‘Welfare Wednesday’ has been cancelled, but a new promotion will go ahead instead

Gary Payne, the owner of Liz Delaney’s Pub in Coolock, has said the ‘Welfare Wednesday’ promotion will not take place after all.

The promotion was initially aimed to provide a selection of reduced price drinks to anyone who presented a social welfare card or a bus pass, but the idea didn’t go down too well with certain members of government. Speaking about ‘Welfare Wednesday’ Tánaiste Joan Burton had said the promotion was "irresponsible". Mr Payne had admitted that using the word ‘welfare’ in the promotion was 'a mistake’. Instead, Liz Delaney’s Pub will now be offering a different promotion that will be open to all. Following the media’s interest in the promotion this week, Liz Delaney’s Pub posted a message on Facebook saying they had “been inundated with phone calls, drop ins and even door stepping by members of the media”. Here’s what Mr Payne had to say to RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland: "It was a value promotion for customers who would be short of disposable income. It wasn't going to be a binge drinking party. "If anybody took offence or took any upset, we never had the intention of upsetting anyone." When asked if he regretted the promotion, Mr Payne said: "I do regret it. It's not what we're about at all.” On Tuesday, Liz Delaney’s Pub released their official statement on the matter, which you can check out over here in case you missed it.