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Child Item

Pubs Closing Down Rural Ireland

hurler32

Particularly in rural Ireland pubs have closed hand over fist in the past 7-8 years with those remaining in many cases hanging in there unless they've a substantial food business.Whats to blame , probably a number of things including

More and more people on minimum wage with no money

Depopulation of rural Ireland to Dublin and abroad

Young people spending their disposable income on illegal drugs as opposed to beer

Gardai over the top antics on elderly people in particular driving the following day ( as opposed to real crime - catching burglars - drug dealers etc )

Obviously it's cheaper go to Lidl but in rural pubs the pint is circa 4 euro for last ten years and even some tuborg- carling offers are cheaper . I'd prefer to pay a bit more to have a chat with neighbours than drink a can on my own looking out the window at home , or do younger folk only want to be on their phones rather than engage with members of their community ?

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shaunr68

cycle4fun wrote: »

And a lot of people are terrified of going to the pub and having 2 or 3 pints as it would mean driving home, so they do not go to the pub. Losing the licence is not an option. Going to the pub at the weekend was all some people had to look forward to after a weeks work on the farm.

Great, the Healy Raes are on Boards!

blue note

Noveight wrote: »

You asked me to expand on the post where I mentioned healthier, cheaper and more fun alternatives to the pub and I listed those in my locality. Some tick two of those boxes, some one, depends wholly on the individual of course.

If you'd specified that you'd activities for the elderly in mind I would indeed have agreed that the alternatives are few and far between. In hindsight my original post was possibly a bit narrow in that I was speaking for myself / my age group.

That's fair enough and I'm not trying to attack you or anything. I do just feel though that in the discussion around the closure of rural pubs and pub culture in general that we're forgetting about the impact that it's having on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I sometimes see quite flippant remarks by people that what they're doing is unhealthy anyway and if they can't find an alternative that doesn't put people's lives in danger through drink driving then that's their problem. And sadly, it seems to be entirely their problem. They are receiving little to no support to help deal with it. And I have seen very few viable substitutes to the pub for these people.

It doesn't affect me directly and in fact I'm from a town so the drink driving laws don't have much of an effect there. It's not even affecting my parents who could walk to the pub if they wanted to but they don't anyway. But I genuinely feel guilty that my generation is sometimes even smug about how great it is that these pubs are closing when there are people who feel trapped in their homes because of the change.

washman3

Super-Rush wrote: »

Anyone drink driving is an evil scumbag.

Would you label people texting on a mobile phone while driving an evil scumbag too.? The practice is now said to be 20 times more dangerous than drink driving.

Or do you simply ignore it because you do it yourself...;)

Minderbinder

People are really overestimating the impact of drink driving laws on rural drinkers. It has close to zero influence on people. Legal limits have been around for decades and those who ignored them in the 80’s would ignore them today, as would a similar percentage of younger generations. Those who obeyed them in the 80’s still do so. Plus there are less guards around than before by a long way who are not inclined to be out and about at closing time because they turn the other cheek.

Pubs were packed until 2008/9 and don’t tell me anything has changed regarding enforcement of drink driving in that time until now in rural areas.

What happened is actually the economic crash sent young people looking for cheaper alcohol and the culture of mostly drinking at home began, and they liked it and probably don’t see the value of going back to pubs, especially rural pubs.

Minderbinder

washman3 wrote: »

Super-Rush wrote: »

Anyone drink driving is an evil scumbag.

Would you label people texting on a mobile phone while driving an evil scumbag too.? The practice is now said to be 20 times more dangerous than drink driving.

Or do you simply ignore it because you do it yourself...;)

It’s no comparison at all for me. I did drink and drive occasionally and creeping along on a rural road at 2am was no risk to anyone. Drunk people phoning me to give them a lift home - I’d be far more dangerous behind the wheel but what choice do people have.

And as for texting and driving I have absolutely no idea how that works. It’s insanely reckless in my opinion.

Billy86

cycle4fun wrote: »

And a lot of people are terrified of going to the pub and having 2 or 3 pints as it would mean driving home, so they do not go to the pub. Losing the licence is not an option. Going to the pub at the weekend was all some people had to look forward to after a weeks work on the farm.

Username... doesn't check out.

