Northern Ireland pub’s Christmas advert goes viral

The manager of a family-run bar in Northern Ireland has said it feels “so lovely” to see a Christmas advert they created go viral on social media.

Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, unveiled its festive advert on Friday, which shows an elderly man with a sad expression on his face, walking through town alone until he enters the bar and is joined by a couple who sit, drink and talk with him.

Una Burns, the manager of Charlie’s Bar, told the PA news agency that they wanted to provide a Christmas advert that would hopefully “resonate with people”.

When asked about the viral reaction to the advert online, which has racked up over six million views on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “I feel completely overwhelmed to be honest.

“We’re just a small, local pub and we just wanted to provide a Christmas advert that hopefully resonated with people and for us, it became apparent over the years that Christmas can be a really lonely, tough time for some people.

“We see that more than others as on Christmas morning – when we’re open – there are some people coming in with maybe nowhere else to be and need people to speak to.

“We were not expecting the reaction that it’s received – it’s just blown up, and it’s been so lovely to read the comments underneath the posts as well.”

She added that Charlie’s Bar was “more than just a business, it’s part of our family”.

“My dad is the owner and my granddad was the previous owner,” she said.

Many people on social media commented that the bar’s advert was “better” than John Lewis’s festive offering, with others left emotional, including one user who said: “Brilliant … if this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, you need a heart transplant!”

Ms Burns said: “People have been comparing it to the John Lewis advert, which we could have never expected – that’s brilliant.”

She said the advert was the first proper one the pub had made, but that it may need to become an annual occurrence.

“We were actually talking about 2024 and maybe releasing a Christmas advert then, but we have set the bar really high for that after the reaction this one’s got,” she said.