When Cluxton kicked the winner in the 2011 All-Ireland final, it was one of those memorable moments. As an 18-year-old GAA enthusiast, it only served to inspire. The kingpins, Kerry, had been knocked. Little did we know it would spearhead the Dublin juggernaut we see today.
When Cluxton kicked the winner in the 2011 All-Ireland final, it was one of those memorable moments. As an 18-year-old GAA enthusiast, it only served to inspire.
The kingpins, Kerry, had been knocked. Little did we know it would spearhead the Dublin juggernaut we see today.
As I sat on my couch, still buzzing from that epic sporting finalé, the Dublin captain Bryan Cullen screamed the iconic final words of his emotional acceptance speech: “See yiz in Coppers.”
“Coppers? What is Coppers?” I asked, bemused.
My sister laughed.
“You will find out soon enough.”
She was dead right.
“People are curious when they find out I work here,” says Jackie Moran, Copper’s sales and marketing Manager. “They ask a lot of questions, naturally. Mostly about gold cards and how to get them.” The both of us laughed. I almost felt embarrassed, because it was on the tip of my tongue to do so.
Walking into Coppers at midday for lunch must be a surreal moment for those whose only association with the club is in the early hours. “Many the farmer’s son or daughter passed through these doors”, was one thought that flashed as I did so.
Jackie and I spoke over lunch and a coffee on the Coppers dancefloor-turned-dining area. I felt like a curious child asking a hundred questions about the nightclub long associated with college life in Dublin. Strictly for the purpose of this article, of course. One must be professional at all times.
Since 1996, Copper Face Jacks has propelled itself to the top of the night-life food chain. Culturally iconic, the Harcourt Street property has become something of a social institution. While some businesses takes a while to kick off, Copper’s success seemed more or less instant.
“Initially we only opened Wednesday to Saturday, but from the second or third weekend it just grew and we decided to open it seven nights’ a week.”
Darren Power is Coppers general manager. He has been with Cathal Jackson since day dot. I was assured before the interview that he was the busiest man in Dublin. Managing arguably the busiest nightclub in the city, I dared not argue the sentiment.
“Traditionally we had a country crowd here, but that has evolved over the years. Dublin fans are now big supporters of Coppers. The attitude of ‘country people come here, so we must stay away’ is gone. Everybody rubs shoulders here,” Power explained.
“It is the sort of place where you can bump into someone you met at the local disco years ago. It has that nostalgic feel. That is the appeal of it.”
Bringing in the doh
While Power may run the busiest nightclub, there is little doubt it is one of the most profitable: €5.2m end-of-year profits means the club makes €100,000 pre-tax profit a week. The nightclub now sits on an accumulated profit of over €70m. Not bad when you think about it. Employees have risen by 25 people this year, with 218 employees working there currently.
This sort of success is justified. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people enter its doors each week.
On Saturday, the place reaches its capacity of 1,700. Tuesday is the busiest college night, though each night has some sort of crowd.
If the longest line in Dublin is the queue for the nightclub, a close second is the line for the cloakroom within it.
It is no shock that Coppers donates 20 black bags of clothes every few months to charity. It was also no surprise to find out that a busy weekend could see 20 phones left behind. Shoes, make up, wallets, shirts. Dare I say, those cleaning up see quite a bit.
Coppers has diversified its business activities in recent months. Hosting corporate events has become the focus of this diversification, as Jackson aims to increase their market share of this sector.
Moran is one such cog in this wheel, attempting to fill up the 6pm to 11pm gap, which is the club’s quietest period of the evening. Already, they have hosted numerous organisations, including Paddy Power and Vodafone. They even hosted Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s inauguration party.
For many college goers, present and past, Coppers will represent a fundamental part of their experience. Whether parents want it to or not.
Dispelling Coppers common myths
Like anything successful, myths crop up from time to time. So what better way to dispel four of the common myths than ask the nightclub?
Myth 1: The coppers gold card runs out.
Coppers: It doesn’t. (But bouncers reserve the right to take them off you.)
Myth 2: You cannot replace your goldcard if it is lost.
Coppers: You actually can. If you have your name and card number on the goldcard, you are able to.
Myth 3: It is next to or near impossible to get a goldcard.
Coppers: It is extremely difficult. They are only given out in the cases of competitions or charities or “if you’re in with the top man”.
Myth 4: Coppers covers its costs with the cloakroom alone.
Coppers: Absolutely not.
Coppers fact box
Name: Copper Face Jacks
Address: 29-31 Harcourt Street
Opened: 16 February 1996
Attendance/week: 5,000-6,000
Busiest night: Saturday, 1,700 people
Owner: Cathal Jackson
And the winners of the Coppers goldcards are ...
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