End drink sales ban

Like so many things in life the symbolism of something can far outweigh the impact it actually has on our lives.

It is illegal to sell alcohol in Ireland on just two days of the year. Both of these days are Christian holy days. Yesterday was one. This does not mean that anyone who wanted a drink could not get one, or that closing bars or preventing restaurants selling alcohol is an unmanageable burden.

There is, however, more than a ring of truth to yesterday’s assertion by the Restaurants’ Association of Ireland when they said that the law was outdated and should be changed.

The prohibition is rooted in another time and one that celebrated a Catholic dominance that no longer prevails. Repealing the Good Friday drinks’ veto would be another step towards the normalisation of this society. It would not, however, preclude anyone who chooses not to drink at this time from being abstinent.