Scholars owner Declan Crean looks back on 20 years of life at the award-winning Irish bar in Rome.Scholars Lounge, a well-known Irish pub located in the heart of Rome, is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary with a week of concerts by live music acts flown in from Ireland.Over the past two decades, Rome’s largest Irish bar has firmly established itself on the map, however its opening in 2005 came about by chance. Declan Crean, an Irish man who had lived in Rome before moving to Switzerland, got a call from his Italian friend Celeste Cucchiarelli who threw out the idea of opening an Irish pub in the Eternal City. Crean was initially unenthusiastic, as he had plans in Switzerland and said he had “moved on” from Rome, however Cucchiarelli persuaded him to fly back to see for himself. Crean quickly saw the potential of the property, a former late night bar called Mad Nights, situated in a prime location near Piazza Venezia. The two entrepreneurs went into business together and set about transforming the venue on Via del Plebiscito into Rome’s newest Irish pub, in a venture that would prove hugely successful. Early days Crean recalls a story that he says is funny now but wasn’t funny at the time – the day before the pub first opened. While he had taken a quick break from weeks of final preparations, Crean got a frantic call from one of the new staff members saying that they needed to speak to him in person, outside the bar, to break some “bad news” to him. Crean duly knocked on the door and was informed on the street that one of the staff had accidentally knocked down a fire extinguisher which had exploded and spun out of control, coating the newly polished pub in a thick coat of white foam. When he stepped inside, Crean said that the bar resembled a “Winter wonderland”. After that shaky start, it was up and up for the new pub. For its first 15 years in existence, Scholars had a high-profile neighbour – Italy’s late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi – with constant film crews and police next door. Bar 2 In 2015, a decade after first opening, Scholars tripled in size after acquiring a former boutique in the corner property to the right of the pub’s original front door. The wooden interior of this sprawling new space, complete with snugs, was hand-crafted in Ireland before being shipped over and assembled on site. Crean celebrated the expansion of 'Bar 2' by hosting a rousing concert by The Wolfe Tones. Two years later Scholars would go on to be crowned both ‘Best Irish Bar in Europe’ and ‘Best Irish Bar in the World”, and held another concert by a legendary Irish band, The Fureys. In 2019, Crean and Cucchiarelli tapped into their winning formula and opened a twin Scholars pub in Munich. After all the highs, 2020 proved to be “the number one low point”, with the arrival of the covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. When eventually the pub was allowed to reopen under Italy’s strict rules, Crean said it “actually cost more money to open than to stay closed” but from a psychological point of view they were keen to get back in business. Celebrities, regulars and staff Scholars is known for attracting its fair share of celebrities, including actors, sports stars and political figures. However Crean said that “the smaller things” mean more, such as the characters who become regulars – and friends – down through the years. He cited Fr John Fitzpatrick, an Irish priest who died recently, as a prime example. A regular visitor for almost 20 years, Fr John was the rector of San Silvestro church where Irish couples go to get married. Many of these wedding parties made their way to Scholars, although Crean said the number of Irish weddings in Rome has dropped considerably in recent years. He also paid tribute to a “fantastic staff” over two decades, singling out three bar managers: Sufi from Bangladesh “who has been here from day one” (and was also the person who dropped the fire extinguisher before opening night) as well as Mark from Dublin and Jonny from Cork. Scholars is the largest employer of Irish people in Rome, with around 70 per cent of the roughly 50 staff members hailing from Ireland. The pub hosts a “complete mix of tourists, Italians and expats”, many of whom pop in for lunch, Crean said, noting also that “Rome is not the kind of place people go for a stag weekend”. Sport With multiple big screens and commentary in English, sport plays a major role in drawing crowds of customers, including the annual Six Nations rugby event, although Crean notes that St Patrick’s Day can be a “nightmare” with queues around the block trying to get in. What do most people drink? “Guinness is a big hit, a lot of tourists will try Italian lagers, and Irish whiskey has got huge” – Crean said – “Pilsner is a big seller, we have three 500-litre tanks filled up every week with unpasteurised beer direct from the Czech Republic”. In addition to being the biggest Irish bar in Rome, Scholars is also likely the pub with the longest opening hours: from 11.00 Monday to Friday, and 10.00 at the weekends, serving until 03.00 every night. “The most important thing is having the place busy on a Monday or a Tuesday night” – Crean said – “We are very fortunate, we welcome on average about 500 people on a Monday night”. Every night this week Scholars will host musicians from all over Ireland who have played in the pub over the years, including Paddy Mór, The Others, Liamo, Paddyman, Darren Byrne, Rubicon, and Rawney. For full details see the pub’s Facebook or Instagram pages. Andy Devane

