No longer can wine devotees down a few pints at Egan's in Liscannor before hunting out some of the best Bordeaux in Ireland. "I've served my time," says Patrick Egan, who closed the pub at Christmas: making 10 years of late nights sound like a difficult sentence, "if I'd killed somebody, I'd be out by now".
The good news is that, by the time this gets into print, the pub will have reopened as a browsers' delight of a wine shop. The Bordeaux selection is breathtaking as ever, with many outstanding vintages (1989 and 1990 Mouton, 1990 Margaux, 1986 HautBrion, 1982 Leoville-Lascases . . .) Coming down to earth with a bump, there are still two dozen whites and reds for everyday guzzling at just £60 a case.
What is new, since Patrick Egan featured here a few Christmases ago, is his growing love of Spanish wine. He has visited many of the current movers and shakers, such as Alvaro Palacios and Telmo Rodriguez, and notes - as Bordeaux prices continue to rise - that "Irish people are willing to pay good money - £20 or more - for Spain". He is also drawn to Italy. "You could be fooled by some of the SuperTuscans, they're so like good Bordeaux."
The pub licence means that wine buyers who feel tempted to open their purchase on the spot may do just that. "We'll have coffee, a few sandwiches, chairs outside in the summer," says this wine nut who continues to work as an architect (vivid blue specs are the clue), yet manages a wine trip to France every month.
Egan's, Liscannor. Tel/fax 065-7081430, email: egan1@eircom.net. Open noon-9 p.m.