Good Karma?

Why do I do the things I do?

Okay, so those of you who have read my guide to the ettiquette of drinking in Ireland know well what happens on an average Friday night anywhere in this country. The difference is, for me, I’m not usually caught up in it. Oh, I might have a wild night and order some spicy chinese food and possibly have a smoke of my pipe (what are smoking jackets for, after all?) next to the fireplace while reading the financial times.

Wild, I know, but hey, I’m just that kind of a guy.

No, last night began calmly enough in Gertie Browne’s (why IS the “R” in “Gertie” printed backwards, Warren?). I went for a quiet drink with a few co-workers. The next thing I knew, there were swirling lights, thumping music and overpriced drinks everywhere. What had happened? Where did it all go wrong?

Unfortunately, the statue of buddha I was talking to wasn’t providing me any answers. That’s right, I had ended up in Karma, the nightclub in the middle of Athlone underneath The Prince of Wales Hotel. Karma isn’t bad, as nightclubs go, it’s just that it’s a nightclub – not one of my favourite types of places. Here in Ireland with pubs closing at half midnight, there is a tremendous amount of pressure for those inebriated, lively groups of people to find someplace to continue their evening. Nightclubs are currently the only real solution to this scenario.

To get in you’ll need to dress fairly nicely (nice shoes, nice clothes required) and have €8 to get in the door unless you have a concession pass which are handed out on tables throughout the town on a nightly basis. Drinks are almost twice what they cost elsewhere and the place kicks everyone out at 1.30 a.m.

Karma is a hindu/buddhist-themed nightclub with lots of flashing lights and dance floors recessed into the ground so onlookers can lean on the rails above them and contemplate how close their drink is to falling onto the dancers below. I’m pretty sure the music was unremarkable. I know it was loud and thumpy. I don’t recall anyone singing along.

Why didn’t I stay home next to the fire in my smoking jacket?