Irish pub responds after reports it banned the singing of Irish rebel songs on premises

A PUBLICAN in Wexford has issued an apology after allegedly limiting the setlist of a musician performing at their premises.

Luke Whitty, a Wexford artist had all of his scheduled bookings at The Crown Bar in Wexford town cancelled after he refused to remove Irish ‘rebel songs’ from his setlist.

Taking to Facebook he said; “Hi everyone , just wanna clear up for a few things about what happened in a venue last weekend, I was playing a gig where I played a mix of music from country , pop, ballads and everything else that people would enjoy. At the last 20 minutes of my gig  I was asked to play a few rebel tunes which included Grace, Come Out Ya Black and Tans and The Streets of New York and a few other well known songs , which I gladly did. 99.9% enjoyed the music and unfortunately 0.1% of people didn't , and they made it known to the manager who rang me today and told me that I was not allowed to play rebel music anymore as it is too controversial and may offend people.

“He gave me the option to continue to have gigs but under the restrictions that I was not allowed to play rebel tunes ever again to which I replied; ‘I am a proud Irishman and nobody is going to tell me what I can and cannot sing’. He responded by saying; ‘if that's your beliefs then you are no longer welcome.’ He then informed me that my gigs for the foreseeable future were no longer required.”

Many followers have taken his side under the post and under the publican's Facebook apology.

The Crown Quarter took to their followers to say; “We extend our sincere apologies to Luke Whitty and all our valued patrons for a decision made by a member of staff following customer complaints this past weekend.This was an isolated incident that does not reflect the values of the Crown Bar. To clarify, there is not, and will not be, a ban on any music or songs at the Crown Bar. We pride ourselves on providing a space for musicians to express our history and culture, as reflected in the many artists who have played in the Crown throughout the years.  We are providing additional training for all staff to ensure they are well-equipped to handle customer complaints in the future.”