That (doesn’t) beat Banagher

Fair play to Gerald Hough, Proprietor of  JJ Hough’s in Banagher, County Offaly, who took a negative review from The Sunday World’s Pub Spy into his own hands to extract righteous revenge through the posting of an online video refuting the criticisms contained in The Sunday World’s long-running column.

The resultant video puts the critic firmly in his place with a few facts on the pub to countermand cavils from the columnist.

Pub Spy had visited the pub a decade ago and hadn’t been very complimentary then either so Gerald decided to set the record straight.

Rejecting criticisms of failure to refurbish or renovate the old floor – “The bare concrete floor is still visible” – from the newspaper, he pointed out that historical records indicate that the pub had originally been a 14^th Century monastic site and that parts of the original floor remain to this day.

“You can’t learn taste,” he commented ruefully.

As the premises is a heritage-listed building Gerald has no plans to change the look of the pub – not that he would have done so anyway!

But turning “a negative into a positive”  Gerald produced the video himself and the fruits of his labour can be seen here.

The pub is well-known for putting out an annual Christmas parody video in which everyone – bar staff and locals alike – play their Christmas part.