Irish Pub Awards 2022 launched
At today’s Irish Pub Awards 2022 launch were (Back Row, from left): Musgrave MarketPlace’s Gary Byrne, Fáilte Ireland’s Sarah Dolly, Irish Distillers-Pernod Ricard’s Brian Brown, Heineken’s Ciaran Dalton and BOIPA’s Seamus Murphy. Front Row (from left): Edward Dillon’s Darren Finlay, LVA Chair Noel Anderson, Diageo’s Deborah Maher, VFI President Paul Moynihan, IMRO’s Victor Finn and Bulmers’ Ken McIntyre-Barn. The Irish Pub Awards 2022 are open to all members of VFI and LVA. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography.
Jointly presented by the Licenced Vintners Association and the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, pubs are now free to enter in up to nine categories with judging set to take place over the Summer.
The nine categories comprise: Best Food Pub (sponsored by Musgrave Marketplace); Best Tourist Pub (sponsored by Fáilte Ireland); Innovative Pub of the Year (sponsored by Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance); Best Local Pub (sponsored by Diageo); Best Outstanding Customer Service (sponsored by Edward Dillon); Best Music Pub (sponsored by the Irish Music Rights Organisation); Best Late Night Bar (sponsored by Irish Distillers-Pernod Ricard); Best Outdoor Space (sponsored by Bulmers) and – new for 2022 – Best Digital Campaign (sponsored by Heineken).
63 regional winners will be showcased as best in class in their region and will receive a prize package to the value of €20,000 comprising management training and media coverage to help develop their business.
The media coverage includes a profile piece in an awards supplement in the Irish Independent on the day of the awards presentation.
The Irish Pub Awards Gala night, where the overall National Pub of the Year is revealed along with all category award-winners, takes place in Dublin on Wednesday, 16th November.
The Awards are open to all VFI and LVA members and entry is free – anyone interested in entering can do so on www.irishpubawards.ie.
The closing date is Friday, the 3rd of June.
“It’s great to see the return of the Irish Pub Awards, which sends a strong message that the pub sector is back and raring to celebrate what’s best about the trade,” said VFI President Paul Moynihan, speaking at the launch, “In a few short years the awards have established themselves as the marque benchmark for all that’s best about pubs in Ireland. We’ve a unique offering that’s copied across the world, but nothing beats the home-grown pub.
“The Irish Pub Awards would not be possible without the fantastic support from our sponsors who’ve invested heavily in the pub trade over the years, so I’d like to put on record our deepest thanks for their continued involvement.”
The LVA’s Chairman Noel Anderson added, “While we’re aware of the importance of the Irish pub around Ireland, they also play a very important part in Irish social culture at the heart of our communities and a central part of our hospitality and tourism sectors. Also, an Awards programme is fitting to reward the efforts of those contributing to one of the biggest employment sectors in Ireland.
“Now the definitive national industry standard, the Irish Pubs Awards are quickly gaining recognition throughout the trade as a programme that provides a credible and comprehensive assessment of the best in Irish Pubs. It offers pubs in Dublin and around the different regions an opportunity to raise the profile of their business through national and regional media coverage. That, together with the technical and management training afforded to all regional finalists makes it an initiative the LVA are delighted to support.”
The Awards’ partners include the Irish Independent and trade media partner Drinks Industry Ireland.
This is the fourth year of the Awards which celebrate excellence and innovation across various categories in the pub sector.
Previous ‘Pub of the Year’ winners include Paris Texas in Kilkenny City, The Gylde Inn in Annagassan, Louth and The Porter House in Wexford’s Castlebridge.
