Temple Bar publican says customers have had ‘no reaction’ to €9.90 pint price

Martin Keane said tourists are not bothered by the cost of drinks at Dublin’s Oliver St. John Gogarty.

Punters at the pub now pay €9.90 for a Bulmers or Heineken and €8.90 for Guinness.

Speaking to Newstalk from the bustling venue yesterday, Mr Keane said: “It’s quite expensive but, as you can see, it’s now just after 12 o’clock in the day and we have musicians in playing.

"They have to be paid, they have to get increases.

“So, our rates and overheads still stand and, unfortunately, the price of alcohol, like everything else, is rising.”

He insisted that there has has been “no reaction” to the cost of pints from customers.

"We’ve had it up a couple of days and we haven’t had any reaction, to be honest with you,” he said.

“95% of business is from overseas; so, it doesn’t really bother them.”

The publican predicted a €20 pint is on the cards for the future as city centre overheads are much higher than other venues across the country.

“I started working in this business when I was 14-years-of-age,” he told listeners.

“Now, I’m 75 and I remember when a pint was two shillings when I started. So, it’s going to go up and up and I think it will be €20.”