Pub Decline Continues
A new report commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland shows a continuing decline in the number of pubs in Ireland, with 2,119 – or one in four – closing their doors since 2005.
The report, compiled by Economist and DCU Associate Professor Emeritus Anthony Foley, shows that an average of 112 pubs stopped trading every year, with a further 600 to 1,000 closures estimated over the next decade.
All 26 counties experienced declines in pub numbers over the 2005 to 2024 period. The highest decrease was in Limerick (-37.2%), followed by Offaly (-34.1%), Cork (-32.7%), Roscommon (-32.3%), Tipperary (-32.0%), Laois (-30.6%), Longford (-30.1%) and Westmeath (-30.0%).
The lowest decrease was in Dublin with a drop of -1.7%, followed by Meath with a decrease of -9.5%. Wicklow had a decrease of 10.8% and all other counties saw a 13% or greater decrease.
DIGI said the high cost of doing business was a major contributory factor to the alarming rate of closures recorded by the report. It said that without immediate action by the Government, many villages and small towns will soon lose their last remaining pub, which would deal a devastating blow to the economic and social fabric of that community.
According to DIGI Secretary Donall O’Keeffe, the Government could improve commercial viability overnight by cutting excise by 10%.
“With Irish consumption of alcohol having fallen to average EU levels, and likely to continue dropping, it is no longer justifiable that pubs should be faced with the second-highest excise rates in Europe. This is on top of a hefty 23% VAT rate. The time for the government to act is now, before it is too late,” he said.
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