Number of pubs down 1,500 in 12 years
Just 7,140 premises remain as drinkers prefer to socialise at home.
Pubs have closed at the rate of more than two a week for the past 12 years, because drinkers are socialising at home.
Figures from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) show there were 1,477 fewer pubs in Ireland last year than in 2005, a 17.1% drop.
No county escaped the decline, but it was 25% in Cork, which was more than anywhere else.
Some of the fall-off was countered by a 3% increase in the number of wine-only bars and restaurants, but the more dramatic trend was the 11.6% rise in the number of off-licences.
Even with those new businesses, however, Revenue figures show that 866 fewer liquor licences were registered in 2017 than in 2005, which represents a total reduction in the sector of 5.6%.
DIGI says the closures were more pronounced in rural counties — the number of pubs outside of Dublin dropped by 18.7% — and has called on the Government to support the sector and the jobs it provides.
Padraig Cribben, CEO of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI), said the statistics were worrying.
“These pubs are small businesses, mainly in rural Ireland, that provide significant employment and continue to create jobs in local communities,” he said.
“In Mayo alone, hospitality and drinks businesses enable 4,095 jobs, while, in Donegal, there are 368 pubs and 7,445 jobs supported by the industry.”
“The sharp decline in the number of pubs is worrying and is further evidence of the need to monitor the industry and ensure the necessary supports are in place to reverse this trend.”
DIGI and VFI said that while the Government had committed to assisting small, rural businesses to recover during the recession, the drinks industry was hit by two increases in taxes, with excise on alcohol raised in 2012 and 2013.
“Our punitive alcohol excise tax, the second-highest in the EU, slows the growth of these businesses and impacts their day-to-day operations and bottom line,” said Mr Cribben.
According to DIGI, 90,000 jobs across the country are dependent on the drinks industry, which purchases more than €1.1bn worth of Irish produce annually, exports goods worth more than €1.25bn, and provides more than €2.3bn in State revenue, through excise and Vat.
In 2005, there were 8,617 pubs in Ireland. That fell to 7,140 last year. The number of Cork pubs fell from 1,221 to 915, but Wexford lost just one of its 158 pubs. Meath lost just three, bringing its total to 207, and Dublin city and county had only a 1.7% drop, from 786 to 773.
Off-licences increased in the same period, from 2,966 in 2005 to 3,331 in 2017.
However, wine importers and distributors are celebrating an increase in business, with their annual figures showing sales on the rise, despite the overall fall in alcohol consumption.
Wine consumption grew by half a percent last year and wine is second only to beer as the nation’s favourite alcoholic drink.
White wine is the choice of 50% of wine drinkers, with 45% opting for red, and 5% preferring rose.
However, the Irish Wine Association said it feared changes in the law could have a negative effect. Under the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, all wine sold in Ireland will have to be specially labelled to include cancer warnings and the association says this will mean extra costs for producers, which could be passed on to consumers.
