UK pub trends: The death of the Irish theme bar?

Riverdance gave them life, but have the punters finally tired of all the blarney and craic surrounding the Irish theme pub? Kitty Johnson reports. The validity of the themed bar versus the traditional pub so dominates the marketing strategy of the UK's drink retailers at present, that it is even grabbing headlines in the national dailies. And, at the centre of the controversy lies the Irish theme bar - the original theme pub.