Both stand to benefit from an increase in the passing trade, and trademark queues at the post office, instead of making customers grumble, provide a welcome excuse for a pint.
Drinking at lunch – or dinner, as most people still call the midday meal (tea is what you trough in the evening) – is far from unusual, especially on Fridays, when whole teams hit the pub for a few cheeky pints to welcome the weekend.
Note: Bartenders don't expect tips in Ireland, but if you become friendly with one, buying him or her a pint is a welcome gesture.
It is an ultra-casual affair where you are welcome to drop-in for a pint (Wylam Brewery makes a beer, 35mm, for the Tyneside), or a three-course meal.
Local band Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys composed a song in his honour, with which residents plan to welcome him to the town for his promised pint of Guinness: "O'Leary, O'Meara, O'Hare and O'Hara, No One's as Irish as Barack O'Bama.
Its impressive stone foundation gives way to a cozy dark wood downstairs bar where the locals who pack the place for after-work pints will give you a friendly welcome.
The open concept craft brewer welcomes customers to come in and enjoy a pint or two while observing the end-to-end beer making process.
You'll be just as welcome for a morning coffee as for an evening pint, and if you decide not to leave between the two, there's always the decent gastropub menu to tuck into – the moules marinière (£9.95) is a popular dish.
The museum's City of a Thousand Welcomes programme pairs visitors up with locals for a pint (or cuppa) and some tips – a good call for first-timers.
As you might expect, walkers, dogs and muddy boots are welcome here, and there is a decent selection of hand-pulled pints.
