Last orders in paradise

What do you do after running one of Levenshulme's greatest pubs for over three decades? Pack your bags and head for the sunshine

Dear members,

What do you think the afterlife will be like, if you think there’s one at all? Recently, Mollie learned about the concept of “fiddler’s green”, which — no disrespect to any religion — does sound like a supremely wonderful vision of the afterlife. It was promised to sailors who had spent over half a century charting the wide blue sea, and it was effectively one eternal party: complete with non-stop fiddle playing and dancing.

Last week, the Irish pub Fiddler’s Green embraced its own afterlife, closing its doors to the public after over three decades of serving pints and welcoming Levenshulme’s locals. Mollie headed down for their final night and explored what this says about Manchester’s now-waning numbers of Irish immigrants.

But first — a prison being run by its inmates, plus a compelling roundup of this spring’s shows from our theatre expert, John Tucker.