A group of tourists were stunned when they saw the cost of four drinks at Dublin’s Temple Bar this weekend.

Ireland’s capital is popular with visitors from Liverpool and beyond, and one group of tourists were charged €47.70 (around £41) for two pints of Guinness, a vodka with Red Bull, and a pint of Kilkenny. The purchase was made just before 3pm on Easter Sunday, March 31.

The receipt from the Oliver St John Gogarty pub, at the centre of Temple Bar, which states at the bottom there is “live music from 12pm to 1.45am included”, was then shared by Fine Gael councillor Jim Gildea. Cllr Gildea said he was concerned at the impact such prices could have on the tourism industry in Ireland.

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He decided to share the receipt to make the public aware of the prices being sought from tourists and others who frequent Temple Bar, and told Dublin Live: It’s outrageous.

“I’m really, really concerned at what this does for the tourist industry. Temple Bar is renowned for being the heart of Dublin. Nearly 17 for a vodka and Red Bull, 11 for a pint of ale. I am shocked at it.”

He also said: “I was having a friendly chat with a constituent talking about pricing when they said – wait a minute, look at this – you can see the date, you can see the time so you can see it’s recent. I hope there’s a public response to this.”

Dublin Live reached out to Oliver St John Gogarty’s for a response. The pub’s boss, Martin Keane, has stood by the prices before, saying they’re similar to what other Temple Bar pubs charge.

In February 2023, on Newstalk radio, he talked about how inflation and living costs have hit the pub. He explained: “It’s quite expensive but, as you can see, it’s now just after 12 o’clock in the day and we have musicians in playing.”

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