Fifteen years ago, when Ernest Cantillon was in his early 20s, he gave up alcohol for good. Around the same time, he decided to open a pub, borrowing €1.5 million from the bank to open Sober Lane in Cork. “I love pubs,” he says. “Myself, my dad, my brother and one of my best friends Timmy, whenever the pubs are open, either on a Sunday afternoon or Friday night, we play cards in a pub. My brother and Timmy don’t drink either so my dad is the only one having a few pints and we’re just having cups of tea…

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