{"id":283709,"date":"2026-02-06T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/283709\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:00:07","slug":"we-wanted-to-be-masters-of-our-own-destiny-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/283709\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We wanted to be masters of our own destiny\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a Friday afternoon in the upstairs snug of Dublin<\/a>\u2019s Palace Bar<\/a>, and the words Guinness<\/a> and Diageo<\/a> do not cross Willie Aherne\u2019s lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll call it Big Stout for now,\u201d says the well-known publican. <\/p>\n

Sitting in one of the country\u2019s oldest and most venerated public houses, Aherne is musing about the modern Irish pub scene. <\/p>\n

\u201cStout is having its real moment in the sun,\u201d he says. \u201cThe explosion and the popularity of stout with young people, with a female audience, with young lads … I remember looking at the Palace one evening and going: \u2018My God, everyone\u2019s just drinking it here\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Palace Bar on Fleet Street is one of a handful of city centre hostelries that can legitimately lay claim to the likes of Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan as former patrons. A Victorian heritage establishment that finds itself on the edge of the ultra-commercial Temple Bar area, an \u201cold-man\u2019s pub\u201d frequently jammed with young pint drinkers, it has played host to literary giants, politicians, playwrights, newspaper men, poets, musicians and all the rest. <\/p>\n

The interior speaks to its history \u2013 and it is easy to imagine that much of the decor has remained unchanged since the days when Behan held court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s documented that if you were a stranger, it was like coming into an alligator\u2019s pit. All these minds, they all wanted to have a snap at you,\u201d says Aherne. <\/p>\n

\u201cIreland of the \u201930s and \u201940s was a very censored country, very backward in its thinking. And they say what took place downstairs in the Palace back room \u2013 the men who drank there \u2013 shaped Irish journalism, Irish writing, Irish poetry, and even Irish politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA customer enjoys a drink in the Palace Bar. Photograph: Bryan O\u2019Brien <\/p>\n

Aherne is the third generation of his family to run the bar \u2013 since it was purchased by his grandfather Bill Aherne in 1946.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike his brothers \u2013 from Tipperary \u2013 they all came up and served their time in the trade,\u201d he says. \u201cHe would have worked for his uncle Jack on Capel Street \u2013 he had a bar where the AIB is.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would have saved enough and probably worked every God-given hour and had a good relationship with the bank manager. That doesn\u2019t seem to be around nowadays; it\u2019s a different ball game now\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aherne has to balance the Palace\u2019s legacy with its place in a new drinking culture.<\/p>\n

He recognises the importance of keeping the history and the essence of the pub alive but like any other business it has to pay heed to new trends.<\/p>\n

Fourteen months ago, Aherne and 13 other pub owners established the Changing Times brewery. <\/p>\n

The brainchild of Aherne and David Chawke \u2013 son of veteran Dublin publican Charlie Chawke \u2013 they billed it as offering local alternatives to those from the massive drinks manufacturers dominating the Irish market.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s just getting a bit much. I didn\u2019t see any justification for going at it again. Big Stout\u2019s shareholders in London are calling the shots there, you know<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Willie Aherne<\/p>\n

Walk into the likes of the Palace, the Bank on College Green or the Swan Bar on Aungier Street and the Changing Times branding is on full view. Currently brewing four products \u2013 a mix of lager, pale ales and stout \u2013 Aherne is hoping to grow the offering over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t far off break even \u2013 which was great for our first year in business,\u201d he says. \u201cWe did some things right, we did some things wrong. We learned a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a big 12 months ahead of us. We really have to put the shoulder to the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rationale for setting up the new venture was two-fold, according to Aherne. There was clearly an appetite for the kind of products they were looking at developing and a desire by publicans to become less dependent on the big manufacturers.<\/p>\n

