A great initiative.

Iconic Dublin bar Pygmalion has decided to drop all entry fees for the remainder of January and "hopefully longer". In a statement, the South William Street venue said that entry costs are being completely axed as the owners instead want club-goers to donate the same entry fee to the homeless charity the Peter McVerry Trust. The waived entry fee extends to ticketed events, including for international DJs that have been confirmed for the bar in the weeks ahead. This initiative was first introduced by Pygmalion back in 2020 but was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. The venue has since decided to restart it, given Dublin's escalating homeless crisis. Speaking on this, Pygmalion Group owner Paul McGlade Jnr said:

"The initial idea was warmly received with our customers in 2020 and with homeless figures at an all-time high today, we felt it was time to reintroduce this idea and help to raise funds and awareness once again for our city’s homeless crisis. "It also gives our patrons the opportunity to help this great charity a little which generally, there’s a really warm response to. "We’re in here, in central town, every day and it's so evident on the streets every day and even more so at night time. "We have to remind ourselves not to get complacent about it, as we see so much of it. "When we have international DJs arrive from abroad, and they nearly always comment on how bad it is here, that always acts as a stark reminder. “I think so many of us in Dublin want to do our part to help but more importantly just desperately want to see this ongoing homeless crisis come to an end in our city."

Pygmalion is not asking patrons to directly swap the entry fee for the exact same donation amount given to the charity. Instead, it is encouraging people to give what they can, with 100% of all donations going directly to the Peter McVerry Trust. In response to the move, CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust Pat Doyle said:

“It’s fantastic to see initiatives like this in January – typically a quieter month for donations after Christmas. "We’re very grateful to the team at Pygmalion for choosing our charity and for highlighting the issue of homelessness to a younger audience. "The money raised will enable us to help more people to leave homelessness behind for good.”

For more details, check out Pygmalion on Instagram here. This article originally appeared on JOE Header image via Instagram/pygmaliondublin READ ON: OPINION: I went to the 'World's Most Awarded pub' and here's what I really thought