GREAT ULSTER PUBS GO PINK FOR GIRO

07 May 2014

As the build up for the Giro d’Italia gets under way, pubs across Northern Ireland are getting in the Pink, with special Giro themed promotions, competitions running as part of The Great Ulster Pub Week, , which runs until this Friday, 9th May 2014.

From Giro themed gin cocktails at Muriel’s Café Bar, Belfast, to a Giro fun cycle in Magherafelt, an Italian Whiskey Club night at The Hudson, Belfast and a Giro themed pub quiz at Bureau by The Lough in Whiteabbey, Ulster’s Great Pubs are gearing up to welcome the iconic cycle race in style.

Pubs taking part in The Great Ulster Pub Week are also decking themselves out in fuchsia, rose and cerise to create a big bright welcome to the world’s cyclists as they descend en masse to Northern Ireland this week.

Iconic Belfast Pub, The Duke of York has painted the benches in its picturesque cobbled laneway pink, with coordinated floral baskets and decorations adding to the Giro themed feel. 

The National Grande Café has installed an eye-catching window display, with a pink bicycle, wheels and Italian bunting becoming quite a talking point.

In Portrush, a big pink ‘RAMORE’ sign in the ilk of the famous Hollywood sign now graces the rooftop of the Ramore complex. Meanwhile, The Harbour Bar – Pubs of Ulster’s Pub of the Year 2013 – will host a charity ‘Pink Night’ on Thursday, with bar staff being kitted out in pink waistcoats and aprons and punters being encouraged to don their best pink clobber to raise money for Willie’s Orphan Fund.

Pubgoers cycling to selected Great Ulster Pub Week pubs in Belfast City can also avail of a free Coca Cola as part of the brand’s Designated Cyclist campaign. On presentation of their cycling helmet, or bike lock, cyclists can redeem a complimentary Coca Cola in selected venues, including White’s Tavern and The Cloth Ear.

And there are Giro themed competitions galore running throughout The Great Ulster Pub Week too; The National Grande Café and The Cloth Ear in Belfast are running a competition this week to win top of the range cross trail bikes, whilst The Dirty Onion, also in The Cathedral Quarter, has flights for two to Italy up for grabs. Check out the venues’ Facebook pages for further details.

The Great Ulster Pub Week kicked off on Thursday 1st May and runs until Friday 9th May, coinciding with Stage One of the Giro D’Italia Big Start, which will see the Team Time Trial take place in Belfast.

Commenting on The Great Ulster Pub Week’s Giro themed events and activities, Mark Stewart, chairman, Pubs of Ulster said:

“The packed programme of Great Ulster Pub Week activity, including an array of Giro d’Italia themed events, highlights the incredible range of cultural activity taking place in pubs right across Northern Ireland. We hope the week ahead inspires people to explore some of our truly Great local pubs, whilst gearing up for the great spectacle that will be the Giro d’Italia.”

In pubs right across Northern Ireland, The Great Ulster Pub Week is creating a real buzz, serving as an important reminder of how ‘Great’ Ulster’s pubs truly are.  

The Great Ulster Pub Week runs until Friday 9th May and is supported by Discover Northern Ireland, Coca Cola, Coors Light, Guinness, Harp, Heineken, Jameson and Tennent’s, with media partners, Downtown/Cool FM, Hospitality Review NI and The Sunday Life.

For further Giro d’Italia themed highlights, click here. Find The Great Ulster Pub Week on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram using the hashtag, #UlsterPubWeek