What a month it’s been! Nothing much has happened except the Port o’ Leith pub is no more. Known in it’s early years as the Dockers’ Bank – they deposited their money there on Friday nights – and the Sailors’ Bank – any time would do for them, obviously – it became respectable, well almost, under legendary landlady Mary Moriarty from 1984. She never stamped on a wee bit of exuberance, but on her behalf any rough stuff was quickly sorted. She knew Irvine Welsh as “the big tall laddie” from the stair next door to hers as he came in with his writing pals around 1990. She put herself on the customers’ side of the bar and introduced folk to each other; it was a meeting place. She was good to me as I was starting the tours. But the new lease holders have come across some serious problems with the building, and the landlords left them with no real choices. It’s sad.
It’s still Venue 203 for the Leith Festival, and I’m starting this year’s tours from outside (it’s not open yet), but I’ll have to see if it’s still going to be suitable for the Trainspotting tour.