The numbers paint their own story, and that story is increasingly grim. A total of 2,054 pubs have stopped serving since 2004, the first full year of the smoking ban, according to research from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, which found that an average of 144 pubs a year closed between 2019 and 2023. Alcohol consumption, meanwhile, has fallen 31 per cent since 2001. The numbers for the restaurant sector are even worse. Some 577 food-led businesses have closed this year alone, according to the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI), the industry lobby group.  It begs the question: why…

Want to continue reading?

Introductory offer: Sign up today and pay €200 for an annual membership, a saving of €100.

Subscribe

Cancel anytime.

Are you already a member? .