Publicans rise to the occasion as FF grassroots wither and die

APART from grand occasions, like a price increase, it’s an awesome sight to witness a gathering of a couple of hundred publicans spontaneously rise to their feet to give a standing ovation.

But it happened at the annual conference dinner of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland in the City Hall in Cork during the week.

Not once, not twice, but five times, according to one publican who is definitely not the same political colour as Fine Gael’s PJ Sheehan, Mayor of County Cork, and the target of all that adulation.