The Oyster

[jc]

what a perfect venue for us! lovely palce....really liked it! the sooner it converts the better...they'll make a fortune!

[NuMarvel]

Never been there. Curious to know though - has anyone started going there more often now that there's the possibility that it will become a gay venue?

Have this thing about seeing how people behave and act and react and just curious if this has changed anyone's behaviour. (Yes, I the guy that's always in the Other Place in the white lab coat and the bunsen burner!)

[jc]

to be honest...i dont think that place is turning gay at all! its not the kind of place for it! ok i know the taboo lane is dodgey enuf, ut that lane to the oyster! wud not like to be leaving there on my own! seriously scary! i think we should just flood the cube! it was going really gay there for a while during the summer but then it died again...

[Proud Mary 1980]

I was nearly always in the Qube last Summer, the Oyster I haven't been in yet, I hear tis up steps but nice.

[bo_selecta]

I was in The Oyster last week for one drink (non-alcoholic). From what i can remember, there are no steps going into it but all the tables are quite high...bar stool height. I don't remeber seeing any low tables...could be wrong though.

[damien]

Not been in there in ages but I don't remember steps and yes the tables were high and very old style. Roomy enough if I remember too.

As for that lane to the Oyster, theres more than one bar in that lane and its pretty safe. Its lit up and it doesn't have taxis roaring up and down it.

Until theres official word about this bar closing down and reopening to server a gay clientele I think all this conjecture is a waste of everyones energy.

[markinmanc]

slighty off topic, but what do people actually regard as the scene? speaking as a outsider, all i can tell is loafers, taboo, other place. one seems mixed, bodega seem to attract a clientel that means LGBTs dont feel threatened.

what else is there?

as for gay scene. liverpool, over the last 6 months has seen its scene expolde - at least three times as big - tho a lot of people credit this to the draw of garlands -2,000 gay/gay firendly people need somewhere to drink.

if it can happen in liverpool, it can happen in cork,but t eeds council backing and encouragement before pub/club owners will go down that route imho.

its also matter of investment - i mean blackpool is a gay mecca, mainly cos one person put his money in - basil newby.

[damien]

If it can be demonstrated and proved to business people / investors that theres money in the scene then more venues will cater for the gay population. Unfortunately I don't think many venues so far are showing that the scene is profitable.

10% of the population cannot be ignored by any business nowadays when fractions of one percentage point matter and when this 10% spend more on entertainment than the average punter then people will begin to take notice.

You just need the business people in Ireland to mature and wiseup a little. A lot of them still have the mentality of the 50s when it comes to foreseeing the future. The future is a very pink variety of rose.

[markinmanc]

thing is tho, from what i can see venues in cork dont have to make an effort to attract the pink pound. people flit from gay to straight pubs.
a lot is down the owners i agree, maybe when the smoking ban hits it will make a difference. we socialise more, and spend more whilst doing so, than other groups.

we shall see.

[damien]

Seems to me gay venues in Cork aren't realising how much they can make if they just push the envelope a bit more. Theres a difference between doing well and cleaning up. Of course you have to strictly run things and be seen to be always reinvesting some of the cash and taking the feedback from the people into consideration.

Making the effort and keeping the punters happy will allow you to clean up in this city with an underserved gay population.

[Proud Mary 1980]

Back to the oyster I'll have to demand a few low tables or just stand

[TopLad]

I for one will not be frequenting the new gay Oyster if it opens. It is a gay bashers dream location. A narrow dim lane that is a cul-de-sac. Its will be like lambs to the slaughter. Cant you just see the yobbos who sometimes hang around the lane near Taboo or near the Other Place having a right good time of attacking gay people coming from the place. There are no security cameras on the lane & there is only one way to exit the lane i.e. on to Patricks St. I think it is a BAD location. Does anyone else feel that sometimes we forget that there is a lot of gay hate out there & that we do have to smell the coffee sometimes & not put ourselves in any undue risk. At leat the other place is in a location that is accesible & not a narrow lane & they have adequate security.

