Getting Ready to Welcome the World
at the Official Irish Pavilion in 2010
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
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ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS relating to the 2010 Winter Olympics for the Irish community in Vancouver is that Doolin's Irish Pub will host the official home pavilion for the Olympic Council of Ireland and supporters. Thrilled with the news: (L-R) Jay Mangan (manager of Doolin's); Tony McCamley (president of the Irish Heritage Society); George McDonnell (VP of the Irish Heritage Society); Ron Orr (CEO Granville Entertainment); Tania Richards (director of marketing and promotions, Granville Entertainment); and behind the bar, Christy Coulter (Doolin's day supervisor and bartender).
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VANCOUVER - There was cause for celebration at Doolin's Irish Pub as they announced that they will host the official Irish pavilion during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Olympic Council of Ireland has just confirmed that Doolin's will be Irish party central during the upcoming Games.
Many people will no doubt remember Expo '86 and the around the block line-ups that took place at the Unicorn Pub where the Irish Rovers entertained the world throughout that event.
Doolin's Irish Pub located in the heart of downtown Vancouver has been part of the Granville entertainment strip for many years.
From the day they opened their doors they were an instant hit with great entertainment, good food and hospitality, and that has been their trademark ever since. The line-ups at their door still attest to their popularity.
I recently stopped in to Doolin's to speak with Ron Orr the vice-president of Granville Entertainment; Jay Mangan the general manager for Doolin's Irish Pub; and Tania Richards the director of sales, marketing and promotions for Granville Entertainment.
They spoke about their exciting news and plans to welcome the world to their doorstep in 2010.
"We have formed a partnership with the Olympic Council of Ireland and we will be their home base through 2010," said Tania Richards. "Along with our friends from the Irish Heritage Society, we will not only be hosting all those athletes, but also all the Society's events throughout that period."
"This is absolutely huge for Granville Entertainment," said Ron Orr. "For the past number of years we have been looking at how we could participate in the Olympics from a hospitality perspective, because that's what we do.
"We have been active on Granville Street for over 20 years and now, with Granville Street being rebuilt, I believe this is the time when we can really make this the entertainment district in Vancouver. We can absolutely make it shine throughout the Olympics with our hospitality program."
Doolin's will be like St. Patrick's every day and night throughout the Olympics and since the pub offers limited seating, I asked Ron what contingency plans were in the works.
"We clearly anticipate a very full house," said Ron. "We know that it will be like St. Patrick's Day crowds for an extended period of time. One of the things that we have given a lot of thought to is how we can expand our capacity, given that we have four walls and a certain limit.
"We are looking at taking advantage through the Olympic Council of Ireland to secure these temporary Olympic licenses. These will provide us with the ability to find additional sites where we can, in effect, extend Doolin's to those temporary sites and allow for a larger capacity while still providing the same ambience, culture, hospitality and music. It will just be outside the four walls of Doolin's.
"We have already started recruiting additional staff for the Olympics," said Tania. "We believe this will be a great opportunity to reach out to some of our out-of-province partners in say Alberta, and as far east as Halifax, where some people may like to come to town to experience and be a part of 2010."
Jay Mangan said, "We have always taken great pride in keeping with tradition in representing the Irish and Celtic communities at Doolin's. This is a part of the culture and we want to exude that at every moment that we can. That's really where it's starting from in keeping with heritage.
"A lot of people have recognized that here at Doolin's we are all a part of it and we are really excited to be moving forward to provide that same kind of 'at home family feel' for anyone Irish and from abroad to experience when they visit Doolin's.
"This is the most exciting thing that can possibly happen within this industry. I moved to this city five years ago for the Olympics and I'm absolutely ecstatic."
As part of the preparations for Doolin's to put a big céad míle fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes) out to the world, Ron, Jay and Tania are going to Ireland for 10 days to meet with the Olympic Council of Ireland.
They plan to do a lot of touring, get a real feel for the local entertainment, and meet some people who can really contribute to the success of the Irish Pavilion. This will also be a wonderful opportunity for local entertainers to showcase their talents to the world.
Doolin's Irish Pub is located at 654 Nelson Street at Granville in Vancouver, B.C. For more information, call (604) 605-4343 or visit: www.doolins.ca.
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