This is a sad story.
I have a sweet spot for this pub, not least because a good friend used to work here before moving away.
The other day I passed by right before the kitchen closed with some friends. I got myself a sizzling pile of fat, plump spicy chicken wings. I mowed through about half the pile with delight, and got the rest boxed up to go. While waiting outside after, I was startled and disturbed by the the sight of two fat, plump rats scurrying down the road and diving through a crack below the bar. The (evil) person I was with made the inevitable comparison between the rat rumps and the delectable chicken legs I'd just been feasting on. And the leftovers have been sitting sadly in my fridge even since. Inedible through no fault of their own.
I never see rats in Montreal but I know they are there. They are in every city. I don't even mind them in certain contexts - I took a road trip with a rat this one time... but that's another story. I don't blame Irish Embassy - I blame the evil friend - I'm sure the Embassy's kitchen is highly hygienic. And yet. Gulp. Cringe. Shudder. Ahk. The damage is done. My over-active imagination needs time to heal, and the once-loved leftovers are doomed for the bin. I told you this was a sad story.