The owner of a Covid-19 embattled pub has received huge reaction after he publicly advertised for drinkers "with experience".
A tongue-in-cheek sandwich board outside Swans of Curragha in Co Meath had people's heads turning on Tuesday when it popped up outside the 50-year-old business.
It reads: "Drinkers Wanted. Experience Necessary. Apply Inside!"
Owner Paddy Swan said it was "an excellent opportunity to join our enthusiastic team of loyal locals".
"Experience required. Flexible hours and excellent benefits. Interviews every evening from 5pm."
However, the cheeky post does reflect the impact that Covid-19 has had on rural pubs like Swans.
"I've had two years to think of ideas," Paddy laughed.
"Occasionally things get lost on social media and I find it's sometimes better to put an old fashioned sign up outside the pub for passing traffic.
"I'm just trying to get a few customers back in through the doors.
"In the last few years, people's habits have changed. People who used to drop in for a pint or a coffee and a bit of craic on their way home from work no longer do so.
"Many have someone in their family with a compromised immune system so they go straight home to avoid any extra social contact.
"This pub is in a rural location. We are not near any offices and we have less passing traffic now as so many work from home.
"People, especially the older generation - the real characters who brought so much to the pub - are still nervous and many have said they're not coming back until they can sit up at the bar again. Table service when you are on your own, away from the barman and the bar is no company and no fun.
"For the older generation, Swans was like a men's shed before Covid closed us. They'd come in for their few pints to chat to others and have a laugh before going home again.
"I totally underestimated this bar until Covid-19 hit and now realise that it really was at the centre of this community.
"I talked to three or four locals who never heard that a neighbour had died because they hadn't been talking to anyone. If they were in the bar, they would have heard all the local news, good and bad."
The sign, however, is lifting the mood for many and Paddy says he has had hundreds of messages in just a few hours on Tuesday.
"I just thought the time was right. The weather in recent weeks and the Covid-19 case numbers had a lot of people down in the dumps. We had no-one in here at all on Monday.
"Now things are getting brighter and I thought it was time for a laugh and a way to get my customers back.
"The craic in here on Tuesday evening was the best in a long time. The banter was great - they were nearly interviewing each other for the jobs.
"I suppose I'll have to work out a few well-thought interview questions now," he laughed.
Comments on social media included: "Best advertisement in the world," "I found our dream job' and 'I have years of experience."