[Bootyzilla]

Oh dear. But the other pub there has a bouncer, right next door, as well as the Oyster in its current incarnation, so I imagine the Oyster will go on having one. The ownership isn't changing hands and I can't see why they'd stop having a doorman now.

Also, having been a regular patron of Taboo for years, I have to say I never once had any bad experiences either entering or leaving it, and I've only heard once of anyone receiving verbal abuse - from a confused trash-chicken who'd been drinking in there a half an hour beforehand. Even then there was no physical abuse.

Maybe you're being a bit negative? The Cork Scene needs a new bar like crazy, for the competition if for nothing else. And you'll be one of the only ones avoiding the place, I promise.

[LeBaron]

Agree with Booty on this, I am sure they will take whatever security precautions are necessary, probably more so as it will be run on a professional, commercial, basis.

Another point is that fear begets fear.
I understand that we all, str8s and gays alike, need to take reasonable precautions against the scum out there, but if we constantly go around talking of " fear " we will all end up very scared !

[damien]

quoteOriginally posted by TopLad
A narrow dim lane that is a cul-de-sac. Its will be like lambs to the slaughter. . ... I think it is a BAD location. Does anyone else feel that sometimes we forget that there is a lot of gay hate out there & that we do have to smell the coffee sometimes..


Smell the Coffee ? Smell the fucking Jeyes Fluid TopLad. When it comes to hate location doesn't matter. There is also a chance of getting the shit kicked out of you in Cork for just being in Cork City. You going to stay away from Cork just because the potential is there ? Look at the statistics for gay bashing as opposed to just random violence for no cause. You are far more likely to getting the crap kicked out of you just because you are near a pub.

Irrational fear will not discourage me from going there, I'll happily frequent that place and its location is not an issue for me. I go to the Vineyard on occasion on that well lit Cul De Sac you mention. Theres security in there and theres probably going to be security in the Oyster. I feel safe and I'll feel safe in the Oyster.

If the need for security cameras on that lane arises I'm sure they'll be fitted. The City Council and the Dept of Justice have grants for the installation of camera systems I believe if it means crimes will be prevented.

You can't go around worrying about the unkown or things that could happen. Do you honestly think violent attacks can be prevented by a lane being made wider and having two "escape" routes ?

Carpe Diem. Enjoy life, live it. Stop being so afraid.

[Bootyzilla]

quoteOriginally posted by TopLad
At leat the other place is in a location that is accesible & not a narrow lane & they have adequate security.

What Other Place are you visiting, TopLad? Are there two? The long dark walk from Patrick St. down to the Club is, as you put it, the same kind of 'gay-basher's dream', but since the Club has been there, and open, for years, we can only assume that this doesn't happen. Their security is adequate, but indoors a lot of the time, and I don't think it'd be too easy to hear an attack from inside the doors over the noise of a nightclub inside.

I think you might be buying into a Fear Culture - I don't know of any gay-bashings that have ever happened on or just off Patrick St. - I think homophobes are more discreet. As someone who's worked in pubs and nightclubs for years, I really have to say I can't see the Oyster's location as being a catalyst for gay-bashing.

[TopLad]

Again - misrepresented. I know of 3 gay bashing incidents in the last year on patricks street (know one of the guys who was attacked). The simple fact is that once people know it is a gay bar, then it will bring all the baggage with it re the yobbos. I' myself have experienced the "faggot" calling when going into the club & have been followed twice when leaving - not by a trick but by 2 lads up for a bashing. Just imagine if you were in that narrow lane with no where to go if you were cornered in it. Why isnt there a new gay venue somewhere like the Raven or the Mardyke Ent complex? Not blatently open but not down a narrow dead end laneway. U all talk about "stand up to the fear" & "be open & proud" - well if ye were then ye wouldnt be so thrilled at the possibility of the oyster being a new gay bar. You would be demanding not to be relegated again to a laneway. But I can already hear you say - "its better than nothing" & I say - "so much for the I'm here - I'm Queer mentality!" - we accept the shit (such as the dirt in Taboo). I'm sure the new place will do well, but most of the people I've talked to about it are concerned about it location & the fact - plain & simple - its in a narrow dead-end lane. U wouldnt get this in anyother city. Is the George located in a lane? Whats good for Dublin, should be good for Cork.

