In the 1930s, the physicist Erwin Schrodinger proposed a now famous thought experiment to help explain quantum mechanics and particle duality. He asked to imagine a cat in a box, without you looking inside the box, there is no way to ascertain whether the cat is alive or dead. Given that these are both likely possibilities (particularly if there are no air-holes in the box) until you look in the box, the cat is both alive and dead, as the possibility for both exists.
That is the best allegory which I summoned within the 30 or so seconds of thought I gave to the idea to help explain a new bar that is set to open in Dublin that will be alcohol free. You see it is simultaneously both 'a bar' and 'not a bar'. "Perhaps," I hear you say, "You should've given slightly more thought to find an apt comparison for use in your opening paragraph." Well it is simply too late now, we are too invested at this stage.
The Virgin Mary Bar will open on Capel Street in February and will sell a selection of alcohol free beers, wines and spirits. The decor will be designed to appear as a standard bar however.
Even though their scheduled opening date means they will be missing out on the custom of all those people who's collective guilt from drinking over the year accumulated to a point that they decided to try dry January, there is a steadily growing number of people who rarely if ever drink.
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The idea for the pub came from Vaughan Yates and Oisin Davis, who became frustrated at the dearth of venues suitable for people wanting to hang out with friends after work say but who didn't want to drink.
The Virgin Mary Bar will be open 7 days a week from mid February, from 4pm-11pm each day.
