Changes in drinking habits: 'It’s really important to have a low-alcohol option — people want an alternative'

The pub culture in Ireland is shifting because of greater health awareness about excessive drinking and younger people’s aversion to getting drunk, says Jonathan deBurca Butler

Alan O'Rahilly with staff members Samual and Jake serving up a selection of low alcohol beers at Fionnbarra on Douglas Street, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Ireland was long synonymous with drinking, and with brewing, and distilling, but there has been a notable shift in drinking culture.

Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers, once dismissed as flavoured water, have steadily gained ground in a market long-dominated by pints of stout and lager.