Survey finds pub is losing relevance in Irish society

IRELAND is moving toward a continental style café culture and the pub as the centre of social life is becoming a thing of the past, according to a new survey on alcohol consumption.

Drinkers are abandoning the pub because of health concerns and high costs and opting to meet in the café, according to the report Sober Ireland, from MINTEL, an international supplier of consumer data for various industries.

The survey also claims that as the average age in Ireland increases, the number of people drinking heavily is far less than those opting for a healthy, less costly lifestyle.