Limerick pub being redesigned for post-coronavirus era

A post-Covid-19 pub is taking shape behind closed doors in a Co Limerick town.

Newcastle West publican Gearoid Whelan, 41, has worked out a redesign of his premises in the main street and is putting in a social distancing reconfiguration in his bar and beer garden which will reduce capacity from 300 to 82 and comply with distancing guidelines.

"Instead of cursing in the dark I'm lighting a candle. The supermarkets have proven that businesses can do an awful lot and I've decided to kick-on now during this closed down period to reshape my entire pub and beer garden," Gearoid said.

"I'm putting in place a series of two-person pods throughout the bar and will also have five individual seating places spaced by the bar counter," he said.

This will mean a huge reduction in the amount of people that will be allowed into the premises.

The bar would normally take about 100, but when the pod system is in place there would be 32 marked out places for customers.

The beer garden, which on a busy night would take 200 people will be cut down to 50 individual spaces.

"To limit movement it will be table service only, so nobody will be milling around the bar counter," he said.

Gearoid intends to run the pub like a restaurant as people will have to book their places in advance.

They will also have to set out roughly how long they intend to stay when they visit the premises which will enable us to manage numbers and maximise spaces.

"I think the day of 'sessions' in a pub are gone for a long time to come in the Irish pub. Those who survive will be far different places due to the social distancing requirement which I anticipate will be required whenever the go ahead is given to reopen," he said.

"It can be done and I'm just facing up to the new reality," Gearoid said.