Lord Mayor: Overpriced pubs tarnish Dublin's image

The Lord Mayor of Dublin today accused pub landlords of creating major damage to the city’s tourism industry by overcharging for drink on special occasions.

Royston Brady hit out at the publicans after Irish Consumer Affairs Director Carmel Foley produced evidence showing price hikes of up to €1 for a pint of beer or stout in some bars during last Saturday's Ireland-Scotland rugby international at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road.

Ms Foley stressed that the bars had not broken the law because they displayed their prices, but identified the premises involved on her office web site, and declared : “I fail to see the justification for such price increases.”

Mr Brady said the landlords had been attempting to fleece visitors to Dublin, and said: “It shows that some publicans are intent on lining their pockets – no matter what damage it will do to the city’s reputation.

“I would call on Ms Foley to regularly name and shame pubs and restaurants that are giving us a bad reputation as a very expensive destination.

“We cannot allow a small group of greedy publicans to tarnish our reputation as a welcoming city and I would encourage drinkers to shop around and not to accept being ripped off.”