MeTheMan

Did anyone blame one off housing yet?

DEFTLEFTHAND

MeTheMan wrote: »

Did anyone blame one off housing yet?

Or the GAA.

lisasimpson

One thing that rural pubs actually all pubs could do is also stock a better range of non alcoholic bears..in most cases its just becks you get in Ireland..many brands now produce them but very few sold in Ireland

foxy farmer

lisasimpson wrote: »

One thing that rural pubs actually all pubs could do is also stock a better range of non alcoholic bears..in most cases its just becks you get in Ireland..many brands now produce them but very few sold in Ireland

Publicans don't really like teetotallers on their premises. Yes they'll serve them and charge extortionate prices for minerals but theyd prefer to see the back of them. We're seen as dry sh1tes or tight or keeping tabs on others. As one local barman referred to them as "ceiling inspectors."
If you're the only non drinker in a crowd out for a night it can get very boring.

seachto7

lisasimpson wrote: »

One thing that rural pubs actually all pubs could do is also stock a better range of non alcoholic bears..in most cases its just becks you get in Ireland..many brands now produce them but very few sold in Ireland

They're well able to charge for non alcho beer too. :mad:

washman3

lisasimpson wrote: »

One thing that rural pubs actually all pubs could do is also stock a better range of non alcoholic bears..in most cases its just becks you get in Ireland..many brands now produce them but very few sold in Ireland

Most drinkers would rather drink donkey's piss than that s###e.

Billy86

MeTheMan wrote: »

Did anyone blame one off housing yet?

Not that I can see, but now that you mention it one of the main reasons given has been very sparse populations and lack of walking distance to pubs in many rural areas, so...

[Deleted User]

My local rural town has 4 pubs and a hotel with another pub about 3 miles outside the town. There was about 15 pubs in years gone by but the ones that are remaining are doing well. Two in particular, one in the town and the one out the country are doing a roaring trade. Any night of the week you will have a decent crowd in there, mix of young and old etc.

I was in the one I consider my local on sunday afternoon, got in around around 1:30pm and it was standing room only when I got in, probably 60 people in the pub half of which were under 30 I'd say so not seeing the trends others are saying. They never did and never will do food either. I would definitely say the pubs in my area aren't overly held back by the DD laws though as a large proportion of people would regularly drive home after a few, particulary people calling in for a few on the way home from work midweek.

Have two other pubs in slightly different directions from my house both in the country not in the town and both also doing fine.

Skyfloater wrote: »

If drinking 8 pints on a night out is normal for you, you've got bigger issues than dirty lines.

8 pints is a quiet night

amcalester

Layne Rotten Shackle wrote: »

My local rural town has 4 pubs and a hotel with another pub about 3 miles outside the town. There was about 15 pubs in years gone by but the ones that are remaining are doing well. Two in particular, one in the town and the one out the country are doing a roaring trade. Any night of the week you will have a decent crowd in there, mix of young and old etc.

I was in the one I consider my local on sunday afternoon, got in around around 1:30pm and it was standing room only when I got in, probably 60 people in the pub half of which were under 30 I'd say so not seeing the trends other are saying. They never did and never will do food either. I would definitely say the pubs in my area aren't overly held back by the DD laws though as a large proportion of people would regularly drive home after a few.

Have two other pubs in slightly different directions from my house both in the country not in the town and both also doing fine.

8 pints is a quiet night

15 down to 4 and you don’t see the trend?

[Deleted User]

amcalester wrote: »

15 down to 4 and you don’t see the trend?

I recounted and its actually 5 + the hotel which is a propular bar so lets say 6 bars. Most of the rest are closed for a very long tome though some before I was even born so well over 30 years ago. Only one of them really close in recent years due to not surviving but that was literally next door to another pub (as in attached). One other one that closed in the last 10 years was simply due to the owner dying and no real interest in keeping it going from anyone else.

Of the pubs still only one I could see having any trouble and that becuase it and one other pub (aside from the hotel) do food but they are the worse of the two so their niche probably won't be good enough.

The most popular and my favoutite is absolutely thriving, place is popular with all ages and its old, toilets in poor enough condition etc you typical country pub but the pints are top class, the craic is mighty and people love the place.