For two weeks this summer, my home town is going to be full to the brim. TradFest lands on 26 July, the Fleadh Cheoil rolls straight in behind it on 2 August, and somewhere in the region of 700,000 people are expected to pour into Belfast for the music, the sessions and the sheer craic of it all.
That's a lot of people. And there’s something the numbers don't capture: a good few of them won't be drinking booze.
Some are off it for good. Some are off it for the month, or the night, or just this one because they're driving home to Ballymena or Ballina.
Some never started. And a fair number are doing what half the country seems to be doing now — one pint of the real stuff, one of the good alcohol-free stuff, pacing themselves so they're still standing for the last tune of the night (Zebra-striping to the initiated).
None of them want to be handed a warm glass of Coke and a look of sympathy.
That's the whole reason The Sober Irish exists. Not to preach, not to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do, but to make sure that when you want a proper drink without the alcohol, there's something worth having, somewhere worth having it, and good company to have it with.
So we made a map.
It's called The Sober Irish Atlas, and it does something simple that nobody had bothered to do: it shows you where, across Belfast, you can walk in and get a genuinely good alcohol-free drink. Not "we think we might have an alcohol-free lager out the back somewhere." Actual bars, actual pubs, actual venues we've checked out ourselves, with what they pour laid out in front of you.
A snug off the Ormeau Road for a quiet one. A beer bar in the East that takes its alcohol-free lineup as seriously as everything else on the taps. A hotel bar on the Malone Road where you never quite know who you'll end up talking to. They're on there, and more are joining every week.
And it talks back (with a bit of attitude)
The part I'm proudest of is the Atlas Sommelier — a wee bit of clever built into the map. Ask it anything, the way you'd ask a friend who knows the city: "Where can I get an alcohol-free stout near the Cathedral Quarter tonight?" or "Somewhere with a bit of atmosphere for after the session?" — and it'll point you somewhere real, with my own two cents thrown in where I have it.
It only ever recommends places we actually know. That's the point of us. There's no shortage of the internet telling you a pub is great when nobody's set foot in it — the Atlas doesn't do that.
And it’s not going to get clogged up with reviews you can’t trust. We all love reading the comments under posts or Google reviews. But let’s be honest, so many of them are absolute tripe
You must have found yourself in a bar, restaurant or cafe on occasion enduring a very sub par experience and wondering how it got all those five star reviews and insta love? Thank the dodgy algo and some clever hacks from the venue.
None of that with The Atlas. Views expressed are entirely mine. So if you have a problem with any of my recommendations then you know where to come!
During the festivals
And there’s more nifty knowledge built into the Sommelier than I could normally offer. We've folded the whole fortnight into the Atlas - TradFest, the Fleadh, and our own Sober Session Trail running through the week - so you can find what's on and where to land afterwards in the one place. Whether you're up for the big nights or just want a proper drink and a seat with a view of the music, it's all in there.
So if you're heading into town for the festivals and you're one of the many who won't be drinking, or not drinking much - you're not an afterthought here. You're half the reason the place exists.
Find your alcohol-free drink on the Atlas. Ask the Sommelier where the good stuff is. And we'll see you out there - glass in hand, all the craic, none of the hangover.
Sláinte - without the sway.
Jim Fitzpatrick Founder, The Sober Irish