[LeBaron]

I'll bet there were a lot more str8 guys assualted on Patrick St last year that there were gay bashings, its a sad fact of life in any largish city and something we all, regretfully, have to live with.

[redbulljunkie]

plenty of str8 bars down lanes as well.

let's face it, cork has a crap pub/club scene in general. the savoy was the only good club and now it's gone.

[Bootyzilla]

What's good for Dublin is the fact that the gay population there is an awful lot bigger than the one in Cork. Do you think that the George would stay gay if the profit margins were as thin as they are here? Do you suppose that the gay community in Dublin would boycott a new gay venue down a laneway if they had no other gay venues to choose from, for fear of maybe getting bashed? Do you propose that we all stay indoors and at home until someone opens a gay venue that fronts onto Patrick St.?

Nobody has said it's better than nothing because we haven't got nothing. It will either be better or worse than what we have already. You say in this post that we should be demanding better & brighter venues, but without the audiences to fill them then they will never come to pass. You also seem to be in favour of supporting a gay venue that meets your very high standards, and yet, Toplad, in other posts, you say you agree with a very exclusive policy for the operation of these clubs. Which would be perfectly fine in a city with a large enough market for it, but that just isn't Cork yet.

When Taboo opened in competition with the Other Place and Loafer's, a new set of faces sprung out of the woodwork, be it either out of curiosity to see the new venue or the desire to come out. Now Cork's gay population is big enough to support three bars and a nightclub. The bottom line is that we're not going to get venues without punters, and we can't have punters without venues. Provided the new bar is good I'm going to support it as much as I can. If we all do the same we're only strengthening our own scene, which will mean better and more varied venues.

And isn't that what you wanted in the first place?

[LeBaron]

As a matter of fact there is only ONE SINGLE pub that fronts on to Patrick Street ( Le Cheateau ) all the rest are down laneways or side streets, so in that aspect at least we have won the battle to be treated as equals with the Str8 population

[D]

[damien]

quoteOriginally posted by TopLad
Is the George located in a lane? Whats good for Dublin, should be good for Cork.


Entrance to the George after around 10.30 (sometimes before that) *is* on a sidelane.

[Proud Mary 1980]

Hunny I never use the side enterance of the George, they know who I am.

[LeBaron]

Respect ! I like that

[NuMarvel]

Yeah.. you should have seen the bouncers after Mary was done with them. It's okay though, the bouncer didn't really need the missing body part in question.

[Proud Mary 1980]

The chair went out of control

[Bootyzilla]

LOL

[amnesiac]

You should have seen me in the cahir Wednesday night... broke it whilst dancing to Britney v. Madonna. But Mary loves me and forgives me )
Even when I steal her sausage rolls.

[NuMarvel]

Well it's good to see another Weapon of Mass Destruction put beyond use...

[Slayer]

I still have tire marks on my toes over ya Mary!!
I'm tellin' ya, once she has a few wkd's in her she's the devil on wheels. lol

[Proud Mary 1980]

amnesiac you don't realise how lucky you are, slayer the marks will ware off

[LeBaron]

Hey Amnesiac, Dont think the Bar Steward in Laffers were very impressed with the wheelies you were doin in Marys Weapon of Mass Destruction

You [))]

[amnesiac]

IF looks could kill eh?

"I Wanna Get In The Zone... shit what does this piece do? *flings footpiece form the chair at Loafers barman* All my people on the floor, let me see you spin..."

[LeBaron]

The term that sprang to mind was a Spinning Dervish.
I think he was just pissed off at the skid marks on the floor

[Proud Mary 1980]

Thats cause they know how important that chair is, if it was broken I could not go out, could probably manage a pub but not a club.

