So, the past weekend, me and some friends and our families stayed over at the City North hotel (nice digs, by the way). We came from far and wide. Some people came in from Letterkenny, some came in from Kerry and some came in from London. We arrived on Friday and after settling in, we decided to check out the sites Drogheda had to offer. Myself and six others, who were not too tired, decided to check out the town and do some dancing. We called us a cab and based on the cabbies recommendation, we decided to head to the Earth Niteclub.
To our chagrin, the sign that confronted us was, 'Age Card and Membership needed for entry.' But we had come from far distances and we did not know anything about this policy, so we asked the bouncer how we could get the membership cards so we could go in. We were told we had to go on the internet and download the membership forms and fill out and we would be contacted in about a week or two as to whether our membership was approved or not! Un-fucking-real, right?
At this point there were up to three bouncers "guarding" the entrance as if with their lives. One funny thing we noticed was that people were coming and nobody was asking them for their IDs, or membership cards. So one member of the group went up to the bouncers and told them that in this group we were here to have a nice time and spend some serious money. he explained to them that our group was made up of four medical doctors, a diplomat, an IT professional and an accountant. They were not budging. he also let them know that we came from very far places and their club was recommended as the 'IT' place to be, the place were things happen. He tried to let them see the ridiculousness of asking us to go and fill out membership forms and then wait two weeks for approval, we did not even live in the area and would have left town by Sunday. These guys never budged an inch. The guy standing in the middle, all he kept saying was, go on the internet and register your membership.
Disappointingly, we had to leave but the experience left a sour taste. What with the economic woes which businesses are facing in Ireland today, one would expect that some people would be a bit more proactive when it comes to customer service. Between the seven of us, we would have spent nothing less than three to four grand or more that night, but out of some misplaced prejudice towards people from afar or non-Drogheda residents, this niteclub lost some serious revenue that night. I do believe the proprietors need to go back to the drawing board on this one. It is simply inconceivable, stupid and ridiculous to expect people traveling to your town to know about membership requirements of all niteclubs there. Before that night, I had never heard of Earth anyway, so they must suffer from some delusions of grandeur when it comes to how they view themselves.
So heads up guys. Anyone out there planning on coming to Ireland very soon and having Drogheda in your sights, avoid the Earth Niteclub like a plague. Well you don't have to avoid it if you have processed your membership online before coming to Ireland. Then when you get to Ireland, you have to visit the local Garda (police) station to have your Garda Age Card processed, which might take up to another week. Maybe.
My candid advise? Well, if like me, you do not cherish the rigmarole, the inanity and the inconvenience involved with registering for a niteclub membership when others are free, then the Home Niteclub in Balbriggan would be your best bet. Music was good and the ambiance was okay, moreover it is on the waterfront.
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