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.

There is a huge variation between drinking habits in Ireland, with people in the south drinking almost twice as much as those in the North — 245 litres, per capita per annum in the south, compared to 134 litres in the North.

But the report claims that traditional attitudes to drinking are in rapid decline, with only one-in-ten saying the main reason to drink is to get drunk and three-in-ten saying they don’t need drink to have a good time.

The findings appear to contradict previous research which shows that Ireland is at the top of the league of European drinkers.

The report’s author, Eamonn Finn, says it indicates a new attitude to alcohol among the public.

“While it may be too strong to suggest that alcohol is losing its relevance in everyday life, what is clear is that its use is slowly adjusting to the changing patterns in society,” he said.

“Total alcohol consumption is down and fewer people now drink to get drunk, while binge drinking, which is the main drinking culture in Ireland, is no longer viewed as socially acceptable.

“Health concerns are high up society’s agenda … people are choosing to socialise in different ways.”

Half of those who stopped drinking said they did so for health reasons, 49% said it was because of rising costs.

In the last five years 25% and 27% in the North and south respectively now drink less than they did five years ago.

Despite the report’s findings Ireland spends almost 6 billion on drink, an increase of 2% between 2004 and 2005.

Sinead Shannon, a spokeswoman for Alcohol Action Ireland, says the reports findings are at odds with previous research.

“I don’t think there has been significant evidence that people are giving up for health concerns, we certainly haven’t seen any evidence of it,” she said.

“Ireland has a significant alcohol problem, Alcohol Action Ireland carried out a recent survey which found that 80% of people across the country think that people are drinking too much, so it isn’t just ourselves who are concerned.”