Patrick's Day boost sees spending in pubs up 11% 

Spend on groceries grew 6%, helped in large part by Easter weekend

Spending in pubs on St Patrick’s Day increased 11% compared to 2023, with more than €7m spent by AIB customers on March 17, the highest spending day for the sector in the month. 

More than €27m was spent on groceries on Easter Saturday, the sector's highest spend in the month and a 10% increase on the same day last year, according to the AIB Spend Trend data for March. 

Spend on groceries grew 6% in the month overall, with the largest annual increase in grocery spending in Kerry, up 8%, followed by Monaghan and Cavan at 8% and 7% respecitvely.