Irish drinkers no longer hardcore, or softcore?

faceman

We’re not even in the top 25 nations of beer drinkers. Are we posh now and don’t drink beer anymore or are people drinking less?

https://flip.it/aNrXkR

theteal

10th by that chart. I wonder how that's likely to change given the stupid new pricing

Strumms

Price now is so extortionate… guts of 7 euros for a pint of beer in some pubs.

i probably started drinking properly in 1999/2000 and it was in my local which was never known for being cheap…4.10 for a Heineken, 3.90 for a Guinness and I think about 3.50 for a Beamish.

people simply cannot afford it… over 6 euros now for a larger.

plus I think people too now are more health aware and there are lots of other entertainment and social activities that people prefer…more value for money…cinema and food for example might cost you a fiver more but you are getting more bang for your buck…you can wake up with a clear head having had an enjoyable night too.

The pub culture (comparable with the 80s/90s) is mostly dead. There's dozens of pubs in my hometown but most are empty, with one or two attracting most of the crowd.. whereas in the past, most of the pubs would have had a reasonable crowd, live music, and a bit of craic going on. For the most part, that scene is dead, except for the cities. The general costs involved in going drinking (the drink itself, taxi's etc) are far too high to do often.

TBH though, I think the Irish reputation for drink was overly hyped by movies/media. At least, what I've seen of Russia, Poland, and Asia has shown a very different tolerance depending on the alcohol involved, and the drink culture.

Allinall

I haven't changed my drinking habits at all.

I have cut back on non essential things to make up for the increased costs of drinking.

EmmetSpiceland

The kids just don’t seem to be as into getting completely “blotto”, as previous generations. Nothing wrong with that but their midweek nights and weekends must be fierce boring.

whisky_galore

Drugs are what the kids are doing these days. Alcohol is so 20th century.

timmyntc

With less alcohol and more ket/coke/md you can get better bang for your buck, thats what those young whippersnappers are up to these days

road_high

Lifestyles have changed. Personally prefer go to the gym now. That’s what I do Sunday mornings instead of dying of a hangover. I notice younger people much the same attitude too now. Sports and recreation has taken over a lot is my sense.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119432824#Comment_119432824

I think they’re a lot more fitness health conscious than we were in the late 90s/early 00s when I was a teen going out. Getting paralytic was the norm

rogerywalters

Id assume the poor feckers are terrified of social media now. Also social media has them wanting certain body types. Theyd be hard to attain while drinking to the level of the nineties.

MrMusician18

There are a couple of reasons that pub culture seems to be dying, the price of a night out is obviously one, and culture change but other less talked about reasons include that there are other things to do now too. The pub has also been relegated by dating apps as a singles mixing location.

There are also fewer people of pub going age around. Our population pyramid has a big bulge in the 39-49 bracket and these are the people that have transitioned from single life to family life in the last 10-15 years. There are simply fewer people to go to the pub. And a pub without a crowd is often one not worth going to.

And hangovers can be utterly appalling after a certain point. I had two cans of Murphys and one can of Bulmers one night a few weeks ago, and was sick all day next day. It wasn't the quantity - it was the mixing - but still, far worse than that would have done nothing to me when I was younger.

Covid too I suppose?

mrcheez

eh... population of Ireland is 5M... of course we're not going to be in the top 25 given that all the other countries have populations around 30M+

The chart the OP is asking for is a per-capita chart

That chart is "how much beer is drank in the country"... which is skewed by population

irish_goat

Craft beer consumption probably driving that number down too. More people will now have say 3 or 4 stronger craft beers in an evening instead of 8 cans of **** beer like Heineken, Bud, Guinness etc.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119432948#Comment_119432948

Whatever about politicians/celebrities having a tune up before a speech/interview, but how many average people take ket/coke/md without alcohol?

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119432844#Comment_119432844

People say alcohol is a drug.

It's not a drug, it's a drink.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9tdcGmBefM

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119432993#Comment_119432993

And the obligatory chipper afterwards

rogerywalters

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433134#Comment_119433134

Yeah the aul 2nd dinner chipper

Kaybaykwah

Less drinking is the result of a dissolution of values and general laissez-faire in Ireland. If you really cared about your drink, price wouldn’t matter in the least. It’s a dirty day for Ireland I tell ya.

Thelonious Monk

I was just at All Together Now in Waterford and I didn't see any messy people at all that I can remember. The crowd is older, could be that, or maybe I just have memories of gatherings like this when I was much younger and there'd be people falling around and vomiting etc.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433173#Comment_119433173

I remember around the 00s near riots outside them regularly at 2.00am in the middle of Kilkenny where I used go out mostly- they don’t even open that late anymore far as I know

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119432993#Comment_119432993

It’s the body types I reckon. 6 packs used only be in magazines back in the day !

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058257555/irish-drinkers-no-longer-hardcore-or-softcore

We were never "hardcore", or any core. The Irish drinker thing is largely a myth. A lot of Americans would drink us under the table for example.

The paddy's like a drop, but it's mostly pints. We're beer drinkers in the main and enjoy the social aspect more so than anything else. We like a bit of a laugh, a bit of conversation and a few beers on a night out...or several nights out.

But that's it really...for the majority of us anyway.

However, there are a lot of cultures out there that are into their boozing in a far more serious way than we ever were or ever will be.

whisky_galore

A lot of the 'kids' (18- early 20s) aren't even left into city centre bars anymore, over 21s/over 23s policies.

Older drinkers don't want them around and owners don't want low spenders.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433241#Comment_119433241

For all the stereotypes from across the Irish sea, the Brits are far heavier boozers than the Irish (for example)

SoapMcTavish

Ah Templebar ......

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433378#Comment_119433378

Those feckign Norsemen, I thought they stopped pillaging us a thousand years ago.

Quitelife

It’s all drugs these days - can’t get into the toilets in the local pub with all the snorting going on .

Cocaine dealers taking all the young and not so young peoples disposable income , not much left for beer !

Pubs closing down all over rural Ireland as young people are been lured to cocaine .

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433753#Comment_119433753

The pubs are closing because the middle aged have become more health conscious.

Back in the day a couple in their 40s or 50s would get a babysitter and head out to the pub every weekend.

Now they are more likely to get a babysitter and head for a 40k cycle on a Sunday morning.

That and the drink driving laws, the smoking ban, the cost of drink, older publicans retiring etc etc

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119433800#Comment_119433800

Lot of Middle Aged drinkers round our way have given up drinking in our local pub the only one remaining it’s now basically a drug supermarket where you watch runners for local dealers in and out of the pub with sachets of cocaine mostly for clients . No enjoyment in watching that all night .

We had another pub but the publican there tried to stop the dealing in the pub but despite the fact he’s in his seventies he got a bad hammering for his troubles from local dealers so he just closed down his pub altogether.

all part of life in country towns and villages in modern Ireland