Publican: Sales fell a third during cold snap

A CORK publican has said his trade took a beating this Christmas due to the adverse weather — with sales down by nearly a third (30%).

Figures released by the Revenue Commissioners show the number of pub licenses has plummeted by 1,300 over the past five years.

Vintners Federation Ireland (VFI) member Con Dennehy, of Dennehy’s pub on Cork’s Coal Quay, said his business was “blown out of the water” by the bad weather. Some 90 pubs in the county did not have their licenses renewed in the past three years.