[Slayer]

And y'all haven't seen the electric one with a horn and everything.

You think the manual one was dangerous, don't get in the way of this baby!

[amnesiac]

Fondly known as "The Bitch."

[Proud Mary 1980]

No the eletric one is known as Johnnie 5

[Slayer]

It doesn't even have the pretty flashing lights to soften the blow.

[LeBaron]

Does that infer that Amnesiac broke Johnnies 1 to 4 ?

[amnesiac]

Anyway, moving swiftly back ON topic, the Oyster is now under it's new management.

[Slayer]

But is it gay??

[amnesiac]

Not yet, but according to management in both Taboo and Loafers it is definitely turning gay and will be doing so over the next two or three months.

[NuMarvel]

Have to ask what may seem like a stupid question, but what exactly is it that makes a bar "gay"? I can understand why the manegement of a bar would want to attract a gay clientele (more punters, more money and all that) but how exactly do they make a pub "gay"?

I guess what I'm trying to ask, is why do we consider the Oyster (or any other pub for that matter) more gay now than before?

[markinmanc]

do you think marys wheels will count as chicken pullers?[I]

[Proud Mary 1980]

Chicken pullers?

[northsider]

The Oyster is closed now.
I guess they rae renovovating it or something. Should be open soon.

[LeBaron]

nice moves

[Proud Mary 1980]

I wonder will they put in low tables and a wheelchair loo? Doubt it, ah but there is still hope.

[bo_selecta]

Is there not regulations in place for any publicly accessible building to have wheelchair friendly facilites if they refurbish or build these days?

I've just been involved with the planning of a new building and we had to put loads of features in place to make it 100% accessible for wheelchair users and people who are visually impaired.

This in my opinion is right but we had fun jumping through hoops for various bodies as everyone's regulations seemed to contrdict the other ones from Fire Officers to Health and Safety, etc.

[Proud Mary 1980]

They do but loopoles are in place

[jc]

oh goodie... that sounds promising about the oyster! twil be gas! no more taboo! its gone really old lately... its like thees a swap going on between loafers and taboo customers!

[jc]

and what the hell is a chicken puller? what was that supposed to mean!?

[LeBaron]

JC, in a small scene I'm afraid your gonna have to be tolerant of a wide mix of types and ages, so the young and the ( ahem ) more experienced will have to share the same space

[amnesiac]

yeah jc, and sometimes the balding leery types are much younger than you might think [;)]

[Bootyzilla]

Mind you, with the shape and size of Cork's chicken population, it's a wonder anyone leers at all.

[Proud Mary 1980]

The Oyster will be good, it'll widen the choice, the change from taboo to loafers is due to the choice of the cutomer, if you want taboo to have a younger crowed, go there.

[Bootyzilla]

Yes. Yes and Yes. I'd love it if everyone started going to the Oyster tho (or wehatever it's going to be called now). Wouldn't it be nice of there was a really broad mix of people?

[jc]

hey... i wasnt complaining... i was just putting my point across...taboo has changed! as much as i go on about it...ill always end up going there in the end! and then onto the club! drunk most of the time there, but i guess its the same for 90% of the other people that go there! roll on the week end! party!!!!!!

[Proud Mary 1980]

"hey... i wasnt complaining... i was just putting my point across...taboo has changed! as much as i go on about it...ill always end up going there in the end! and then onto the club! drunk most of the time there, but i guess its the same for 90% of the other people that go there! roll on the week end! party!!!!!! "

Putting your point across is fine, my point is, Taboo has changed, but thats as a result of the punters choice.

[northsider]

quoteOriginally posted by Proud Mary 1980
I wonder will they put in low tables and a wheelchair loo? Doubt it, ah but there is still hope.


Don't know if they wll change much but in the old oyster there was a disabled toilet. Not sure if they will keep it. Hope they do!

[Proud Mary 1980]

Didnt know there was one, in that case it would be very foolish to remove it.

