{"id":563645,"date":"2026-07-23T03:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/563645\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T03:30:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:30:43","slug":"i-dont-drink-and-i-dont-smoke-so-this-is-it-friday-night-at-the-bingo-in-whitehall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/563645\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I don’t drink and I don’t smoke, so this is it!’: Friday night at the bingo in Whitehall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Cormac Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

In this brand-new series, journalist and spoken word artist Cormac Fitzgerald travels to a different town or suburb each week to cover the gigs and cultural experiences you rarely see covered by Irish media outlets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s subject:\u00a0A Friday night at the bingo in Whitehall.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

ELLEN HILL HAS been playing bingo in clubs around Dublin for decades.<\/p>\n

Living in Portland Row in the north inner city, Ellen used to play in the popular Macushla Ballroom at the corner of Foley Street and Buckingham Street before it shut down in the late \u201980s. Now aged 92, she has been coming to the bingo in Whitehall, in Dublin\u2019s northside, for over 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s coming years and years and years,\u201d her daughter, Valerie, told me during a break in play on a mild Friday night in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe comes on a Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. She loves the bingo, that\u2019s her life now \u2013 bingo. She\u2019s a bingoaholoic. She\u2019ll tell you, she doesn\u2019t drink or smoke, she only plays the bingo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda remembers going to the Macushla with her mother, the room choked with cigarette smoke. After it closed, they went to other halls around the city before settling on Whitehall.<\/p>\n

Ellen has won big a few times over the years, but it wouldn\u2019t be a regular occurrence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people come for the social aspect of it,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one woman, I\u2019ve never seen her winning, but she keeps coming. She wouldn\u2019t be coming if it was just to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellen, smiling and half-listening as her daughter talks, said the bingo was \u201cjust a bit of fun\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t drink and I don\u2019t smoke, so this is it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitehall Bingo Club<\/p>\n

I had passed by the Whitehall Grand building many times in my life, heading up and down to Parnell Park in nearby Donnycarney, but this was my first time actually stepping inside the doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located on the traffic-clogged Collins Avenue, the imposing two-storey concrete structure sits incongruous among a row of shops, squeezed in between a pharmacy and a Chinese takeaway, across the road from Whitehall GAA Club.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0111\"
\n The Whitehall Grand on a Friday night in Dublin. Cormac Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Cormac Fitzgerald\n<\/p>\n

Built in the 1950s as a 1,000-seater cinema, the Grand was converted into a full-time bingo hall in the 1970s and was run for decades by Gael Linn, the Irish language organisation, before being sold in the 2000s. It has been operating for a long time, an alternative thing to do for people in the evenings instead of staying in, eating out, or going to the pub.<\/p>\n

I have always known it as Whitehall Bingo Club, but these days it is owned and operated by\u00a0Capital Entertainment & Leisure \u2013 who also own and run bingo halls and slot machines in Cabra, Crumlin and Tallaght \u2013 under the Jack Pott\u2019s Bingo brand. The company directors, Iain Finnegan and Wil Byrne, also run a US-based gaming and real-estate firm, Wilton Capital, and have a wide portfolio of business interests in Ireland and abroad.<\/p>\n

Coming in off the street, the foyer of the Grand is like a miniature casino, crammed with big, flashing slot machines and games. But walk past these into the bingo hall itself, and it is like stepping into a time capsule of the 1980s or 1990s.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0128\"
\n Just before the Bingo starts in Whitehall. Cormac Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Cormac Fitzgerald\n<\/p>\n

Rows upon rows of fixed plastic tables and cushioned seats line the old cinema theatre above a colourful patterned carpet. There are coin slots at each table for playing \u201cpongo\u201d, a rapid-fire kind of bingo that takes place during breaks in the main action.<\/p>\n

A good few hundred could fit into the space easily, but these days the upstairs is closed off. The Grand is a protected structure, and the old aesthetic is a breath of fresh air in a city rapidly being taken over by smooth, frictionless interiors and insipid, modern design.<\/p>\n

On a stage, an announcer calls out the numbers as they come up. It\u2019s cash only, no card payments, and apart from the purple Jack Pott\u2019s branding, you might think that not much has changed here in decades.<\/p>\n

But beneath the surface, a lot has changed in the world of bingo since the old Macushla and Gael Linn days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pay to play<\/p>\n

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Karen O\u2019Connor, head of business development with Capital, who showed me around the place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I sat with Karen\u2019s family, a friendly bunch who were there to play as well. Dwayne, the manager, set me up with a \u201cbee\u201d, a digital tablet that can be used to play the bingo as well as other games.<\/p>\n

The main game usually kicks off at 8.15pm. The vast room seemed quite empty when I first arrived, but filled up quickly as the clock moved towards start time. Most \u2013 but not all \u2013 of the punters were women, the majority aged over 60. But there were a few men and some younger bodies scattered throughout the crowd \u2013 some accompanying their mothers or relatives, others sitting alone.<\/p>\n

Most people there seemed like regulars, sitting in their own seats, chatting and laughing with one another, helping themselves to free tea, coffee and biscuits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once people were settled, Tonight\u2019s Gonna Be a Good Night by the Black Eyed Peas started to play out of the speakers and a hush fell over the room. The players got their blotters ready to go, and\u00a0we all got down to the bingo.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0167\"
\n Players deep in concentration. Cormac Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Cormac Fitzgerald\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to bingo, it can all seem impossibly confusing and fast-paced at first, but you catch on quick enough.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t go fully into it, but the idea is to mark numbers from 1-90 as they are called out, with prizes being won if you fill a line, two lines, or get a \u201cfull house\u201d of 15 numbers (you have to shout \u201cCheck!\u201d whenever these happen). The game ends after the full house, and a new round starts.<\/p>\n

