Tired Santa

Posted on December 21, 2006
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We went out for a few drinks last night. The way it was sold to me was that we should have a some pre-pre-Christmas drinks before the official Christmas drinking started at the weekend! Needless to say, I had my coat on before he’d finished the sentence.

We started in The Botanic House. It’s a good reliable ‘local’. The staff are very efficient and the food, if you’re inclined, is very pleasant. Big portions too. It was pretty quiet when we went in and we soon found out why. Prescotts, a local company (not the dry cleaners) were having their Christmas party. They’d started drinking at noon and it was now past eight in the evening.

I knew it was time to leave following a visit to the toilet. Two ‘gentlemen’ from the party were talking to each in the loo when one said to the other:

– You cost me my job.
– I know I did.
– You cost me my job
– I know. And it’s because I’m better than you.
– Come Here. I want to talk to you.

I left rather the toilet quickly.

Discussions on where to go next were slightly hampered by the hour. We were unsure which other pubs in the area had a late licence (Irish pubs normally close at around midnight). O’Mahony’s was out because it’s actually shut for redevelopment at the moment. So The Porterhouse pub was it.

The Porterhouse pub is set in a former tyre garage and it’s been adapted very well to it’s current use. It’s unusual in an Irish context in that it makes its own beers and doesn’t take in commercial alternatives like Guinness or Carlsberg. It was a nice pub and it stays open until 2am. Some people, like the Santa in the penultimate photo, got rather tired with all the festivities but it was very good beer. The DJ was female, which is something you don’t see too often, but she played an excellent set. She played seasonal songs that had been adapted by modern bands.

Even bumped in one of the off-duty waitresses from the Botanic House. Her English is appalling but she smiles a lot. And that’s nice.