Colm O'Regan: 'A bicycle hanging from the ceiling and stolen road sign for Bweeng isn’t enough to make a pub nice'

Comfortable, dark, anonymous, private, not pinting in the full glare of a shopping public. We do that effortlessly.

Columnist, broadcaster, comedian and author Colm O'Regan pictured in the Maryborough Hotel. Picture Chani Anderson

You have to hand it to London. It really is one of the world’s great cities. 

Not to be all Eamonn Dunphy, but while we have good cities here, we struggle to make them great.