50% of all pub closures in 2022 were in Cork

FIFTY percent of pubs that closed in Ireland in 2022 were in Cork. 108 pubs closed nationally, with 54 pubs across the county.

A new report from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) shows that 365 pubs have closed their doors in County Cork since 2005.

The report points to a continuing decline in the number of pubs across Ireland, with the rate of decline accelerating since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The latest national data shows an average of 152 pubs closing annually since 2019.

450 pubs have closed in the period since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the greatest decreases seen in more rural parts of the country compared with Dublin.

Analysis also established that the rate of closures has accelerated in the aftermath of covid-19, with 349 pubs closing in 2020 and 2021.

All 26 counties experienced a decline in the number of public houses during the 2005 to 2022 period, the lowest fall was in Dublin at 3.4% while 32% of pubs closed in Limerick. In Cork, 29.9% of pubs closed during this time period.

DIGI says the data shows the number of closures disproportionately impacts more regional counties and areas outside of urban centres — such as Dublin and the immediate surrounding counties.

Independent councillor Danny Collins owns the Boston Bar in Bantry. He believes transport is a major factor of the decline of pubs.

“If you come into many rural pubs on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday nights, you would be lucky to get a handful of people inside of them and a big thing is getting transport home at the end of the night. Taxi services are not available in a lot of rural places while Cork city and Dublin have. Many people can’t go for a drink without a spin home at night because of the lack of taxi services,” he said.

Mr Collins highlighted that a lot of people have started to drink at home since the covid-19 pandemic.

“A lot of people since covid are using off-licences and drinking at home, among other things have hit the pubs over the last 10-15 years.”

DIGI Chair and Irish Distillers’ Communications and Corporate Affairs Director Kathryn D’Arcy said: “Ireland’s excise on spirits is the third highest in Europe, our excise on wine is the highest in Europe and our excise on beer is the second highest in Europe. We must create a sustainable operating environment for the sector and particularly those in more rural parts of the country who are being disproportionately impacted by Government policy.

“To address this challenge, DIGI are calling on Government to deliver a reduction in Ireland’s extremely high excise duties which would make an immediate, positive difference to the hundreds of small businesses in our sector struggling to stay open.”

Michael O’Donovan of The Castle Inn on South Main Street, and chair of the Vintners Federation of Ireland Cork branch, echoed the calls to reduce the excise duty.

“We would be asking the Government ahead of the upcoming budget to really have a look at [excise duty] because if there was a reduction in excise duty, we would be able to sell alcohol at better prices and attract people in. Consumers are affected by mortgage increases and household budgets, as they have been really reduced to due to the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.