Say it ain’t so! Irish pub strike during World Cup?
Dry for the World Cup? The Licensed Vintners Association has called off pay negotiations with the Mandate trade union that represents bartenders in Ireland.
Observers said that this could lead to strike action by bartenders, timed to coincide with the World Cup, when thirsty fans will be at their most demanding.
Bar owners have pointed out that paying all bartenders a flat rate makes no sense, because some work in quiet local pubs while other work in the enormous and frenetic clubs.
Black Biddy, please
Shouting “black Biddy” at a bartender might earn you a slap in the face. But soon it might not be so uncommon.
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A County Clare microbrewery has brewed a new beer, the Black Biddy, that is apparently popular in Sweden, Japan and parts of the U.S.
The late publican and industrial chemist P’dar Garvey thought up Black Biddy in 1995, when he founded the Biddy Early Brewery in Inagh near Ennis.
It’s a stout, and you can also sup Red Biddy (red Irish ale) and a Blonde Biddy (lager).
“At present microbreweries have less than 1 percent of the beer market in Ireland — but micro-brewing has spread around the country during the last few years. In the U.S. micro-brewing has now taken nearly 10 percent of the market and I would like to see this happening in Ireland,” said Garvey’s son Niall.
Black Biddy is already on sale in New York.
Whiskey Coke, please
From Black Biddy to “Whiskey Coke.” Irish drinks makers Cooley Distillery has seen record sales of its whiskey in Europe, where it is popular among the clubbing set, mixed with Coke.
Cooley chairman John Teeling said that it had been a long hard struggle to get established, especially since the company’s products are competing in a market dominated by well-known Scotch and Irish whiskey brand names.
Founded in 1987, the company prides itself on being the only independent Irish-owned distillery set up in 100 years.
Cooley now produces a range of seven whiskeys: three malts, Tyrconnell, Locke’s and Connemara; three blended, Kilbeggan, Millar’s and Inishowen, and a single grain whiskey, Greenore.
But in 2000 the company sold 2.5 million bottles of whiskey in 40 countries and recorded a profit of _515,000 on the back of a turnover of _6.3 million.
Euroskies debut
A new way to get to Ireland, and other European countries — Euroskies, Inc. The brainshild of Patricia Canning-Murphy, Euroskies is a full-service travel agency that customizes vacations to Europe.
Based in Long Island and Baltimore, Euroskies is giving all customers who book air travel or air and car rental, a euro 10 note, up until May 31st.
Euroskies also operates a retail store, Vintage Travel. For further information, call (877) 744-5111.
Specialty foods
Food maven Darina Allen has called for the Irish government and consumers to support specialist food stores.
Speaking recerntly at a Bord Bia conference in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Allen said that “the people driving Ireland’s specialty food sector are pioneers who are passionate about their product and have shown their commitment by operating to the highest standards.”
Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh noted that speciality food firms numbered more than 200 in Ireland, employed more than 1,500 people, and pulled in euro 250 million a year in profits.
No. 1 million
Jacinta Dalton was feted recently at Galway Airport after she became the one millionth person to pass through check-in at the airport. The airport is expanding, and 100-seat jets will soon be able to land there, as well as direct flights to London and back.
Fortune’s favorite
The Ireland-U.S. Council will sponsor a major information supplement on Ireland’s relations with the U.S. economy in the September 2002 edition of Fortune magazine.
IBO event
Eugene Hutchinson, the Irish consul General in New York, will speak address members of the Irish Business Organization of New York on May 8 at the Shelburne Hotel, 303 Lexington Avenue.
Hutchinson will be joined by Harry Greeley of Cushman and Wakefield, and they will speak about the downtown real estate market.
Bio site
A new web site has launched for Northern Ireland’s biotechnology sector.
Bionorthernireland.com is edited by Dr. Aileen Moore of the Life and Health Technologies Partnership.
“Until now, there has been no authoritative website for this sector in Northern Ireland,” she said.
“It’s a must-see information resource for researchers in Northern Ireland and beyond who want to know the latest news from this important sector of the economy.” For further information, see: www.bionorthernireland.com.
Social partnership affirmed
“I know people like to knock the ball around before the match, but if you knock the ball around too much you’ll miss the match,” Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told employers and union delegates at the IMI conference in the Hotel Europe in Killarney recently.
Ahern was addressing the argument for a new national pay agreement. He affirmed his commitment to the social partnership, reminding his listeners that it had helped Ireland overcome the worst economic problems in its history in the past.
“So in the choice between working hard to renew partnership or letting it pass into history, I say we must renew it and if I am returned to office I intend to work hard to make that happen,” he said.