The Alt Bar ‘C-word’ swear jar raises €4225

The Alt Bar in Killea, or ‘Alice’s’ as it is known colloquially - instituted a swear jar with a difference last year: curse as much as you want but you’re damned to a €2 donation if you utter a word about ‘the virus’.

Publican Conor McDevitt explained: “It started off when we noticed in the bar that people weren’t themselves. They were coming into the bar and after working all week they were still chatting about the virus. I’m sure when they were at work they were still chatting about the same thing.”

Conor and his colleague Chris Moore decided to make the popular border pub a refuge for punters weary of all the pandemic palaver.

“We just wanted to make it a safe haven where people could come in and not talk about the virus for a few hours after a busy week or a busy day at work and just wind down and chat about the normal things you would talk about. It was to bring back the old characters in the bar. It did work very, very well.

“We brought a wee bit of a fun factor to it. If it was mentioned we would come down and ring the bell, shake the cup and you would put in the money. There would be a bit of roaring and slagging and a bit of banter. It brought the crack back into the bar. You noticed your nights were more fun. It was brilliant.”

Conor said that what started off as a bit of a laugh soon took on a momentum all of its own. After the first night they had raised a modest €14, however, soon the Press got wind of it and the Killea swear jar went...ahem...viral, even ending up on prime time TV in the US!

“That it reached The Jimmy Fallon Show was a bit surreal. I was chatting to other bars in America. They were going to roll it out in America.

“It was crazy. The famous plastic cup! It’s the most famous plastic cup in the world.”

This week the pub handed over a whopping €4225 to the Donegal Hospice. Conor, who is originally from Derry but now lives in Carrigans, said it is a cause very important to him.

“My mother Marie was in the Donegal Hospice and passed away a few years ago. A few staff members had connections through uncles and aunties. It was something close to my heart. When we decided to support the hospice it turned into a full-blown fundraiser. People were walking in off the street and putting money in. From a €2 jar it turned into a major fundraiser.”