Motion by Cork councillor calling for rural pub incentives gets cross-party support

The decline in rural pubs in West and North Cork and throughout the country was one of the factors cited by a councillor in describing Ireland as “the loneliest nation in Europe”.

Brendan McCarthy, a Fine Gael councillor in the West Cork/Skibbereen district, said he was calling for incentivisation for rural pubs to remain open, insisting it wasn’t “about selling more drink or promoting alcohol in any way”.

Speaking at last week’s Cork County Council meeting, Mr McCarthy said he had grown up in a pub and appreciated the role they played in the community.

“One such pub near Skibbereen closed a number of years ago, and I was there the night it closed. It was said on the night, not by the publican, that the pub was the community centre where you gathered after matches or other sporting events, where you gathered on happy or sad occasions, where groups met, and where fundraising events took place for these groups.”

Meet

Mr McCarthy said many customers who had frequented these pubs no longer came out after they closed.

“These people were not out merely for alcohol, they were out to meet people, to discuss the goings-on in the world and in their own areas,” he said.

“In a recent survey, 20% of Irish people reported they were lonely most or all of the time, compared to 13% of Europeans surveyed. Ireland is the loneliest nation in Europe. Rural areas suffer more than urban areas in this regard.

“People living in rural areas might not see too many people from one week to the next, they gather in their local pub to meet people and have a chat . This is so important for them.

“If the small rural pubs that remain were to close, they would be a huge loss to their areas.”

Support

There was plenty of support across the chamber for Mr McCarthy’s motion calling on the council to write to the minister for rural and community development, Dara Calleary, asking him to recognise the vital role played by rural pubs in Ireland, and recommending that a rebate or tax incentive be put in place for pubs.

John Collins, a Bandon-based Independent Ireland councillor and publican, said that while supporting the motion he expressed pessimism that there would be a positive response.

“Similar to our rural post offices, I believe the Government would like to see the back of these things,” he said.

Peter O’Donoghue, Independent councillor in the Fermoy district, said the motion was about much more than protecting rural pubs but was rather focused on protecting the social fabric of rural Ireland.