Scholars Lounge, a well-known Irish pub located in the heart of Rome, is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary with a week of concerts by live music acts flown in from Ireland. Over the past two decades, Rome’s largest Irish bar has firmly established itself on the map, however its opening in 2005 came about by chance. Declan Crean, an Irish man who had lived in Rome before moving to Switzerland, got a call from his Italian friend Celeste Cucchiarelli who threw out the idea of opening an Irish pub in the Eternal City. Crean was initially unenthusiastic, as he had plans in Switzerland and said he had “moved on” from Rome, however Cucchiarelli persuaded him to fly back to see for himself. Crean quickly saw the potential of the property, a former late night bar called Mad Nights, situated in a prime location near Piazza Venezia. The two entrepreneurs went into business together and set about transforming the venue on Via del Plebiscito into Rome’s newest Irish pub, in a venture that would prove hugely successful. Early days Crean recalls a story that he says is funny now but wasn’t funny at the time – the day before the pub first opened. While he had taken a quick break from weeks of final preparations, Crean got a frantic call from one of the new staff members saying that they needed to speak to him in person, outside the bar, to break some “bad news” to him. Crean duly knocked on the door and was informed on the street that one of the staff had accidentally knocked down a fire extinguisher which had exploded and spun out of control, coating the newly polished pub in a thick coat of white foam. When he stepped inside, Crean said that the bar resembled a “Winter wonderland”. After that shaky start, it was up and up for the new pub. For its first 15 years in existence, Scholars had a high-profile neighbour – Italy’s late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi – with constant film crews and police next door. Bar 2 In 2015, a decade after first opening, Scholars tripled in size after acquiring a former boutique in the corner property to the right of the pub’s original front door. The wooden interior of this sprawling new space, complete with snugs, was hand-crafted in Ireland before being shipped over and assembled on site. Crean celebrated the expansion of 'Bar 2' by hosting a rousing concert by The Wolfe Tones. Two years later Scholars would go on to be crowned both ‘Best Irish Bar in Europe’ and ‘Best Irish Bar in the World”, and held another concert by a legendary Irish band, The Fureys. In 2019, Crean and Cucchiarelli tapped into their winning formula and opened a twin Scholars pub in Munich. After all the highs, 2020 proved to be “the number one low point”, with the arrival of the covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. When eventually the pub was allowed to reopen under Italy’s strict rules, Crean said it “actually cost more money to open than to stay closed” but from a psychological point of view they were keen to get back in business. Celebrities, regulars and staff Scholars is known for attracting its fair share of celebrities, including actors, sports stars and political figures. However Crean said that “the smaller things” mean more, such as the characters who become regulars – and friends – down through the years. He cited Fr John Fitzpatrick, an Irish priest who died recently, as a prime example. A regular visitor for almost 20 years, Fr John was the rector of San Silvestro church where Irish couples go to get married. Many of these wedding parties made their way to Scholars, although Crean said the number of Irish weddings in Rome has dropped considerably in recent years. He also paid tribute to a “fantastic staff” over two decades, singling out three bar managers: Sufi from Bangladesh “who has been here from day one” (and was also the person who dropped the fire extinguisher before opening night) as well as Mark from Dublin and Jonny from Cork. Scholars is the largest employer of Irish people in Rome, with around 70 per cent of the roughly 50 staff members hailing from Ireland. The pub hosts a “complete mix of tourists, Italians and expats”, many of whom pop in for lunch, Crean said, noting also that “Rome is not the kind of place people go for a stag weekend”. Sport With multiple big screens and commentary in English, sport plays a major role in drawing crowds of customers, including the annual Six Nations rugby event, although Crean notes that St Patrick’s Day can be a “nightmare” with queues around the block trying to get in. What do most people drink? “Guinness is a big hit, a lot of tourists will try Italian lagers, and Irish whiskey has got huge” – Crean said – “Pilsner is a big seller, we have three 500-litre tanks filled up every week with unpasteurised beer direct from the Czech Republic”. In addition to being the biggest Irish bar in Rome, Scholars is also likely the pub with the longest opening hours: from 11.00 Monday to Friday, and 10.00 at the weekends, serving until 03.00 every night. “The most important thing is having the place busy on a Monday or a Tuesday night” – Crean said – “We are very fortunate, we welcome on average about 500 people on a Monday night”. Every night this week Scholars will host musicians from all over Ireland who have played in the pub over the years, including Paddy Mór, The Others, Liamo, Paddyman, Darren Byrne, Rubicon, and Rawney. For full details see the pub’s Facebook or Instagram pages. Andy Devane