Freedom rooms not smoking rooms

Our man in Ireland has had a busy couple of days. Following his appearance on Newstalk Radio last Thursday, John Mallon (left) has also been interviewed on Clare FM, Cork 96FM, Spin 101 in Dublin, Highland Radio in Donegal and, this morning, Radio Kerry.

In Ireland hardly anyone is talking about amending the smoking ban, so John has focussed on relaxing the regulations so that "smoking rooms" can be as welcoming and as comfortable as possible.

Today, writing on the Forest Eireann blog, he says:

The words "smoking room" conjures up the old dirty, smelly, smoky image ... So instead of smoking rooms I'd like to see the regulations changed to allow 'freedom rooms'.

A freedom room, by definition, would be a cosy enclosed space, far from the non-smokers, where you could take your chosen tipple and relax with a smoke ...

It should be properly ventilated for the smokers' comfort but the biggest freedom of all would be to chat happily without intrusion ...

A few questions arise, though. Should mobile phones be switched off before entering the freedom room? Should live music be allowed?

John asks: "Do you like the concept of a freedom room in your local pub and what else would you add to it?"

Full post HERE. Comments welcome.