While the Irish lay claim to being masters at pint drinking, a British company is now trying to tap into our supposed skills at pint serving. Whitbread, the brewing and leisure company, is offering people the chance to enter the English rural pub trade at a low-cost level.

The company is targeting potential Irish landlords because of their "social skills" and the atmosphere they can create within a pub.

While many of us might find it hard to enjoy a drink in pubs with names like the Dog and Partridge, the Fox and Duck or even the Dun Cow, Whitbread claims that, with a modest capital investment, any of the 120 pubs on offer will repay their investors handsomely.

The deal is simple. The company leases the pub to an individual who pays a capital cost of £15,000 sterling (or more depending on the pub).

The leaseholder then pays the quarterly rent which averages out at between 11 and 13 per cent of turnover.

Apart from this, the leaseholder runs the pub the way they want to with some financial support, mainly for alterations, from Whitbread.

The pubs are situated in Wales and northern England and, according to the company, offer a potential profit of between 10 and 15 per cent of annual turnover.

"Our experience is that the Irish are great at running pubs, they seem to attract people into their premises and are very hands-on," said company representative Ms Ailsa Goodyear.

She said most of those who came along to an information meeting yesterday in Dublin had some kind of proven "business acumen".

"We are particularly looking for people with some kind of experience in the trade, for example a bar manager who is looking to become an owner," she added.

Whitbread insists all leaseholders live "on-site" and while many people probably cannot locate towns like Chipping Preston, Bedlington and Little Lever on the map, the company says they all have vibrant communities used to using their local pub.

The company, which says the capital required represents a low-cost entry to the business, attaches two conditions to the lease, that all rent is paid on time and the Whitbread range of licensed beers is sold in the pub.

This range includes unfamiliar brands like Boddingtons and Stella Artois plus the more common Heineken and Murphys.

The company is inviting anyone interested to visit the Red Cow Hotel in Clondalkin, Co Dublin today to get further details. The company expects hundreds of people to visit over the two days.