The Irish Pub Company, part of the McNally Design Group, has won the services category in the AIB Capital Markets/IEA Export Awards for 1997. Along with Guinness, the company designed and created the Irish pub phenomenon worldwide. It has built more than 250 pubs in at least 37 different countries worldwide. The announcement means that the company will now compete for the overall exporter of the year title.

The judging panel were "greatly impressed with the growing worldwide presence of the company's uniquely designed pubs."