Dublin … dinner, drinks, music

I’m currently in Dublin.

My usual hotel was fully booked so I’m staying in a brand new hotel which opened in March and is a short walk from Dublin Castle.

Last night I had dinner at The Shelbourne on St Stephen’s Green. The hotel is 200 years old this year and 20 years ago, on the eve of the introduction of the smoking ban in Ireland, it was the venue for a live edition of Littlejohn, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Richard Littlejohn, on Sky News.

I was one of several guests flown in from the UK to appear on the programme, which was broadcast from the main bar, but the person I was sat next to was the former Irish footballer turned irascible pundit Eamon Dunphy who was also opposed to the ban.

Neither of us had the opportunity to say very much but this is how I described the experience:

Littlejohn was a hoot. Broadcast live from The Shelbourne, one of Dublin's most historic hotels, the hour-long show featured over a dozen commentators providing a wide range of opinion about the smoking ban. Presenter (and Sun columnist) Richard Littlejohn made no secret of his views (a non-smoker, he's an outspoken opponent of blanket bans), but the programme as a whole was well balanced.

Split into groups of three, guests were seated on stools beside small round tables trembling under the weight of alcohol. To the disappointment of production staff, very few people were actually smoking. My contribution was limited to a brief verbal spat with Professor Luke Clancy, the genial spokesman for ASH Ireland, after which I retired to the bar for another pint of Guinness.

After the programme Tadg O'Sullivan, chief executive of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, told me he thought 'our' side had won. I thought we escaped with a draw, thanks to Littlejohn himself and an extraordinary performance by an anti-smoking columnist with the Irish Sunday Mirror that was so melodramatic I thought she must be auditioning for the part of pantomime dame. Someone whispered in my ear that this was no act - apparently she's like this all the time. “God help her husband,” said another voice.

The antis scored a further own goal when a good looking young restaurateur said he supported a general ban because if he prohibited smoking and others didn't he would lose customers. Doh! Of course similar views have been expressed by some restaurateurs in Britain. The free market, they seem to be saying, is a wonderful thing unless it adversely affects their business, at which point they demand regulations to create a 'level playing field'.

The day before the programme I visited Johnnie Fox's, ‘the highest pub in Ireland’ and one of the oldest:

Founded in 1798, this traditional if slightly kitsch pub has played host to presidents, ambassadors, royalty, sports stars, tourists, "chatty locals" and even Salman Rushdie.

A stone-flagged floor ("daily strewn with sawdust"), ancient bric-a-brac, old dressers, open fireplace and crackling logs are just some of the attractions of this wonderful place. Investigate further and you'll find a penny farthing on one wall and, outside, a feeding pot said to have been used by up to 800 people daily during the potato famine.

Next week, thanks to Ireland's ambitious, uncompromising health minister Michael Martin, smoking will be banned in Johnnie Fox's. With its reputation for great food, numerous beers and a good selection of wines and spirits, I can't imagine that business will be much affected. But it will be different, and in my view the poorer for it.

The good news is that Johnnie Fox's is not abandoning smokers altogether. While other bars are busy erecting canopies and awnings with outside heaters so people can still smoke in relative comfort, JF has acquired an original 1952 double-decker bus, refurbished it, and renamed it the Happy Smoking Bus.

On Monday it will tour the streets of Dublin before returning to its final resting place outside the pub where it will provide a peaceful sanctuary for the pub’s many smokers. Effervescent business manager Fred Rainert tells me customers can smoke on the bus as long as it's not staffed. And the number plate? FU 2.

I’ve visited Ireland fairly regularly since then and I always enjoy popping over.

Six months after the introduction of the smoking ban in March 2004 I even took my family for a working holiday that took us to Westport (in Co Mayo), Galway, Kilkenny, and Waterford, before finishing in Dublin.

The ‘working’ part of the holiday involved visiting as many pubs as possible to gauge what impact the ban was having, so while it was quite productive it wasn’t the most onerous assignment.

But I digress.

After dinner last night we went for a drink at the International Bar, a slightly misleading name for a ‘charming Victorian pub full of Dublin character’ that describes itself as ‘the home of Irish comedy’.

A live band was playing cover versions of well known songs and when they finished we showed our appreciation by giving them tips.

Weather aside, I was reminded of Havana where every bar seemed to have a band and there was music everywhere.

This afternoon I’m heading south of Dublin to Greystones where my old schoolfriend Bill (who is English but pretends to be Scottish) has suggested he barbecue (a skill he learned in the Cayman Islands) while we watch Scotland play Switzerland.

Truly a glutton for punishment.

Below: The International Bar, Dublin