‘King of Clubs’ to open Irish venue

MORE than a decade after it was first proposed, Ireland is to finally get its first Stringfellow’s club - complete with its renowned nude table-side dancers.

Legendary nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow confirmed yesterday that a facility bearing his name will open its doors in Dublin next month.

The 64-year-old playboy abandoned similar plans during the 1990s after several Leeson Street nightclubs he was visiting were raided by gardaí.

This time around Stringfellow revealed that he and his Irish partners, Tom Butler and Alan McEvoy - who are investing about €3 million in the project - have consulted gardaí about their plans for the club.

Located opposite the ILAC centre in Parnell Street, the Irish version of Stringfellow’s will cater for about 300 guests with a full late-night bar licence.

Despite Stringfellow’s protestations that it is not a lapdance club, the facility is likely to arouse some controversy as it is modelled on similar ventures in London and Paris where dancers strip off during their performances.

Furthermore, unlike existing lapdancing clubs in Dublin, which are mostly confined to topless performances, dancers at Stringfellow’s will engage in full nudity.

However, Stringfellow remains unapologetic that his clubs are essentially about “man’s entertainment”.

But he insists that his “girls club” - his preferred choice of description - bears no resemblance to the sleazier side of the business.

Although the club will have a number of VIP sections, it will not contain any private booths, he stressed. “People who don’t know about the business think ‘exploitation’. They use the description ‘strip club’ or ‘lapdancing club’ to put the girls down. But they are dancers and entertainers - not strippers. They are very clever and earn a lot of money in a safe environment.”

He explained that all dancers will be self-employed and pay a portion of their earnings to the club.

The man dubbed King of Clubs warned that the up-market nature of his club meant prices would not be cheap. Patrons will pay a €20 entry charge, while a private dance lasting three minutes cost €25.