Irish pubs in danger of extinction as new rules bite

I agree 100% rosks304, It's CHEAPER to give the rapists, murders and other dangerous thugs the "Probation Act" and let them back to prey on the innocent public than to put them in jail. And in Ireland CHEAP talks especially when it comes to government spending on the public. Politician's personal junkets have NO taxpayer funed monetary limit, but you daren't spend a Euro on schools, jails or hospitals. Sligo: There's a state of the art radiotherapy machine in Sligo General Hospital. It's used to treat breast cancer and other types of cancer. It's been sitting there 5-years gathering dust because the Health Service Exectutive will not hire staff to man it. Machines, it seems, are a ONE-OFF expense, but staff salaries go on forever. It's the same with jailers (warders) and teachers. Their salaries go on forever so that spendings a No-No!....................Enjoy your Paddy's day junkets to New York, Chicago, San francisco, Sidney, etc. you crook politicians whiole the workers of the country collect the dole or work to pay the taxman 55% of their meagre salary!

I dare to say that not many people have any sympathy for the Publicans. They should all be awarded a Masters Degree in "RI-POFFOLOGY" That goes for this side of the Ocean also. Just wait and see what they charge people for a drink on St. Patrick's Day.

I agree take the Drunken Drivers off the road but what about the Murderers and the Rapists? be nice to put them out of business.

You have to understand that most Policos are not capable of handling real issues,like Real Crime etc. so they are forced to go after the Law-Abiding so they get their "MOONEY" at month end.

It is unanimous that blithering drunk drivers should be removed from the road for the safety of all. That is a good thing! What is happening in most of the New England states, is not exctly that! Police stops are now for revenue enhancement in many cases. In one Vermont ski town, the police cruise the parking lots of restaurans and bars taking down license numbers. When thr vehicles enter the road, they are stopped. They do have a weekly quota, in this town it is 4 per week. Each DUI nets the town $2860.00. A 59 year old grandmother was handcuffed and processed after having 2 glasses of wine at a restaurant. As a result of this, most people are off the road by 8;30 pm and several restaurants and bars have closed. This has resulted in a drop of DUI convictions. Now that that has happened, they now have road blocks at 5:45 in the evening to catch a businessman that has had a martini, or some concrete truck driver that worked 12 hrs. and had two beers after work. I'm sure Ireland is learning from America. One cop said that these bars are places where people get together and talk about the government, that is where trouble starts? I guess if you are looking for good conversation, we might all gather at the supermarket, and meet at the frozen food section

I once closed and opened a pub in Sligo in another time with the companionship of my friend the barman and a social worker from Dublin. We didn't solve all the world's problems but decided to leave some of them for a younger generation. I will remember it fondly despite the false wisdom of too many pints.

Good to see the end of the Irish pub in Ireland and the Irish bar in the U.S. It will be good when the Irish and alcohol association perish from the earth. It will be good never to see another bar with a shamrock placard in the window selling booze. A lot of people like to see the Irish drunk and drinking;they can claim that is the reason for the countries failure instead of centuries of imperial colonistic abuse. Alcohol for the Irish was a way out for psychic pain and a way to control them by England. Similar ro the Roman "Drink Goth Drink".

Deaths on Irish roads have fallen from 640 in 1972 to 239 in 2009. Traffic has quadrupled. Young Irish people no longer drink and drive and guess what pubs decline and fewer people die. Its a change but maybe not for the worse!

