Szilvia GombolaIrish Put Craic in Our Rock
March 6th 2007 06:16
Australia is full of Irish pubs, so why not an Australian pub in Ireland?
A bit like selling ice to Eskimos, but it is Ireland after all. Too many pubs is never enough when they are used for drinking, eating, meeting, chatting, singing, playing and warmth at all times of the day.
To be honest, it’s a wonder no one hasn’t thought of it before given the strong historical and social links between the two countries.
The Irish are fiercely protective of their pub culture, which is arguably both their most popular tourist attraction and biggest export, and that probably explains their lack of foreign-themed pubs that are so evident everywhere else in the world.
Or maybe because all other countries have the Irish bar as their themed local of choice, where does that leave the Irish to turn to for some novelty value with their craic?
The Aussie pub is the obvious answer and the Uluru Outback Bar in Waterford has, literally, tapped into that market. It claims to be one of, if not the only, fully blown Australian-themed pub in Ireland and considering we spent more than a month doing the full loop around the country we can personally attest that we saw nothing else like it on our travels, although we did visit a pub in Dingle that also sold hardware (Memo to Bunnings: now there’s a concept just waiting to be bought to Australia).
The Uluru in Waterford is a sprawling complex and its size is what really sets it apart from the average corridor-sized Irish pub. That size houses a huge dining area with walk-up carvery, a stage, dance floor, bar and endless Aussie paraphernalia, including flags, signs, pictures, paintings, number plates, money, postcards and dunnies complete with ocker bloke and sheila slang. The huge ceilings, rustic timber beams and wooden floors and furniture add further charm and space to this little bit of Down Under in the Emerald Isle.
What sets the Uluru apart from many other overseas Aussie-themed pubs I have encountered in places such as London is that this is not solely the domain of homesick expats. This is a true local, where locals eat drink and meet, and the line-up of local workers for the carvery on our visit is heaving.
While it is good to see the Irish broadening their drinking horizons, exotic new surrounds are not for everyone. The Uluru also includes a traditional Irish bar with far more familiar and confined settings for those locals that like to embrace change the same way they like their Guinness poured – nice and slow.
The Uluru Outback Bar, The Ardkeen Roundabout, Dunmore Road, Waterford. Tel: 051 855333. www.ulurubar.com
A bit like selling ice to Eskimos, but it is Ireland after all. Too many pubs is never enough when they are used for drinking, eating, meeting, chatting, singing, playing and warmth at all times of the day.
To be honest, it’s a wonder no one hasn’t thought of it before given the strong historical and social links between the two countries.
The Irish are fiercely protective of their pub culture, which is arguably both their most popular tourist attraction and biggest export, and that probably explains their lack of foreign-themed pubs that are so evident everywhere else in the world.
The Aussie pub is the obvious answer and the Uluru Outback Bar in Waterford has, literally, tapped into that market. It claims to be one of, if not the only, fully blown Australian-themed pub in Ireland and considering we spent more than a month doing the full loop around the country we can personally attest that we saw nothing else like it on our travels, although we did visit a pub in Dingle that also sold hardware (Memo to Bunnings: now there’s a concept just waiting to be bought to Australia).
The Uluru in Waterford is a sprawling complex and its size is what really sets it apart from the average corridor-sized Irish pub. That size houses a huge dining area with walk-up carvery, a stage, dance floor, bar and endless Aussie paraphernalia, including flags, signs, pictures, paintings, number plates, money, postcards and dunnies complete with ocker bloke and sheila slang. The huge ceilings, rustic timber beams and wooden floors and furniture add further charm and space to this little bit of Down Under in the Emerald Isle.
While it is good to see the Irish broadening their drinking horizons, exotic new surrounds are not for everyone. The Uluru also includes a traditional Irish bar with far more familiar and confined settings for those locals that like to embrace change the same way they like their Guinness poured – nice and slow.
The Uluru Outback Bar, The Ardkeen Roundabout, Dunmore Road, Waterford. Tel: 051 855333. www.ulurubar.com
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