Dr. Perry Share

And even where we live, we don't get to meet other people.

Whereas in a pub...

You know, hypothetically, you could sit down and you could be talking to anybody beside you.

And it's your choice whether you talk to them and it's their choice whether they talk to you.

So that's something that is perhaps been lost if we don't continue to maintain the pub.

And I think that's why it's important to have this sort of.

policy discussion you know we're seeing new new housing estates new apartment blocks being built without provision for pubs unlike say in the 30s and the 50s when we built yeah you know the likes of cabra which you were talking about earlier on or drimna and so on you know big pubs were put in with the big churches but now we're not putting pubs in and we may pay the price for that in the future in terms of loneliness or you know not somewhere nowhere for people to go just to meet up for book clubs or chats or whatever yeah

Yeah, and that's not unique to Ireland.

I mean, in London and other major cities, pubs occupy land that is very valuable.

And we've had a couple of very high-profile cases in Ireland.

I suppose the Cobblestone Pub in Smithfield would be the one.

And we actually start off in the book with that because that was threatened.

Not have been closed, actually, but have been incorporated into a hotel.

And musicians and local people, and much to the surprise of the council, I think,

rose up in arms and protested against that.

Before I let you go, favourite pub?

Favorite pub?

This is always a very loaded question.

It could get you in a lot of trouble.

I would have to say in Dublin, my favorite pub is Neelan's in Cable Street.