[LeBaron]

" It's hoped to launch the first week in March and from talking to the people behind this venture I'm getting very, very good vibes. "

I have heard the same ( maybe we are talking to the same ppl )
Anyway it looks like we are in for a pleasent surprise

[LeBaron]

PS Mary will KILL you 4 locking her thread

[jc]

no its alright... it was another one of mine he locked... i just thought this particular thread was finished so i was looking for just a news flash type thread by putting up the other one... nonetheless, the news looks good... and lets hope this will be worth while and not another belly up attempt to improve the scene!

[LeBaron]

Fingers crossed !

[jc]

hey.... i heard a rumour there! is there any truth to it... i heard that when the Oyster opens to the gay community, taboo is going to be up for sale!!!! i think they should keep it open... there's sure to be people that will prefer taboo...and i think having an option of three exclusively 'gay' pubs in this city will help us a lot in catching up with cities like dublin and belfast! whats the story like!

[Proud Mary 1980]

Don't know, think it'll be a shame if Taboo closes.

[redbulljunkie]

well anyone who buys Taboo will turn it into a gay bar I'd say. What else could you turn a cramped rainbow coloured bar down a damp alleyway into?

[Proud Mary 1980]

true

[solice]

i think that taboo should remain open, (personal opinion) cant stand the place!!!! but this is all about competition! its all about providing a better service to the consumer!

[amnesiac]

I fdon't think it will be commercially viable for the bar to remain open in it's current guise should The Oyster be the success we're hoping it to be.

[markinmanc]

I don't know, there is room for a few bars in Cork I would suspect. Posters on here seem to go to both Loafers and Taboo, but they are two very different pubs. Mind you, if the Oyster gets a late licence, that may be a different kettle of drink.

Liverpool isn't that much bigger population-wise that the Cork are. The scene there has exploded over the last year or so, nearly all the venues are still open. Very busy at weekends, less so during the week.

I wonder if the same will happen in Cork - more choice may make people more likely to go out, it will also attract people from outside Cork.

I don't know the finances behind all the above - profits etc, but I won't be surpised if another pub opens up this year, maybe around the same area.

Iirc the Oyster is a big enough place?

[amnesiac]

As somebody who has worked in a gay bar in Cork and knows a little bit more than most about turnover etc. I think it is most unlikely that another gay bar will open in Cork mark. A venue as big as the Oyster is a risky venture but I do hope it's successful.

[markinmanc]

You don't think more venues would bring more people out then? Mind you a pub in Cork probably costs a lot more than in England, the economics would be different.

The growth in Liverpool's scene owes a lot to the council as well. Do you think the Corpo would push Cork as a good place for gays to visit?

[bo_selecta]

quoteOriginally posted by amnesiac
As somebody who has worked in a gay bar in Cork and knows a little bit more than most about turnover etc. I think it is most unlikely that another gay bar will open in Cork mark. A venue as big as the Oyster is a risky venture but I do hope it's successful.


I think that a lot of gay people in Cork don't go out on the scene because they don't like what is on offer there at the moment.

More gay bars = more choice and hopefully leads to more people going out on the scene.

[markinmanc]

The same goes for most place. I doubt a large percentage of the Manchester gay population(50k plus) goes down canal street. For social,personal and economic reasons it reduces.

Amnesiac probably a point but if the Oyster is a success, then someone else will want a slice of the pie.

[jc]

I hope Taboo doesnt close!
its like, i dont wanna sound negative but what if the oyster goes belly up! what then? will we suddenly become limited to loafers? ya sure theres the gay friendly bars, but id prefer to have the choice....
i mean, i know theres always complaints about taboo but its what u make it... i like it, but i do agree a bigger bar is needed in this city... even loafers in size limited! the oyster will be a big change and a big move forward for cork gay life...

i just wish theyd hurry up and open the place!

[Bootyzilla]

quoteOriginally posted by bo_selecta
[
I think that a lot of gay people in Cork don't go out on the scene because they don't like what is on offer there at the moment.

