Country Living
Voices in the wilderness are not being listened to
Country Living with Francis Farragher
A few weeks backs I was talking to a man of advancing years but still very active with a keen zest for life. As far as I know, he’s never drank a pint in his life but he’d be a regular visitor to the local pub, glad to partake of a cup of tea or coffee.
A man I thought who wouldn’t really miss the visit to the pub like the rest of us, who’d sup a few pints, bitch about politics, rant on about sport, play a game of cards or have a go at the odd ballad.
I was taken aback somewhat when he said to me: “I really miss the pub being closed. I can’t wait for them to open again.”
In the greater scheme of things, it’s probably not ‘an end of the world decision’ and there are bigger fish to be fried in the context of the whole coronavirus emergency issue.
Public health, the safety of health staff, care of the elderly and the reopening of schools are all matter that must top the priority list, but yet I don’t think its being insensitive to put in a word for the small rural pubs of this world.
Most of them are small family-run business and as the ‘townies’ might say they’re located in the ‘heart of the sticks’ and they haven’t taken in a cent since the Sunday night of March 15 last.
The point has been made repeatedly that as regards the whole concept of social distancing, this practice has been a reality in country hostelries long, long before we came to know the current meaning of the expression.
There is a real problem with the idea of collective punishment. On the weekend leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, the images were flying around of revellers in Temple Bar being squashed in together like sardines. A pretty disastrous scenario by any public health yardstick.
And, sure enough when the pub-restaurants were allowed to reopen on June 29 last, the same social media images again flashed across our phone screens, young people in large groups making absolutely no effort to social distance.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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