DRINKING time is precious and it seems that there is no end to the lengths people will go to secure some quality time at the counter. Forward-thinking Damian O'Kane at O'Neill's in Low Ousegate, York, has checked his diary and noted that St Patrick's Day - March 17 - falls on a dreary Monday this year.

Well, this is one red-letter day his customers don't want to spend at work, so the community-spirited landlord has launched an appeal to turn the Irish celebration into a Bank Holiday.

Damian said: "St Patrick's Day falls on a Monday this year, and many customers are complaining that they'll be stuck in work all day when they should be out partying in style.

"We're encouraging local people to make their voice heard and sign our special St Pat's petition so when it come to 2004, everyone can give March 17 the special celebration it deserves."

The petition will be presented to York's civic leaders in the week before St Patrick's Day and Damian hopes the sentiments will be carried all the way to the seat of power in London - that's parliament, not the House of Commons bar.

There's still time to sign the petition - just pop into the pub at any time this weekend.

u RUGRAT Farm is under new management. The Spirit Group has taken over the "Uncle" Tom Cobleigh chain, former owners of the child's playground with pub attached officially known as Riverside Farm on Shipton Road, York.

It's not good news if Bar Talk's initial inquiries are anything to go by. Emailed a press release and pictures by the PR company, we rang up to speak to the Riverside Farm manager. He could not talk to us, he said, everything had to go through head office.

We did get to speak to Siobhan Murphy, of Citypress, the relevant PR firm based in that well-known Yorkshire city Manchester, who confirmed the gagging order on the Spirit Group landlords.

How dumb can you get. No wonder people are staying away from pubs in droves. If managers are being kept on such a short leash by their masters based in cities far, far away, how can they inject any local personality into their boozers?

Having had no help from Spirit Group (despite giving The Micklegate a nice write-up a couple of weeks ago), we would warn all potential customers of the Riverside Farm of the perils of conversation with the staff.

Ask them which football team they support or if they have seen the weather forecast, and you might just get the reply: "Sorry. I'll have to refer you to head office on that."

(PS The pictures we were sent weren't local either.)

u HERE'S a plea you don't hear every day. Has anybody got a tin bath they're not using?

And if you are using it, would you mind climbing out, emptying the water and dragging it over to the Roman Bath?

This is all for a good cause we can assure you, namely Comic Relief.

To do his bit during Friday's rib-tickling fundraising festival, Terry Osborne, landlord of the Roman Bath in St Sampson's Square, York, has decided to sit in a bath of jelly for 12 hours.

But although he has the ancient Roman caldarium under his boozer, he does not have a more modern bath.

If you can help, please call Keith Mulhearn on 07931 668935 or Terry at the pub on 01904 620455.

Updated: 08:36 Saturday, March 08, 2003