'It’s over the top' - Dublin pub receipt shows price of four drinks at nearly €50
Temple Bar pub charges €9.95 for one pint of Guiness. Pic: Getty
Temple Bar pub charges €9.95 for one pint of Guiness. Pic: Getty
Sarah Burke
Today at 13:03
A group of Dubliners were left shocked when they received the bill for their four drinks recently in the city centre, coming to just under €50.
The bill at the Oliver St John Gogarty pub in Temple Bar, renowned for its presence on the cobblestone streets and live music, came to a grand total of €47.70.
This tab included two pints of Guinness at €9.95 each, a vodka which came to €10.65 with a Red Bull priced at €6.20, and a pint of Kilkenny priced at €10.95.
The receipt was shared on Facebook by Fine Gael councillor Jim Gildea when he was handed it by the unhappy customers while out canvassing in his constituency.
In the post he wrote; “This purchase was at 3pm, I’d hate to see what the cost would be at 1:30am.”
“Not good for our tourist industry. Not good for us,” he added.
Speaking about the receipt, Cllr Gildea described what he saw was “outrageous”.
“The thing that people don’t understand is that the valuations office only give any space selling goods higher rates because of a very high turnover in the premises,” he said
“The concern I have is that the tourist industry at a domestic level and international level will be impacted by these types of prices.”
Four drinks in Temple Bar cost this group of Dubliners nearly €50 in Temple Bar
Four drinks in Temple Bar cost this group of Dubliners nearly €50 in Temple Bar
The news comes as Diageo recently announced that a price hike will come into effect which includes Guinness, Hop House 13, Rockshore, Smithwicks and Carlsberg, meaning that pints will rise by 6 cent, following a 12 cent increase that kicked in February last year.
A further 4 cent was added last July.
Guinness 0.0 will also have a price hike with a 9 cent increase, the first time the price of a non-alcoholic drink has gone up.
Guinness brewer Diageo said that the price hike was due to rising input costs across all of its operations in Ireland.
The company stated: "In order to offset this, we must pass on some of these additional costs to our customers.
"As a result, we are adjusting the list prices on our draught product range. This includes Guinness which will increase by the equivalent of €0.06 per pint or €5.28 per 50-litre keg.”
Cllr Gildea said that while Temple Bar is a well-known spot within Dublin, renowned for its culture, art, cobblestone streets, live music scene, bars, and places to eat aplenty, these prices are “over the top”.
“Right now, tourists are being advised not to go to Temple Bar, which is a shame because it has a lot to offer,” he added.
The pub's boss, Martin Keane was contacted for comment and said he stands by his previous comments when he spoke to Newstalk last year and said that the prices are “similar” to what other Temple Bar pubs are charging.
Speaking to a reporter he admitted that the prices were “quite expensive” but defended them by stating that musicians were playing at just after 12 o’clock in the day.
“They have to be paid, they have to get increases.
“So, our rates and overheads still stand and, unfortunately, the price of alcohol, like everything else, is rising.”
At those prices, it had better be Taylor Swift supported by AC/DC or I'd be wrecking the kip.
