The Irish pub is an iconic symbol of Ireland. The connotation of the Irish pub is so positive that its format is copied around the world. Visit a foreign country and the place many people feel comfortable is in the local Irish pub, even though they may not have any Irish blood and are in a country far away from Ireland such as China or Singapore.

There is a certain credibility with an Irish Pub that can’t be replicated by any other brand. So how did the Irish pub gain this status? I mean there are other countries known for great beer like Germany or Belgium, and known for their wines, like France and Italy. What differentiates the Irish pub is that the pub acted like a community gathering place, where people especially in small towns gathered. The communal feeling of coming together in a warm community setting, created an enjoyable atmosphere not only for the natives but for the people who visited Ireland.

Sadly, the Irish culture is changing, some of it due to positive lifestyle changes, some of it due to competition from grocery stores, and much of it to do with bad government policies.

Since 2005 20% of all the pubs in Ireland closed and with it comes a loss of community and further personal isolation. Pubs simply can’t afford to stay open anymore, and one of the biggest factors is government policy towards the industry.

Ireland pays some of the highest excise tax rates in Europe, it maintains the second highest excise tax on beer and wine, and the third highest on spirits. This leads to higher prices making the pub an unaffordable place to visit. To illustrate, a bottle of Irish whiskey in Ireland is four times higher in excise tax for the same bottle in Spain. While the Irish pub owners shell out $13 a bottle in tax, the Spanish pub owners shell out $3.[1]

Problematically, the Irish government seems unmoved by the plight of the pub industry and is essentially playing Nero and watching the pub culture burn to the ground. Irish publicans have lobbied for a reduction to excise tax, so they can make the pubs more affordable. The government remains inactive in listening to their pleas.

It seems that the government is moving away from helping alcohol related businesses to destroying them. The Irish government, similar to cigarettes, has mandated health warnings on alcohol labels starting in 2028. Although the certainty between linking drinking with cancer is not as obvious as with cigarettes and cancer, the government will follow through on industry damaging labels.

We have seen the plight of Irish distilleries recently. Many will close their doors and die off. The Irish pub is becoming an endangered species and bad government policy will let them die off.

As the pubs close down the main beneficiary will be the chain grocery stores which sell alcohol off license. I am sure a tourist visiting Ireland will talk about the great time they had going to the Dunnes Store and picking up some beer or Irish whisky, and how warm the people in the store were and how great of storytellers they were. Great stories about the Dunnes Store will drive record tourism and people around the world will find an Irish supermarket to visit in far away China and Singapore.

The government may play the game of slow death with the Irish pub industry, but in the process they are taking away a part of Irish culture that can never be recovered.

 

 

[1] https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/07/call-to-cut-irelands-alcohol-tax/