November 2018 saw an historic gathering in Alexandria VA of Irish Pub operators from all over the United States and Canada , along with the respective heads of Tourism Ireland and The Irish Food Board. The event was designed to workshop how a closer relationship between the operators and Irish State Agencies could have mutual benefit. The event was organized by Donal Ballance, a restaurant consultant from Toronto.
The workshop was a huge success with all operators agreeing that a more formal organization of the pub community would create opportunities for the sharing of knowledge and resource. The group ended the workshop with a reception in the Irish Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC where His Excellency Ambassador Mulhall thanked all the operators for contributing to the rich culture of Ireland across North America.
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Irish Pubs, as we know them today, have been in existence since the late 1800's. That means they have survived through the British brutality in Ireland, World War I, the 1918/1919 Spanish Flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II and several global recessions since. So, we look forward to Irish Pubs pulling through COVID19 as strongly as ever before.