Irish Pub Experience
Friendliness, humor, hospitality, fine Irish food and drink: all these combine to create The Irish Pub experience.
There is nothing to equal the ambience of an Irish pub, nothing to match its casual and attractive sociability. The Irish have always known that. Irish pubs allow people to relax and be themselves, to take pleasure in company and enjoy the art of conversation; to revel in music and song; to combine good wholesome food with satisfying and distinctive drinks. Hospitality exudes naturally from Irish staff; they are a good-natured mixture of gossip, wit, conversation, debate and information, proffered with friendly and efficient service.
Ireland is known for its amazing profusion of pubs and its exuberant pub culture, with a population of 3.6 million and 10,500 pubs the public house is considered the center of social life and a social institution. 90% of all beer consumed in Ireland is sold in pubs.
Pubs have been the nucleus for Irish of every ilk, from plebian dockworkers and drovers to aristocrats and genius writers. Venerable pubs are the quintessence of Ireland, embodying local customs, traditions, folkways, wit and character that give the country its unique ethos. No other country in the world is so famed for its rich pub culture.
The Art of Conversation
From the ancient alehouse days onwards, conversation has been the very essence of public house life. At Fadó the art of conversation thrives like no other social setting, with the regulation of televisions the art flourishes. We believe the quality of pub conversation is vastly superior to a blaring picture box (unless there's a match on of course!).
It is well known that many of Dublin’s great writers gathered rich literary fodder from simply listening attentively to conversations around them in pubs. Many characters and much dialogue in the works of James Joyce, Sean O’Casey and Brendan Behan were extracted from Dublin pubs.
The Publican
The publican is the person in charge of our pubs (the General Manager). The Publican has always been one of the most essential ingredients in the composition of the public house. Their role goes far beyond being the congenial host behind the bar.
Historically, they have been the leading figure in the community performing valuable services for people in times of need. No ordinary man, a publican must know something of everything and be something of a psychologist, able to understand human nature, judge character and resolve conflict or as the Irish Licensing World more poetically put it, ‘A publican must be a democrat, an autocrat, an acrobat and a doormat.” A publican’s character and demeanor set the tone for their establishment, attracts customers, blends socially with them and keeps order.
In days gone by publicans lived above their shop, knew their customers intimately, generously dispensed advice, guidance and even mediated family disputes. A good publican was like a father to the community. In contrast to good Irish pubs, traditional American watering houses are essentially pubs without publicans, with the ever-present insidious intrusion of television looming in the foreground.
