I bring her due to her unfamiliarity with all things Irish. I think it was called the Bornheim. The decor was like any other Irish pub abroad: maps of Ireland and false road signs on the wall in an atmosphere that’s a little too “clean” to feel authentic.

Unfortunately, the clientele that night was more than authentic. I had inadvertently found myself right in the middle of a dreaded “stag do”. It consisted of ten to fifteen red-faced Irishman clad in Dublin GAA jerseys screaming the “let me hear you say Jayo” chant over and over again at some unfortunate Asian looking gentleman working behind the bar. This supposed classic Dublin wit didn't really exist. Just loud, uncultured and seemingly proud of their ignorance and stupidity. They all found it hilarious though.

Despite their attire, they didn’t look like keen fans of exercise. None over five foot seven or under 16 stone, they wheezed their way through a good number of racially-themed football chants and “ching chong Chinaman” jokes towards our friend from The Far East. My partner at the time was not very impressed and suggested we could go somewhere else after we finished our wine. I concurred. Thankfully, she saw through the boorishness of my compatriots to see the real Aongus within. It was a close call though!

SHOVELLER

I generally steer clear of them here unless I want to see the 6 Nations. Just dont see the point away from home otherwise.

Dont get me started on horror places like Woodlawn.

When I lived here previously and got paid in cash we had to go to a certain bar in Sunnyside to collect the wages. Sad to leave and see some drink their wages there and then.

Granted they are handy for picking up jobs and getting some inside info on a new city.

Fudge You

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Hateful cesspits of tourists who are terrified of trying something original in a new city.

Stop the crying.

First off, any irish pub abroad is nothing like any local pub near me in ireland.

Do you get angry and hateful to any tourists that come to ireland and dont do and try everything irish??? Do you moan at them eating and drinking food from their own country.

I wonder do you complain to customers outside Polonez stores in Ireland. "Why are you not going to Supervalu and drinking guinness???"