Hospitality industry to lose millions if Good Friday alcohol ban is lifted

Yesterday we reported that a new bill was being presented to the Upper House that would change a 90 year old law.

The Good Friday alcohol sales ban would be lifted if the bill were to be passed, which many people took to Facebook and Twitter to celebrate. However, not everyone has found it to be such great news.

Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster told The Irish Times that both the hosptality industry and Northern Ireland would be greatly effected by the new bill:

“The hospitality industry will lose out on over £16 million (about €19 million) of income, money that pays the rates [and] wages and sustains many small businesses across the province.”

Meanwhile, while the bill would change the law here in the Republic Of Ireland, it would not change the law in Northern Ireland, where the sale of alcohol is not permitted on Good Friday in bars and restaurants, but is still available for sale in retail outlets.

Neill said: "Allowing pubs and restaurants [in Northern Ireland] to sell alcohol over Easter is not about religion, if it were they would ban supermarkets selling alcohol at 8am on Good Friday morning."

Similarly, staff within the hospitality industry are upset over the bill, as it would effect them in a very specific way:

One commenter on our original post yesterday had this to say.