Guinness running low and golf flavoured ice cream: Locals and businesses praise the Open buzz
'We were low on Guinness. We had doubled up, doubled our order. We have about 50 kegs sold in the first few days'
With Guinness stocks running low and golf flavoured ice cream selling fast to curious tourists, locals and businesses alike in Portrush have praised the atmosphere in the seaside town since the beginning of the Open Championship golf tournament.
Belfast Live spoke to a number of business owners and locals about the buzz around the North Coast since the tournament got underway, with well over a quarter-of-a-million visitors expected.
Adrian Calvin, general manager of the Quay's gastro pub in Portrush.
"We were low on Guinness. We had doubled up, doubled our order, but it just seems everybody is drinking Guinness. We have about 50 kegs sold in the first few days. I've another delivery coming - we've enough to get through today but if not we'll get a delivery down for tomorrow.
"The atmosphere has been phenomenal. I think the weather has helped - it's stayed reasonably dry. The buzz, the atmosphere, the people, it's just been amazing. It's what the town needed.
"Even before the golf, we've been busy since February. We've had a lot of people playing the course, a lot of tourists coming back for it who just wanted to get their bearings. Hopefully it'll carry on the rest of the year."
Craig McLean, owner of Roasted Coffee in Portrush
"We've been open just over three months now, from the start of April. The atmosphere - even from the weekend - has been fantastic. There's a real buzz about the town.
"There's real excitement between locals and tourists alike. There's a real early morning rush with a load of tourists in the town - earlier than I've ever seen it before - and right up to 10, 11 o'clock at night there's still people eating ice cream, drinking coffee and enjoying their time in the Port.
"We're open 14 hours a day at the minute - 8am until 10pm. That's all our permission allows us to be but if we stayed open even later and even earlier than that we would still be busy too.
"We use a lot of local suppliers so not only is the Open a good boost for us as a local business, and to get our name out there, for the lieks of Chestnutt farm where we get our local milk from it's a good boost for their business as well."
Daniella Morelli Kerr from Morelli's
"The crowds are noticeably larger each day. We're very busy in the evening time, obviously when people leave the course again - starting around 5 o'clock, tea time.
"People come in, maybe wait on the Park and Ride buses, and decide to come to the town for a wee walk about basically. That's when we get busy. We have golf ice cream that was made in conjunciton with Tourism Ireland. It's a triple-whammy really. It's got green tea, it's got white peppermint and it's got sea buckthorn.
"The white peppermint represents the fresh air of the golf course, the green tea obviously for the grass, and the sea buckthorn grows wild on the links course and it's a citrus fruit. People are intrigued by it so they're all trying it, wanting to see what it tastes like."
David Gamble, a volunteer
"The atmosphere in the town today, and this last few days, has been great. Everybody is in a buzz, enjoying the Open, and it's just been amazing. It's been very, very good. I've spoken with different people from all over the world. I've met different types of people from different cultures, from all over. It's so good to be here."
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