More gay bars = more choice and hopefully leads to more people going out on the scene.


Which is precisely what happened when Taboo opened first. No reason it shouldn;t happen again.

[solice]

quoteOriginally posted by bo_selecta

I think that a lot of gay people in Cork don't go out on the scene because they don't like what is on offer there at the moment.

More gay bars = more choice and hopefully leads to more people going out on the scene.


im in agreement, alot of people actually really dont like taboo as a pub. the can only see its bad qualities. there are about 40,000 people in the city, that makes 4000 queers give or take the repressed, the curious and the ones in denial. even if 80% of those people didnt go out ever (for whatever reasons) then that still leaves 800 people to fill all 3 bars and still have people left over to go to bodega and the rhino rooms et al.
the people are there, they just are not going out because at the moment they dont like what they see. a wider choice will attract more people. it will increase competition and other pubs will have to do some alterations to get some of the pie. this can only be a good thing for the comunity.

as for the corpo trying to make cork a gay tourist venue, i would think that corpo would probably try and make cork a tourist attraction first. hopefully with 2005 fast approaching and the cranes around the city going up every day things will change in the very near future

[Rec]

More choice = a good thing IMHO!
More Buildings = more hunky builders = another good thing!

[bo_selecta]

quoteOriginally posted by Rec
More Buildings = more hunky builders = another good thing!


Excellent point Rec...Never thought of that aspect of it myself!

[paul_cork_24]

The Oyster is a grand pub its big so no cramping in, like sat nites in taboo sometimes its ridicolous... If the lads starting up this venture have there idea's in place and good entertainment lined up you can say good bye taboo... It was never managed right from day one and is just run down this place waiting for that roof to collaspe with all its leaks, lets hope it closes bfore the roof does collaspe and a bad accident happens.. The oyster has an upstairs as well as a down stairs nice dj box and space to dance and a good lenght bar and im sure wont have a shortage of change like taboo has when you buy a drink..... Competition is good bring it on and lets see what happens....

[amnesiac]

02-03-04

Not the ACTUAL opening but close enough... and wouldn't it make for great marketing?

[jc]

anyone know if the oyster is gonna have a type of qube vibe, with a club upstairs? i know there is an upstairs in the place... it would be good to finally give the other place some competition... maybe even the opportunity to demolish it and rebuilt a better club...its clearly past its sell by date

[jc]

'The Oyster is closed now.
I guess they rae renovovating it or something. Should be open soon.'

i never heard such crap in my life! was in there over the weekend to get the load down and i knew one of the bar staff so asked her about it! she knew nothing of it and said someone is just pull my leg!

what like? is it or isnt it? is this just another publicity stunt to try get another gay pub in town or something! if it is then i for one sure dont want to be going there the first night this 'experiment' is carried out! u see the scum bags in there? we'll get our heads kicked in!

we need some more proof that this place is going gay! like try posters anouncing openings or whatever! at the moment it seems to be all just pie in the sky! who was the initial person who said this anyway? were u drunk of something? and then ppl got all excited and it got out of control? is that it like?

[amnesiac]

JC Both I and the Admin have spoken to the new manangement and have said as much here.

[jc]

what u mean? that it is?

[Bootyzilla]

Hello? YES! It IS opening as a Gay Bar, and soon, too. Now let's have no more arguing the point.

[Proud Mary 1980]

Well said

[jc]

i was just saying like! jeeeesus!

[Bootyzilla]

I know, and i didn't mean to jump down your throat, but why oh why (and you are not the only one that does this JC!!!!) can't something happen in Cork without a thousand and seven questions about the who why what where when?????

[Rec]

Cause Cork is a far more community based environment than Dublin or larger cities. Everyone has at least one or two degrees of connection so these questions have arisen from that. however at the same time cork is big enough not for that to be claustrophobic.

[jc]

we're all just curious about this new pub.... if it does go ahead... ill actually be involved with the managment of the place for reasons i cannot disclose here for legal reasons! so...hence... my questions!