You buy the drink
Kegs, bottles, wine, spirits — your choice and your receipt. We will tell you what fits the two draft lines and the coolers, and roughly how much a crowd your size gets through.
Staffed vs dry hire
Dry Hire Bar or Fully Staffed? Two Ways to Rent the Pub
Same pub, same price for the room. The only question is who is behind the bar.
Pour it yourself, or bring the Irish
A dry hire bar means we deliver and set up the pub and you supply the drink and pour it. Fully staffed means the same pub arrives with our bartenders from Ireland behind the bar, TIPS-certified and insured, for a four-to-eight-hour shift. Under both models you supply the alcohol — we never sell it — and the pub itself costs exactly the same.
So the choice comes down to who is working the night. If it is a dozen friends in the snug, dry hire is cheaper and a mate on the taps is half the craic. If it is a wedding, a corporate crowd or anything where the host should be hosting, the staffed model is the one you want. Both are itemised on our pricing page, and you can ask us to quote both.
Quote both options
Your bar, either way Side by side
Dry hire bar vs fully staffed
| What | Dry hire | Fully staffed |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the drink | You do. We never sell alcohol. | You do. We never sell alcohol — our staff pour what you bought. |
| Who pours | You, or whoever you trust with the taps. | Our bartenders from Ireland, one of them a Dubliner. |
| Cost | The pub rental only. The Síbín $997 midweek / $1,200 weekend; The Aer $500 any day. All for 24 hours. | The same pub rental, plus bartending from $499 for a 4-hour event and $60 per additional hour, up to 8 hours. |
| Hours | The pub is yours for 24 hours. | The pub is yours for 24 hours; the staff work a 4-hour minimum, 8-hour maximum shift. |
| What’s included | Two draft lines, keg setup and beer gas, bottle and wine coolers, a sink, the sound system. Delivery, setup and collection. | Everything in dry hire, plus the people who know how to use it. |
| Insurance & certification | Nobody from us is serving, so it is your bar and your guests. | All staff TIPS-certified and fully insured. |
| Best for | House parties, birthdays, small crowds in the snug, anyone who enjoys being behind a bar. | Weddings, corporate events, fundraisers, any night the host should be a guest. |
Delivery inside the Plymouth area is included under both; beyond it we quote the delivery fee up front. The full price list has the add-ons.
From Ireland The bar staff
If you are searching for an Irish bartender for hire in Massachusetts, this is the part that matters: ours are actually from Ireland, and one of them is a Dubliner. They learned the trade in real pubs at home, which means a stout gets its two pours and its settle, a round gets remembered, and the person at the end of the bar who has been waiting gets served next.
Every one of them is TIPS-certified and fully insured. They arrive with the pub, set the bar up the way they want it, and work a 4-hour minimum shift up to 8 hours. Bartending starts at $499 on top of the pub rental.
Bring your own
A BYOB bartender in Massachusetts
We bring the bar
Two working draft lines with keg setup and gas, coolers, a sink to wash the glasses, and the sound system. The Síbín adds a stove heater, AC and a smart TV; The Aer adds a bar table and jockey box as add-ons.
Somebody pours
You, under dry hire, or our Irish bartenders under the staffed model. Rules vary by town — check with your local licensing board.
Still deciding?
Book the pub now. Add the bartenders when the guest list settles.— as long as we have the staff free for your date
or call (508) 322-1298
FAQ
Staffed or dry hire questions
What is a dry hire bar?
A dry hire bar is a bar you rent without the drink or the staff. We deliver the pub, set it up with two working draft lines, keg setup and beer gas, coolers, a sink and the sound system, and you supply the alcohol and pour it yourself. We never sell alcohol under either model — the difference with dry hire is simply that your own people are behind the bar.
How much does it cost to add the bartenders?
Bartending starts at $499 for a 4-hour event, plus $60 for each additional hour up to 8 hours, on top of the pub rental. The Síbín is $997 midweek and $1,200 at the weekend for 24 hours; The Aer is $500 any day. Everything is itemised on our pricing page.
Can you supply the alcohol?
No. We do not sell alcohol under either model, so you supply the kegs, bottles, wine and spirits whether you pour them or we do. If you add our bartenders they will tell you what to buy and roughly how much, so nothing runs dry at ten o’clock. Rules vary by town — check with your local licensing board, and see our plain-English guide to the questions worth asking.
Who are the bartenders?
Our bar staff are from Ireland, one of them a Dubliner, and all of them are TIPS-certified and insured. They have poured in real pubs at home and they know how to settle a stout, keep a queue moving and remember who is on the whiskey. They work a minimum four-hour and maximum eight-hour shift.
Can I start dry hire and add staff later?
Yes, as long as we have the staff free for your date. Plenty of people book the pub first and add bartending once the guest list grows. Tell us on the contact page or ring (508) 322-1298 and we will add it to the booking.
Is dry hire cheaper if I have a small crowd?
Usually, yes. For a dozen friends in the snug, somebody you know behind the bar is half the fun and dry hire saves the $499 bartending fee. For a wedding or a corporate crowd, where the host should be hosting rather than changing a keg, the staffed model earns its money.
Either way
Tell us the date and we will quote both
Dry hire or staffed, you get the same pub for the same room rate. We will price the bartenders alongside it so you can decide at your leisure.