President Obama’s Fáilte Ireland-approved pint!

Ollie Hayes’ Pub in Moneygall leads the way for quality and standards as it became one the first premises to be assessed and approved under Fáilte Ireland’s new national standards scheme for pubs, Raising the Bar.

Recently visited by US President Barack Obama, the pub proudly boasts a certificate of recognition presented to it by Fáilte Ireland before the visit after proving it delivers the ‘customer journey’.
 
Raising the Bar, developed by Fáilte Ireland in association with the VFI, is an approval system based on pubs meeting a set of national minimum requirements.
 
The Irish pub has long been recognised as one of the most popular tourist attractions and it’s the vision of Fáilte Ireland to meet and exceed the expectations of consumers through the introduction of the Pub Accreditation scheme.
 
Speaking about the scheme and President Obama’s recent visit to Ireland, Jennifer Churchward, Quality and Standards at Fáilte Ireland,  emphasised what this scheme means for Irish pubs and licensed premises: “Quality is key when it comes to encouraging visitors to come and return to Ireland,” she stated, “President Obama himself stressed that the quality and warmth of the welcome he received in Ireland was second to none. These standards strive to ensure that all visitors feel equally welcome when they come to Ireland and experience Ireland and its pubs for themselves.
 
“The standards are based around the typical customer journey and will help ensure continued high standards in the pub industry as well as raise standards across the board. The scheme will increase the consistency and quality of service provided in Irish pubs to visitors, both domestic and international.”
 
Premises achieving accreditation gain a number of benefits including a certificate of recognition and approval which they can display onsite and access to business and marketing supports through Fáilte Ireland as well as enjoying promotional listings on both discoverireland.ie and discoverireland.com.
 
Fáilte Ireland is operating the scheme through its established national standards and quality framework. All publicans are encouraged to participate and those interested in applying can register their interest on the dedicated website www.onlinelistingtool.failteireland.ie  or e-mail it directly to approvedpubs@failteireland.ie.