Cormac MacConnell: Of hares, free drink and two types of cat

There have been just two establishments in Co Clare in which I have never been allowed to put my hand in my pocket to pay my way.

One of those premises has been trading for about two centuries, and is world famous and, factually, is located in the Pope’s Parish, just off the Wild Atlantic Way.

The other establishment is located in the Convent Hill Shopping Centre in my new Killaloe base, it has been trading for less than a week, and dammit, I was barred or life, hours before the joint officially opened, just because I wanted to buy two tins of paint before the rush began.