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THE landlord of an Irish pub in Southsea that has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds during the pandemic has revamped the venue to give patrons bumper celebrations for the Six Nations and St Patrick’s Day.

Shenanigans in Osborne Rd, has been hit hard by lost revenue, several complete changes of staff – and locals questioning if the pub is still open.

Now landlord and owner Iain Kirby has spent thousands of pounds revamping the bar in the run-up to two major fixtures on its calendar.

The revamp includes bringing on new staff, replacing equipment around the bar, and a new food menu.

Owner Iain Kirby at Shenanigans Irish Bar, Southsea.
Picture: Habibur Rahman — Owner Iain Kirby at Shenanigans Irish Bar, Southsea. Picture: Habibur Rahman

The new menu includes a selection of ‘Full Irish’ breakfasts – which includes fried potatoes – as well as the new ‘Messy Burger’, with a taster event on Monday January 31.

Iain has kept the bar alive with wages from his former role as warfare officer in the Royal Navy – and he’s hoping the relaunch will see a bumper spring after an ‘awful’ 16 months.

The 54-year-old said the pub was losing out on average £20,000 in revenue each month it was closed during the pandemic.

Iain, whose grandfather is Irish, said: ‘That’s how much we would usually bring in.

Shenanigans Irish Bar is relaunching with a new menu, new beers, revamped equipment, and new staff after a difficult two years

Picture: Habibur Rahman — Shenanigans Irish Bar is relaunching with a new menu, new beers, revamped equipment, and new staff after a difficult two years Picture: Habibur Rahman

‘And our takings were down in December compared to what they usually are.

‘Our bread and butter is St Patrick’s Day and the Six Nations competition and the success of them decides the rest of the year.’

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The Six Nations rugby competition kicks off on Saturday, February 5, and St Patrick’s Day will be held on Thursday, March 17.

Iain, who served in the Royal Navy for more than 30 years, added: ‘We’ve decided to have the relaunch because we have been shut for 16 months pretty much.

‘He have all new staff and an all new menu.

‘We have been here for 12 years and we had our 10th birthday before the first lockdown started.

‘There’s a lot of business around me that have died a death and a lot of people asking if were still open.’

Added to the revamped food offering will be a ‘pie and a pint’ deal, with the pies including Irish, beef and Guinness, chicken and bacon, and even a Full-English breakfast option.

Southsea bar Shenanigans undergoes revamp in time for Six Nations and St Patrick's Day

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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