Aherne and others have been public in their opposition to price hikes from Diageo and Heineken over the past three years, with both increasing their prices this month.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Price of a pint of Guinness and 0.0 alternative set to climb by about 20 centOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a combination of wanting something different on our counter [and] we wanted to be masters of our own destiny,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe big multinational breweries were really dictating things on our counters. We wanted to give customers a bit of a better choice, but as well as that we had to start thinking a little bit differently \u2013 not being at the mercy of [the big breweries].\u201d<\/p>\n

He says Changing Times\u2019 prices have not budged in the past year and no increases are planned for 2026. He suggests that this could soon make them 50 to 60 cent cheaper than their multinational counterparts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just getting a bit much,\u201d he says of the most recent price hike from Diageo. \u201cI didn\u2019t see any justification for going at it again. Big Stout\u2019s shareholders in London are calling the shots there, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aherne says the Changing Times team tapped into existing relationships in the early days, such as that with the Cork brewer Shane Long, founder of the Franciscan Well brewery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d meet Shane when he\u2019d come up to Dublin and we would support him. He used to come up and deliver the beer and sleep in his van and we took his range of bottles at the time. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo we kind of had a relationship with Shane and we\u2019d meet him every few months and have a pint. And it was over a pint we said we should give this a go ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says it was Long\u2019s suggestion that he bring in a number of pubs \u2013 to make sure the drinks had a clear route to market.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we kind of said: \u2018Right \u2013 we need a few others to bring on board. It\u2019s not an easy project\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company lists 12 families among its shareholders. <\/p>\n

Aherne reels them off \u2013 mentioning the Mangan brothers, who own Doheny and Nesbitts on Baggot Street, Alan Campbell of The Bankers Bar on Trinity Street, and Noel Anderson of Grand Slam Bars.<\/p>\n

Along with city centre pubs such as The Long Hall and Sheehan\u2019s, Aherne says there is a solid platform for the drinks. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we were to broadcast it and ask everyone [to come on board] it would never have got off the ground,\u201d he says. \u201cThere had to be no messing with it \u2013 it had to be: \u2018This is how we\u2019re doing it.\u2019 If we brought too many chiefs on board it wouldn\u2019t have got going.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the sounds of it, Aherne is enjoying the experience.<\/p>\n

The majority of pubs carrying the beers are in Dublin, with a couple of exceptions. Aherne says the initial plan was to keep it in the capital in order to control costs but Changing Times products can now also be found in Sligo and Limerick. <\/p>\n

At the end of the day we are their customers as well, you know, so they want to work with us. I think that\u2019s maybe the attitude they\u2019ve taken<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Willie Aherne<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just that you run into more expenses when you go outside Dublin \u2013 delivery and cleaning costs, and stuff like that. But we were approached by Tom Connolly\u2019s [in Sligo] \u2013 and how could you say no to Tom Connolly\u2019s? <\/p>\n

\u201cAlso with the Flannery\u2019s in Limerick \u2013 there\u2019s a few brothers who are actually relatives of mine. They\u2019ve four or five pubs in Limerick city and they came to us \u2013 the things they\u2019ve done down there are just phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says the Changing Times team have planned trips to both locations in the next few weeks. <\/p>\n

It was perhaps just a matter of time before those in the pub trade tapped into the microbrewery market. There has been an explosion of small Irish operations over the past 10 years \u2013 wrestling for space and prominence behind bar counters. <\/p>\n

The large established breweries have responded by expanding their range of products \u2013 in an attempt to retain customers, who have now developed a taste for the modern IPA.<\/p>\n

So what does Big Stout up the road at St James\u2019s Gate make of the development?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re kind of cute enough,\u201d says Aherne. \u201cI think they were watching, kind of scratching their head a little bit. This was a new one for them. We weren\u2019t a little upstart brewery.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day we are their customers as well, you know, so they want to work with us. I think that\u2019s maybe the attitude they\u2019ve taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

