Actor Chirs O'Dowd has offered up his driving skills to support a new pilot initiative.

Taking the scenic coastal route to a wedding in the west of Ireland last week, it was a joy to motor pleasantly along quiet country roads devoid of tourist buses and high season traffic.

By contrast, Dublin city and county has lost just 10 pubs in the same period, dropping from 786 to 776.

A publican lobby group has warned of "rapidly changing" consumer drinking habits to which the industry must adapt.

Vintners say rural Ireland needs an urgent sustainable transport solution to combat the effects of new drink-driving legislation.

A shortage in staff is said to be one of the biggest problem's facing the pub industry.

Rural drivers should be given new licences which allow them to pick up passengers for a set price within 15km of their homes in a bid to clamp down on ongoing drink driving concerns.

Pubs in rural areas have to turn over at least €8,000 per week or they may not survive, according to a new report.

Publicans have said they are fully behind the implementation of the Public Health Alcohol Bill, which doctors say will save lives.

English brewery Sam Smith’s will no longer tolerate swearing on its premises, not from customers or staff. It remains to be seen if this will affect sales, says Jonathan deBurca Butler

The organisation that represents publicans outside Dublin has denounced plans by Transport Minister Shane Ross to strengthen drink-driving laws, saying there is no evidence to support his assertion that the move would save lives.

British tourists in Ireland spent 12% less this summer because of the drop in the value of sterling against the euro and high taxation, a survey suggested.

Publicans and off-licence owners have expressed their disappointment at a decision by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald not to introduce legislation which would allow licensed premises to sell alcohol on Good Friday.

Publicans have renewed the fight to get pubs opened on Good Friday, claiming the ban on the sale of drink is archaic.

Publicans have urged Health Minister Leo Varadkar to “plough on” with plans to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol following a European Court of Justice ruling appeared to make the regulations harder to implement.

The head of the Vintners’ Federation has warned that a publican or bar worker could be killed because of increased levels of violence unless tougher sentences are handed down to those involved.

Attacks on publicans have risen 40%-50% in recent years and the lack of appropriate sentences is only exacerbating the problem, writes Padraig Cribben

PEOPLE normally go to the local pub for a pint or two, a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee.

Alcohol Action Ireland has called on the Government to prioritise the health of children and not to pass the alcohol industry’s self-regulatory codes into law.

Businesses in the hospitality sector have said they are looking forward to a prosperous 2015 after an increase in business this Christmas.

More than a thousand pubs have closed in Ireland since 2007, with the prospect of additional excise increases likely to further damage the industry, the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Finance heard yesterday.

Researchers who have spent the last year examining the importance of the rural Irish pub to its local community have concluded that, given their economic importance, it is "urgent" that steps be taken to address the decline of the venues.

Irish publicans can make almost twice as much profit on soft drinks than pints of lager, according to RTÉ’s flagship consumer show.

The main representative body for the country’s publicans has called on the Government to address the sale of cheap alcohol and introduce a ban on price-based advertising and promotional activity.

A vintners lobby group has been criticised for urging Cork members to attend a briefing on a multi-million events centre project — backed by a brewery.

It was a case of hands across the border as football legends Niall Cahalane and Mikey Sheehy raised a jar to a new Vintners’ Federation campaign for responsible drinking.

Publicans will launch an initiative in West Cork and Kerry later this year to encourage “traditional methods”, for young people, of learning how to drink.

Despite a third of their customers being under the age of 30, almost half of publicans are not doing anything to target the demographic.

Half of pubs are in danger of closing, it has emerged.

The Vintners Federation of Ireland has said 10c increase on the price of a pint will cost up to 10,000 jobs in the sector.

Publicans have called on the Government to introduce a novel “lid levy” of 15% on all off-licence sales in next week’s budget in a bid to raise extra taxes and counteract the problem of the availability of cheap alcohol.

Vintners are calling for the introduction of a 15% tax on alcohol sold in supermarkets and off licences.

The overwhelming majority of publicans expect trade to worsen, while three-quarters report a continuing decline in customer spending on drink, a study has shown.

The Government has sent a clear message to the drinks industry that their interests are being protected by putting the alcohol action plan on the “back burner”, community and voluntary groups have said.

Irish publicans may be able to use cheap decoders to show English Premier League football matches following a UK court ruling that has wide implications for broadcasters and TV programme-makers.

New, low-cost hackney licences are being proposed by the Government for use in isolated parts of the country where regular taxi drivers don’t operate.

RURAL pubs and off-licences across the country are in serious decline, new figures reveal.