She's not too bothered about this . . . after all, they'll have the weekend together and it's rare enough that he would go out on his own.

"Are you meeting the lads?" she enquires before he leaves.
"Ah yeah, " he answers, "a few of us are going down to Browne's Bar to check out the breasts on the topless barmaid. Shouldn't be too late home."

Does this conversation really happen in the homes of Limerick since Browne's Bar hired Jasmine to come in and take her clothes off every Thursday night? Who are the men that go to gaze at her exposed charms and who are the women who think that it's fine for their partners to appreciate the assets of the lovely Jasmine?

The idea of a semi-naked woman serving pints in a local pub is not all that shocking. Trade is down and owner John Joe Fitzpatrick is willing to try anything to boost his bottom line. God only knows what Jasmine gets out of it. I'm sure she is well paid, but does she get paid much more than her colleagues who work at the bar and presumably remain fully dressed throughout their shift?

What perplexes me more is the motivation of the people who make a special trip to see the topless barmaid. I did some rudimentary research on the issue among a couple of select menfolk. While I was instantly and predictably branded a prude by one man for even mentioning that there is something inherently tacky about the whole idea, most agreed that it was a pretty base crowd-pleaser. But I wondered how many of them would be so anti-Jasmine if they were out with a crowd of their peers and faced with the suggestion that they head into Browne's for a look at the boobs?

Another man whom I questioned says it's not about sexual gratification, but more about participating in a nudge-nudge wink-wink male thing.

Being able to say that the barmaid last night had no top on will get a reaction in work the next day. Would it not be better for all concerned, though, if they stuck to talking about football?

Surely there can't be many men who would plan to go to the bar on their own for a quiet pint and a flash of flesh? It may be that I have it all wrong. Perhaps the naked top-half of a woman does hold endless fascination for men and the attraction of seeing one for the price of a drink is just too tempting to resist.

John Joe, who runs the place, reckons he is doing a service for the women of his area, saying that the men are "full of beans and romantic" when they come home from the pub.

But I wonder if women really flock to John Joe's door on Friday mornings to thank him for getting their husbands all revved up the night before.

The great thing is that if you disapprove of the shenanigans in Browne's Bar, there are two people to blame. John Joe says that the smoking ban and the price of drink have forced him to take this drastic measure.

These crippling factors have "led to this", he explains. So, Micheal Martin, you brought in the smoking ban; it is you, minister, who must bear responsibility for semi-naked women serving beer in smoke-free pubs in Limerick.

Brian Cowen must also take the rap.

The price of drink is made prohibitive by taxes, or so the drinks industry would have us believe. Therefore the Minister for Finance has to own up to putting this poor bar owner to the pin of his collar and forcing his hand when it comes to employing pants-only pint pullers.

Let's warn other nations now, before it's too late. You can introduce the smoking ban and tax alcohol to the hilt, but only if you are happy with the male population going out on a Thursday night for a pint, a packet of crisps and a pair of exposed babyfeeders.