The Virgin Mary Bar – Ireland’s vaguely sacrilegiously monikered alcohol-free bar on Dublin’s Capel St – is being exported, to the United Arab Emirates. Ireland, long struggling against stereotypes of drunkenness, exported the Irish pub to the world, and is now exporting the alcohol-free Irish pub to… the UAE. The Virgin Mary Bar, which claims to be Ireland’s only alcohol-free bar, has announced its first international franchise, in UAE capital Abu Dhabi. The Virgin Mary Dublin (VMD) franchise partnership is with MBT Restaurant Management (part of a UAE real estate company). Anna Walsh of The Virgin Mary Bar.

Source: The Irish Times May 17, 2021 14:37 UTC