So there are no open hostilities?<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no, no. Maybe they thought as well \u2013 what\u2019s the word I\u2019m looking for \u2013 that we\u2019d end up f**king killing each other in the end. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all getting on though. It\u2019s a very good working relationship. Maybe they [Diageo] were hoping for a fall-out.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Has the St Brigid\u2019s Day bank holiday helped tourism?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Demand for the four beers rises and falls, he says, with the seasons. More requests for the venture\u2019s After Hours Hazy Pale Ale in the summer, more sales of its Clockwork Velvet Stout in the winter months.<\/p>\n

Lacking the marketing clout of the multinationals, Aherne says \u201cguerrilla\u201d branding opportunities are on the agenda for 2026 but he concedes that it will be difficult breaking the loyalty of drinkers to established brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s certain times of the year where it can dip a little bit \u2013 you know, Christmas time \u2013 you get a lot of suburban people coming into the city and they\u2019re very much brand brainwashed. It\u2019s the likes of Coors and Moretti, which they\u2019d ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n

While busying himself with a potential expansion of the Changing Times brand, Aherne is also working on a new project around the corner from the Palace.<\/p>\n

He is renovating a property on Aston Quay with the intention of turning it into a new bar with a classic pub-shop aesthetic. With plans to name it after his Tipperary grandfather who first ran the Palace \u2013 Bill Aherne \u2013 he has been scouring the country for vintage pub furniture and fittings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to really give it a bit of soul, a real lovely old feel. Old mirrors, old taps, lovely floor. We\u2019ve had an artist from west Kerry do something on the ceiling for us. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a blank canvas, a great opportunity. And the beauty of it? It\u2019s 10 seconds around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new establishment will serve as another platform for Changing Times, he says. <\/p>\n

The Irish pub \u2013 in particular the rural pub \u2013 has been in documented decline for the past decade. <\/p>\n

Pub numbers have fallen significantly \u2013 and Covid permanently closed the doors on many a struggling business.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0More than 2,000 pubs have closed since 2005, with further 1,000 at risk in next decadeOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

While Aherne, like many industry figures, notes the impact from the increase in the minimum wage and pension auto-enrolment, he is loath to harp on about price increases from the breweries. He says he would rather talk about what is in his control.<\/p>\n

The Palace is \u201cblessed\u201d, says Aherne, by dint of its location on the edge of Temple Bar \u2013 and a strong mixture of different types of clientele. <\/p>\n

Visitors from the United States helped swell the coffers last year and there is no shortage of passing trade. But he does worry about the rising cost of living in general and whether that will soon bite harder on trade.<\/p>\n

From an industry perspective, what does he think the Government could be doing to enhance its prospects? <\/p>\n

He notes French efforts to have Parisian cafes listed as Unesco heritage sites \u2013 a move that was recently endorsed by president Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to see the Irish pub recognised,\u201d he says. \u201cThe heritage thing \u2013 there\u2019s an argument to be made there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say it in the Lonely Planet about the visitors who come to Ireland \u2013 what is their main reason? It\u2019s the Irish pub and the experience of Irish music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s something we can just take for granted. I think we have to mind that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, price hikes aside, the relationship between the Changing Times publicans and the likes of Diageo remains amicable enough, says Aherne. So does he still take the occasional pint of the black stuff? <\/p>\n

\u201cAh, I\u2019d like a pint of \u2018Big Stout\u2019 every now and again,\u201d he says. \u201cBut you have to support the small man, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

CV<\/p>\n

Name: Willie Aherne<\/p>\n

Age: 49<\/p>\n

Position: Third-generation family owner of the Palace Bar in Dublin and co-owner of the Changing Times brewery. <\/p>\n

Family: Married to a Kildare woman; they have three children.<\/p>\n

Something you might expect: loves the feel of traditional family pubs around the country.<\/p>\n

Something that might surprise: Owns one-tenth of a greyhound with nine Kerry men, called Solo and Go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a Friday afternoon in the upstairs snug of Dublin\u2019s Palace Bar, and the words Guinness and Diageo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,6424,604,29571,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-283709","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-diageo","10":"tag-guinness","11":"tag-heineken","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}