Getting blithering drunks that are a menace to society off the road is a priority. In the US, instead of concentrating on that, the police have become the revenue enhancers for cities, town, and villages, across America. In a northcentral Vermont ski town, the police cruise the parking lots of bars and restaurants taking down license numbers, then stop the vehicles when they enter the road. If you had two glasses of wine , you can be handcuffed and processed for DUI. This town has a quota of four DUI's a week (nobody gets off) For each conviction, the town receives $2800.00. As a rsult of this , much fewer people are out after 9;00pm, and several restaurants and bars have closed. Now that fewer people are out , and are not drinking, or using a nondrinking driver, the difficulty of makeing the quota is more difficult. Now the police are having road blocks at 6pm to catch businessmen that have had a martini, or concrete truck drivers that have had two beers after working a twelve hour day. The government we have in America is so paraniod, that they do not want any amount of people gathering in one place discussing issues and politics, this is where terrorists are created, and eliminating bars is one way to do it The Irish have listened to Americans that have told of this bonanza. Soon the supermarket will be the only place to buy beer. So look forward to some great conversation at the frozen food section of the supermarket

In Northeast Wisconsin, I grew up through a time when the corner tavern (our equivalent of the village pub) went from being a center of neighborhood life for multiple generations to the occaisional haunt of old men and women. Trying to make a living running a tavern is difficult unless the mortgage was paid for a long time ago. Buying one is impossible, given how much the owner needs to sell it for to retire and finding a bank for a loan was always difficult and now can be impossible. Is change hard, sure but it happens.

Wow! Can see how this is happening, but what a blow to those of us who really enjoy the Irish pub experience ... Hawaii bobbee

In Temple Bar in Dublin's inner city, it is a tourist trap, a pint of Guinness is 6 euro 50p, that's about $10, the publicans will have to change their tune, two blocks up from Temple Bar their is a Pub that charges 3 euros and it gets all the locals. Peadar Kearney's on Dame Street just around the corner charges 3 Euro 50p until 7.30 at night then it goes up to 5Euro 50p. Dicey Reilly's charges 2 euro on Mondays, 2 Euro 50p on Tuesdays, 3Euro on Wednesdays, 3.50 on Thursdays, 4Euro on Fridaya and 5 Euro Sat & Sun. Not perfect but good during the week. Nobody has any sympathy for the Publicans. What goes around comes around.

"Below-cost selling by supermarkets is chiefly to blame, said Gerry Mellett, president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland in the Irish Times." Hmm it wouldn't happen to be 'Above reasonable cost selling in the pubs that would be the trouble Would It, The licensed trade like the aul farmers have always a moan to be heard, and its always someone Else's fault that the sky is falling, there was hardly a witter out of them in the heady days of the 90s and 2000s as they busily gouged all comers large and small, My Mother, God rest her, use to always say "I cannot understand young people working all hard all week and then to sit and throw their hard earned money over the counter to a publican", Well Ma they've finally caught on, You'll be waiting a long time to get any sympathy for this bunch of braggarts from me, Gotta run now I hear Bud is on special at Tesco.

Saints Begorrah! It breaks my heart to read this. I'm hoping to make it to Ireland this year for the first time and although I'm sure some pubs have survived it sounds like the change is coming. It all makes sense in terms of the reasons... no smoking in bars and the fact that liquor can be purchased elsewhere at a much cheaper cost. However, it is a tradition that I hope will never completely go by the way side. My grandfather, a full blooded Irishman whose father came from County Cork always said, "It's God, Whiskey and Women, in that order." I'm sure the whiskey reference was about the pubs of Ireland.

I'm sorry to here about the pub plight. I live in Central Florida. We have some really nice Irish pubs. We have Trad Irish Sessions at them and that seems to bring in business. I never understood why pubs have TV's going all the time in bars anyway. Maybe a big screen of a good sport, but, in my humble opionion, pubs are for gatherings, socializing, music, maybe a game of Darts over a fine Guiness. A good meal is even better. Anyone can drink beer and watch TV at home. It is the community that pubs should focus on. It's the social aspect which also is dying in the land of Ipods, Ipads, video games and texting. I hope the pubs in Ireland reivent themselves, as a community gathering place and not just a bar. Here in Orlando, we have microbrew pubs, that make "beer right here", allow dogs, and host Traditional Irish Music, and other social awarness functions. In a world of turmoil, we should preserve these sanctuaries for our sanity. And you don't even have to consume alcohol to attend.