I have confess that I preferred old Robinson’s (before someone inadvertently blew it up) and it’s what always seemed to me to be its plush upstairs lounge, all cushioned seats, private rooms and bacolite trim. But regarding historic umbilical twin, this is just shocking:
Belfast’s Crown Bar, one of Northern Ireland’s most well-known pubs, has had to close its doors because of what staff have called a “minor licensing complication”.
Shocking, why?
Gerry Lennon, from the Belfast Visitor Centre added: “It’s not ideal for Belfast, the evening economy, pubs and restaurants are an integral part of the visitor experience, so this is really not good news.
“1.7m people stayed in the city last year and research says that 25% visited the Crown and I think that sums up how important it is to tourists.
“So it is important that it opens again.”
Colin Neil from Pubs of Ulster said there were still plenty of iconic watering holes in the city for people to enjoy.
He said: “This is incredibly embarrassing for the English licensee that operates the premise and it is unfortunate for Belfast.
“It is a quiet time of the year, but we do have some great bars if people do fancy a tipple.
He added: “Normal renewal of a licence is relatively straight forward.
“This will be a bit more challenging because the licence has actually gone and there have been similar situations in other premises and they have had to buy a new licence.
“So it could be challenging.”
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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