LOCALS at The Office Bar in north west London will be celebrating tonight after the popular pub was named the winner of The Irish Post's 'How Irish is your pub' photo competition.
Held in association with London Irish RFC, the Office Bar's winning picture featured Jim McGuinness, manager of the Donegal Gaelic football team, with the Sam Maguire cup propped up on a Massey Ferguson tractor outside the pub with the competition's judges noting that it couldn't get much more Irish than that in London.
The Office Bar has now won the opportunity to bring a coachful of locals to the Exiles’ last game of the season against Sale Sharks at the Madejski Stadium.
The prize includes 50 free tickets to the game, private coach transfer to and from the Madejski and complimentary crates of Guinness to smooth the journey.
The competition was run in association with the Irish Post's media partners, London Irish rugby club, with entrants tasked with sending in a photo or video representing just ‘how Irish’ their pub is. A host of brilliant entries were received from bar regulars and publicans all across the city and choosing a winner was a difficult task.
Natalie McDaid, manager of The Office, who sent in the winning photo was absolutely delighted with their win.
“We are delighted to have won this amazing prize. Our customers are big fans of all sports and getting the chance to go together to support London Irish will make for a perfect day out!”
The competition was run to kick off the Official London Irish pub partnership scheme which will launch at the beginning of the 2014-15 season where pubs across Greater London and the Thames Valley will be invited to partner with the club.
Chloe Bray, Marketing Manager at London Irish, leads the project and is looking forward to welcoming landlords and customers.
“Regulars from so many pubs entered so we anticipated demand for the project to be high. If you’re a regular in a pub and want to involve your local or you’re a landlord and want your pub to become an Official London Irish pub please email us on [email protected]”
Sarah Murphy, Marketing Manager at The Irish Post, was delighted to work on another exciting venture with London Irish RFC.
"As always, we are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the team at the club on the launch of their Official London Irish pub partnership scheme.
"It is an excellent idea to further engage with the thriving network of Irish pubs in London that are an important part of the Irish community in the city.
"We had some excellent competition entries and choosing a winner was tough but congratulations to all at The Office Bar and enjoy your fantastic day out!”
The Irish Post is proud to be the Official Media Partner to London Irish RFC.
See More: Competition, London Irish, Pub, The Office
