Northern Ireland pub’s Christmas advert goes viral

The video by Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, is described by some on social media as ‘better’ than John Lewis’s festive offering.

The manager of a family-run bar in Northern Ireland has said it feels “so lovely” to see a Christmas advert they created go viral on social media.

Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, unveiled its festive advert on Friday, which shows an elderly man with a sad expression on his face, walking through town alone until he enters the bar and is joined by a couple who sit, drink and talk with him.

Man walking down road — The advert shows a man walking alone (Charlie’s Bar/PA)

“We’re just a small, local pub and we just wanted to provide a Christmas advert that hopefully resonated with people and for us, it became apparent over the years that Christmas can be a really lonely, tough time for some people.

“We see that more than others as on Christmas morning – when we’re open – there are some people coming in with maybe nowhere else to be and need people to speak to.

People standing together — Una Burns, who manages Charlie’s Bar, said they wanted to make a Christmas advert that ‘resonated with people’ (Charlie’s Bar/PA)

She added that Charlie’s Bar was “more than just a business, it’s part of our family”.

“My dad is the owner and my granddad was the previous owner,” she said.

People sitting on table together — Ms Burns said they were considering making another advert in 2024 (Charlie’s Bar/PA)

Ms Burns said: “People have been comparing it to the John Lewis advert, which we could have never expected – that’s brilliant.”

She said the advert was the first proper one the pub had made, but that it may need to become an annual occurrence.

“We were actually talking about 2024 and maybe releasing a Christmas advert then, but we have set the bar really high for that after the reaction this one’s got,” she said.