When you ask any American tourist what is the first thing that they will do when they visit Ireland, 90% of them will say they want to visit a 'real' Irish Pub. Given the importance of tourism we should be slightly concerned that our main tourist attraction 'The Pub' may not exist as we know it in 10 years’ time.
The pub has long been a cornerstone of Irish society. It is a place where traditionally we have chosen to meet family and friends and enjoy the company of others. Some may argue that it has been too much of a focal point in our lives, with our international reputation as a nation of heavy drinkers causing us all sorts of problems.
But things have changed. Much like the property market we have a two-tier Ireland. Rural villages and small towns have been worse affected with many pubs closing and the few that are left opening for just some nights and at weekends. The loss of this social outlet for people particularly of the older generation has further accelerated the sense of rural isolation. In our towns and cities there have been many casualties but there still remains a market but many of our pubs are still struggling.
This weekend on Down To Business I intend to identify the issues facing our pubs and (just like we did with our “Winning Back the High Street” campaign) focus on the solutions.
One of the game changers is that publicans have lost a generation of customers. People between the ages of 18 – 30 no longer go to pubs. They buy alcohol in the off licence, have few pre-drinks (or 'Prink' as my kids call it) and then go to a club. The conventional pub as we know it holds no attraction for this growing sector of the market place. The price of alcohol, particularly in supermarkets, has contributed to poor pub sales.
In 2005, Michael McDowell tried to bring in legislation a number of years ago to create a type of café bar or more European model but this was opposed by a powerful lobby of vintners. There is however a growing importance on the product offer.
We have seen the emergence of craft beers for instance which reminds me of when we Irish started to embrace wine about 25 years ago. This is here to stay. We also now see the importance of food in many of our pubs. In many urban locations many pubs are food-led as people no longer drink at lunchtime and the “GastroPub” culture continues to grow.
I’ll be looking at these and many other issues on Down to Business this Saturday from 11am when I’ll be joined in studio by Brian Fallon, Fallon’s of Kilcullen (and Fallon and Byrne), Gerry Rafter, President of Vintners' Federation of Ireland, and Michael Hedigan of the Brian Boru Pub in Dublin.
As someone who has always enjoyed the culture and special place the pub holds in Irish society let’s see if we can save this valuable national asset that is 'The Irish Pub'.
