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Ash Wednesday

  • 23-02-2009 1:39pm
    #1
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭


    Anyone know if you can get alcohol in restaurants on Ash Wednesday, or is it just Good Friday they ban it?

    No-one I've asked seems to be sure...


Comments

  • #2
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    Malari wrote: »
    Anyone know if you can get alcohol in restaurants on Ash Wednesday, or is it just Good Friday they ban it?

    No-one I've asked seems to be sure...


    AFAIK it is just on Good Friday that the 'I can't buy a drink' hysteria arises.


  • #3
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    Thanks. I'm not exactly hysterical but I booked to bring my family out for a special occasion and it would be nice to know we can get a glass of wine.


  • #4
    CerebralCortex
    Registered Users Posts: 3,809 ✭✭✭CerebralCortex


    Did you try asking in the politics forum?


  • #5
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    CerebralCortex wrote: »
    Did you try asking in the politics forum?

    Nope, actually didn't know where to ask :o Thought this would be a good place to start!


  • #6
    Mena
    Registered Users Posts: 3,180 ✭✭✭Mena


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    AFAIK it is just on Good Friday that the 'I can't buy a drink' hysteria arises.

    While I have to agree that the hysteria around not being able to buy a drink on Good Friday is a little thick, the other side of the coin is that you (the collective "you") are having someone else's views shoved down your throat (or not in this case) by a government, in support of one particular religious view.


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  • #7
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,395 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Malari wrote: »
    Anyone know if you can get alcohol in restaurants on Ash Wednesday, or is it just Good Friday they ban it?
    There are no religiously-inspired restrictions on the sale of alcohol this week, so do go out and enjoy yourself!

    If you're interested in the legal detail, the current date restrictions are specified in section 3 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act of 2000, available as a PDF download from here:

    http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/acts/2000/1700.pdf

    There are a few time restrictions which have been amended since then, but the changes are fairly minor.

    In short, no drinkies at all at all on the friday before easter and nothing on christmas day either.

    .


  • #8
    toiletduck
    Registered Users Posts: 2,379 ✭✭✭toiletduck


    robindch wrote: »
    In short, no drinkies at all at all on the friday before easter and nothing on christmas day either.

    Good Friday you can have a drink if you're having a meal in a restaurant iirc.


  • #9
    MrPudding
    Registered Users Posts: 9,788 ✭✭✭MrPudding


    toiletduck wrote: »
    Good Friday you can have a drink if you're having a meal in a restaurant iirc.
    Not legally you can't. There are a number of restaurants that will sneak you a bottle of wine, but you have to keep it under the table. Quite fun actually.

    MrP


  • #10
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    MrPudding wrote: »
    Not legally you can't. There are a number of restaurants that will sneak you a bottle of wine, but you have to keep it under the table. Quite fun actually.

    MrP

    I've been in a restaurant on Good Friday the last 3 years and none of them would serve wine :(


  • #11
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,395 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    MrPudding wrote: »
    There are a number of restaurants that will sneak you a bottle of wine, but you have to keep it under the table. Quite fun actually.
    Last time I was in Texas, a waitress in a chinese restaurant took our food order, and before we'd time to get a drink order in, said that she couldn't sell us any alcohol. Now, she followed it up immediately by saying she could give us a beer with the compliments of the management, but selling it to us was out of the question. No, sirree. So we had a few rounds of free beer, then when paying the bill, added on our guess of the beer's price.

    Prohibition's fun!


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  • #12
    MrPudding
    Registered Users Posts: 9,788 ✭✭✭MrPudding


    Malari wrote: »
    I've been in a restaurant on Good Friday the last 3 years and none of them would serve wine :(
    There was a group of us that made a point of going out and drinking on good Friday, bit of a tradition.

    MrP


  • #13
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    I was just reminded by someone that it's meat that has a religiously inspired ban on ash wednesday. That's what I was thinking of I suppose. And of course it won't apply to restaurants :P


  • #14
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,395 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Malari wrote: »
    I was just reminded by someone that it's meat that has a religiously inspired ban on ash wednesday.
    Yep.

    Random thought -- the annual Rio carnival started last weekend and finishes up today. While the exact origin is unknown, one plausible derivation for the word "carnival" suggests that it comes from "carne vale", meaning "farewell to meat", with "meat" in this case meaning meat which was either edible or shaggable -- a number of christian traditions banned not only the eating of meat (and eggs, hence using them up in pancakes today), but also banned sex during lent.

    I'd love to know how the priests policed that ban!


  • #15
    Malari
    Registered Users Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    robindch wrote: »
    I'd love to know how the priests policed that ban!

    Through fear and guilt like everything else? :pac:


  • #16
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    The OP asked a question. The question has been answered. Thread closed. Thank you everybody for participating.


This discussion has been closed.
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