NEXT WEEKEND ORIHUELA TOWN HALL is organising the region's first Irish pub crawl, or more officially, the “Ruta de Pubs Irlandeses”.
Taking place Saturday 14th April and Sunday 15th April, the route will focus on the finest Irish pubs in the Orihuela Costa locale, promising spectacular themed decorations, a super Irish pub atmosphere, and the best drink and tapas options available.
Encompassing some of the best-loved and renowned local Irish bars, the route reaches from Los Altos in the east of the region to Villamartin and Cabo Roig in the west, with the highest concentration of recommendations surrounding the La Zenia and Playa Flamenca communities.
The list of participating pubs is comprehensively exhaustive, reading like a who's-who of popular local Irish haunts: The Celtic Isle, The Emerald Isle, Paddy's Point, and The Bog Road on the main Cabo Roig strip.
We were pleased to notice the inclusion of one of our long-time favourite Irish bars, The Abbey Tavern in La Florida, with its magnificent Mediterranean gardens and a creative kitchen team that consistently produce high quality and extensive food menu.
Orihuela Costa Irish Pub Crawl, a fusing of international cultures
In total 31 Irish pub's across the Orihuela Costa will be participating in next week's organised event, with each venue promising to provide the best possible selection of entertainment, high-quality food, and of course, plenty of the black gold liquid: Guinness.
The pubs will be offering a small beer with a tapas dish for €2.50, and Orihuela Town Hall will be awarding prizes during the event for establishments judged to offer the best tapas, the best standard of themed decor, and the highest level of overall presentation.
The event was announced by Sofía Álvarez, the Councillor for International Residents of the City of Orihuela, in coordination with the Town Hall's representative for the Irish community, Raymond Kearney.
Ms Álvarez has pioneered previous events in the Orihuela Costa area that focus on bringing residents of all nationalities together in a spirit of unity, including the Perrotón dog marathon held at Villamartin Plaza in February.
“Initiatives like this allow us to appreciate the size of the population of Orihuela, a municipality which has a third of its population living on the coast, with almost 30,000 residents comprised of 101 nationalities, where one of the most important is the Irish community,” she said.
Orihuela Town Hall has gone to great lengths to reach out to the international residential community, publishing local information in both Spanish and English languages, and performing guided tours of some of Orihuela City's most beautiful monuments in English.
The council have produced a map of the Irish Pub Crawl highlighting the venues en route and local points of interest, and will provide a minibus service for both days that passes each pub every 20 minutes so that attendees can enjoy the event without the need to drive.
Mr Kearney thanked the Councillor for supporting local Irish residents, and Ms Álvarez invited every one of all nationalities to “discover this part of the coast and enjoy this local experience, which will put Orihuela on the map of Spain again, empower our international residential community, and revitalize the municipality”.
You can find out more about this local event from the official Orihuela Costa tourist information website here.
Looking for holiday ideas and travel inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa or join the La Zenia community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.
Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela Costa / Turistica Orihuela / LaZenia.com
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