The death of the Irish pub?
According to a report, released on Wednesday by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), there were 1,477 fewer pubs in Ireland last year than in 2005, representing a 17.1% drop in businesses across the country.
In 2017, there were 7,140 pubs nationwide – a decline from 8,617 in 2005. The figures are based on an analysis of the liquor licence figures published by Revenue – which tracks the number of premises that have publican’s licences (7-day licences that allow the sale of beer, wine and spirits to be consumed on-site).
The decline has been the worst outside of Dublin, with 18.7% of all pubs outside of the capital shutting down in the last 13 years.
According to the data, Cork has seen the highest rate of decline. In 2017, Cork had 915 pubs – a 25% decrease from 1,221 in 2005. Cork is also the home to the most pubs in the country.
The DIGI report also stated that “Wexford, Meath and Dublin saw the smallest decline in publican’s licences. Wexford pubs dropped from 158 to 157 while Meath was down three pubs from 210 to 207”.
Dublin has barely been affected at all over the course of the decade: “In 2017, there were 773 pubs registered in Dublin city and county – down only 1.7% from 786 in 2005.”
However, Dublin was hit hard during the recession, and its pub scene has recovered from a record low in 2012.
While pubs are suffering, off-licenses are in the ascendancy, with an increase of over 11% since 2005. A smaller increase of roughly 3% has been seen in licenses for wine-only bars and restaurants.
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