Full coverage: Pubs

UK investment firm Attestor Capital is closing in on most of the hospitality portfolio put on the market by the Smith family.

Conor McGregor is eyeing up his third pub but this time it looks like Dún Laoghaire, not Dublin 12. The world’s highest-paid athlete continues to build his business interests.

Low interest rates and wealthy investors are driving a boom in pub prices. Will there still be room for the little guy?

Dunmore has acquired the Wellington in Dublin 4, adding to a venue in Dún Laoghaire. One of its backers outlines the rationale for the deal and its strategy for building a group.

Four publicans won their test case against FBD Insurance over business interruption claims. Now the court has to determine what they can recover under their policies. Early closing hours, table-only service and staff costs are all at issue.

Fitzgerald’s in Sandycove is famous for its literary connections, and now a low-profile company is on the brink of acquiring it. It is the latest pub to change hands as the sector begins to reopen.

The Central Bank set out its expectations that all "reasonable" legal costs would be covered in the test case in a letter sent last night, the High Court has heard.

The pubs that challenged FBD's stance on Covid-related business interruption cover were vindicated by the High Court. Now there is the tricky business of assessing losses, particularly around two big sticking points: partial pub closures and legal costs.

His pubs may have been forced to shut, but Ernest Cantillon doubled turnover at his gin and whiskey company last year. He talks about navigating his businesses through the pandemic, taking out insurance with FBD and why he would never open a pub in Dublin again.

The pandemic has opened promising debates around many of our bad habits. The renewed focus on public health should encompass alcohol consumption and a sustainable new business model for pubs, but it is not happening.