April 1st 2025. I’m glad March is out of the way. Friction in the band, the Dubliner under new ownership, and an uncertain future for the sessions.
A chain of Irish-themed pubs, Harat’s ( https://thessaloniki.harats.com/en/ ), has bought the business. Unfortunately, for both the old and new owners, the name change may be inauspicious. The Dubliner, with a real Dubliner in charge, had a strong Irish feel to it, and it is hard to witness the erasure of a little Irish corner in the heart of Thessaloniki. The new chain names all their bars Harat’s Pubs, the sound of which, historically, has unfortunate connotations in Greek. Χαράτσι originally referred to the oppressive Ottoman tax that was placed on non-Muslims. Today it just means a heavy (and unfair) tax like the ENFIA, the tax on homeowners levied to pay off Greece’s debts.
Obviously, negotiations had been going on for quite a while but very few of us had any inkling of the handover until a few days before March 30th. Anyway, Ken asked me to organise a session or a gig for the The Dubliner’s final day. He had also hired Peter Moynahan, an Irish-Romanian singer-guitarist on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th. Peter expressed a willingness to perform on the 30th as well, so I felt it was best to do a session. In the end, it worked out well. Ken gave a great valedictory speech and did the very Irish thing of closing the curtains and the main door while the customers were still inside!
Here is a selection of photos from Sunday’s session.
These fraught days in the last week of March coincided with some divisions with the band, mainly over practice and accompaniment. But that’s a discussion for another day.
So, what does this mean for the music? The new owners have committed themselves to our session date on 13th April and to our gig on 27th. After these engagements, all bets are off. I just hope the place retains some of the atmosphere it has developed over the years. The Dubliner was also the assembly point for Irish citizens on the very rare occasions when embassy staff deigned to bestow Thessaloniki with a visit.
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