Prizes typically ranged from \u20ac50 upwards, and climbed higher as the night progressed. Some games were linked up with the other bingo halls across Dublin, with \u20ac700 going at one point for a full house (but with the odds of winning reduced).<\/p>\n

At the start, I didn\u2019t have a clue what was happening, as the numbers were called out so fast. But it didn\u2019t really matter, as I was using a bee, which meant my numbers were marked automatically. All I had to do was call \u201cCheck!\u201d when the time was right.<\/p>\n

After a few games, my companion next to me noticed my screen was glowing, telling me I was one number off the winner. My number appeared and I meekly called \u201cCheck!\u201d (I was here to observe, not to win!) for a full house. Everything was in order and just like that, \u20ac100 was deposited onto my bee. I had that adrenaline rush that came with gambling, the buzz of suddenly having more money than I came in with.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0134\"
\n Bess are the main way to play bingo at Jack Pott’s. Cormac Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Cormac Fitzgerald\n<\/p>\n

The old and the new<\/p>\n

Despite my win, I realised quickly that the electronic way wasn\u2019t much fun to play. With all the work done for you, there was nothing to do but watch the screen and wait.<\/p>\n

But the bees are the main way to play and win at bingo at Jack Pott\u2019s.<\/p>\n

While you can get a typical paper book for as little as \u20ac5, the bees greatly increase your chances of winning. Whereas a typical book will only give you six panels per game, bees give you many multiples of that, as well as additional games to play. On a Friday night, prices range from \u20ac25 for a basic \u201cBronze\u201d bee, right up to \u20ac70 for the \u201cMaximum\u201d, which significantly increases your chances of winning the games (but also costs a lot more).<\/p>\n

Bingo runs six nights a week in Whitehall, with an afternoon session on Saturdays.\u00a0One player told me she could spend close to \u20ac100 on a Friday night, which is a lot of money to be dropping every week.<\/p>\n

Most of the seasoned players around me seemed to have a combination of electronic bees and traditional paper books so that they could occupy themselves and also maximise their chances of winning.<\/p>\n

After about an hour, there was a break in the main game (though a side game of pongo was played) and I walked around the room to chat to a few of the regulars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lorraine Curley from Coolock said she had been coming to bingo for 18 years. She was full of praise for the staff and the management at Whitehall, saying they always look after the customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI come every Friday. I come two of three nights a week, and more the following week if I win,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n

And what is it that brings her back?<\/p>\n

\u201cD\u2019you know what? It\u2019s the socialising. Even when you first come you\u2019re always welcome, you know? You never feel like a stranger or an outsider. It\u2019s always a nice welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire and Bethany were sitting a few tables away from Lorraine. A young couple recently engaged, they were there to try to raise some money for their wedding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to come with my nanny,\u201d Claire told me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYears ago now. But since she passed away I haven\u2019t been. So this is my first time back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0151\"
\n Claire and Bethany with their books and blotters.\n<\/p>\n

Despite being new to the game, the women were using blotters and paper books instead of the bees, and had no winners on the night.<\/p>\n

Closer to the centre of the room, Catherine O\u2019Connor and Kathleen Byrne said they have been coming to Whitehall together for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re coming for entertainment. You couldn\u2019t come here to win because you probably won\u2019t,\u201d Catherine said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a bit of community, they all know each other, they all keep the seats for each other and they all have their own special machine with the number on the side. They have their machine and it\u2019s a community of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not too sad if we don\u2019t win, but if we do win \u2013 happy days.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0197\"
\n Kathleen and Catherine have been coming to the bingo for years.\n<\/p>\n

Closing time<\/p>\n

For the second half, I decided to buy a paper book and I had a lot more fun. The physical act of marking the numbers made the evening go by faster. At the break, my companions went out and bought chips in the nearby chipper which they shared with me, and the smell of salt and vinegar wafted through the hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This seems like the proper, old school way to play bingo: low stakes, blotter in hand, and full concentration.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0192\"<\/p>\n

But at Jack Pott\u2019s it\u2019s only one of many ways to gamble money, and it\u2019s easy to see how people might drop a lot of cash every night.\u00a0From the main games, to pongo, to the additional games, to the slot machines, the temptation to spend more is always there.<\/p>\n

The women I spoke to all wanted to win money, for sure, but they were also there for something to do on a Friday night that was different from the pub or staying in. A chance to spend some time, catch up with friends and, who knows, maybe hit a big winner.<\/p>\n

I think I\u2019ll go back and play again with some friends. It\u2019s a fun, different way to spend a Friday night. But if I come it will be to play the old fashioned way, for a bit of craic and to soak up the atmosphere. And if I win (again) \u2013 happy days!<\/p>\n

The main games ended at about 10pm, and people started to file out. I said goodbye to my companions and the women I spoke to and headed back through the foyer and onto Collins Avenue.<\/p>\n

People were already sitting alone in front of the big slot machines as I passed them by, sinking coins into the slots, their faces lit up by the blue neon glow of the huge digital screens.<\/p>\n

Cormac will be back next Tuesday evening with another exploration of how Ireland spends its spare time (in ways that might surprise you).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cormac Fitzgerald In this brand-new series, journalist and spoken word artist Cormac Fitzgerald travels to a different town…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":563646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[238202,615,93,1471,61,60,238203,228613,25499,150696],"class_list":["post-563645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-bingo","tag-dublin","tag-entertainment","tag-gambling","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-jackpotts","tag-rockin-the-suburbs","tag-series","tag-whitehall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563645","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=563645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/563646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}