WATCH: County Limerick pub opens doors despite government advice

'We are back' the words of Gearoid Whelan, the Limerick publican who has opened his doors this morning, despite a government call not to resume trading.

Gearoid, who runs Whelan’s Pub in Maiden Street, Newcastle West, told the Limerick Leader over the weekend that pints would be pulled in his pub for the first time since mid-March and he stuck to his word. 

Speaking to the Limerick Leader at the weekend, Mr Whelan said he had received calls from people around the country.

“I will be opening on Monday, and people can judge it for themselves when they walk into me. I’m very angry about pubs in Limerick still remaining forced to shut down when we’ve had no cases in Limerick for the last five days alone. As the four months have passed, we are talking about a handful of cases in West Limerick. Enough is enough,” he said.

He said he has followed all the guidelines, and been very supportive of the government during lockdown.

During lockdown, Mr Whelan spent an estimated €3,000 getting his pub ready for social distancing, removing half the high chairs around the bar, installing partitions to protect bar staff and creating supermarket-style flow-through routes through the bar.,

On top of this, he split his beer garden into sections preventing standing space in the middle.

We are back pic.twitter.com/sOmfGcBKxE

— Gearoid Whelan (@whelansbar1) July 20, 2020