P.J. O'Rielly's is very similar to King O'Malley's. It survives on the office workers that dominate Canberra. Most of the crowd is 25-40+ early, but as the night goes by, the crowd becomes much younger. Actually, in my experience, the crowd at PJs seems to be a touch younger, but it probably depends on the night.
The crowd is pretty laid back. Early in the night, there are plenty of suits floating about, but as the night goes by, they thin out, and the more relaxed younger set take their places. I have always found the crowd there quite friendly.
PJs stays busy fairly well throughout. The afterwork crowd hit about 5pm, so it gets very busy early. By about 9pm, the younger set, and holiday makers move in, and frequently stays busy until closing time. It seems to be open most nights, and has a comparatively reasonable crowd on most of them. Mondays are okay, Fridays are packed.
There are three rooms. The middle room is the one that's always open. If its the only room open, you enter off the street. Straight ahead is the bar, complete with the usual range of Irish, Scottish, and English beers. The rooms has tables and stools throughout. To the immediate right of the entry is a small stage for a band, and a door through to the function room. To the left of the door are some tables and chairs, as well as a door to a second room.
The second room contains heaps of booths, and a very large bar. This is the second room they open, and it is pretty large. When it is open, it is also the main entrance. It has a pretty good atmosphere. The third room, the function room, is a smaller version of the second room, but is more open so it can double up as a dancefloor. I haven't spent too much time there, as it has been hosting functions most of the nights I have been there.
The same music is shared throughout. It usually comes from an Irish band, or a band playing Oz rock covers. People dance all over the place, but focus on the small dancefloor just in front of the stage for the band. When the band isn't there, more Irish tunes come through the sound system. However, most of it is pretty relaxed, although you can hear the odd party classic like Loveshack.
It is good clean entertainment. Entry is free, and the pints flow at pretty friendly prices. I have had quite a few good nights at PJs. Though I am not a big fan of Irish pubs, this is one of the better ones.
