Bucking the trend

STARK CHOICE The crack-down on drink driving means getting to and from the local pub is a real problem for many in rural areas.  Pic: Michael McLaughlin


On the doorsteps
Bucking the trend

Rural pub decline
Michael Duffy
michaelduffy@mayonews.ie

THE atmosphere surrounding the rural pub trade in Ireland at the moment is very different to the one that prevailed before the election back in 2002.
Five years ago, the smoking ban was unheard of and drink driving, while still frowned upon, had not been met with the Garda onslaught now prevalent in both town and country.
The increase in the ‘off licence culture’ and the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets all over the country during the last number of years has meant the rural pub trade is now in crisis. Make no mistake, this is a serious election issue and one that highlights how quickly a booming trade can be turned on its head.
Members of the Mayo Vintners Association of Ireland held their annual general meeting a fortnight ago in the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar. They are concerned at the plight of their members. They feel the last government brought in a raft of reactionary legislation which has resulted in the future of their industry being fraught with difficulty. They feel changes are now needed. The Government can still help. They feel the next government must help.
“The next government has to make some changes to legislation or we are in serious trouble,” says Marty O’Hora, Kiltimagh publican and chairman of Mayo VFI.
“For starters, they can reduce the tax on people carriers for publicans who are providing courtesy buses, we think that the Rural Transport Initiative may need support. To be honest, a lot of publicans see the initiative as an election ploy. But there is no doubt that courtesy buses can work in light of the crackdown on drink driving.”
Mr O’Hora also states that publicans have suffered due to increased popularity of off-licences and the tendency of a lot of people to have a drink at home, especially during the week. However, he feels that legislation at the moment is benefiting off-licences and supermarkets ahead of the normal publican.
“Supermarkets and off licences promote their premises by selling alcohol below cost, which they are legally entitled to do. But the reality is that we, the publicans, can’t even have a ‘Happy Hour’ anymore. Brewers and suppliers offer us promotions but we can’t pass these reductions on to the customer. Supermarkets are using drinks promotions to get customers into their premises, where they can sell all sorts of other products. However, we solely sell alcohol and yet we can’t entice our customers in by using promotions, where is the sense in that? They have same licence as us.”
Another piece of legislation which has not gone down well with publicans is the banning of children under 16 from being on licensed premises after 9pm.
“The 9pm rule is losing publicans trade, especially during the summer months in busy tourist areas. Tourists have told me they have no choice but to have an early night as a lot of hotels do not have baby-sitting facilities, they can’t bring their kids into the pubs so what choice do they have.”
Mr O’Hora is keen to emphasise that publicans on the whole welcome the crackdown on drink driving as ‘no one wants to see people dying on our roads’ but he feels the same measures now have to be brought in to tackle the problems of ‘drug driving’.
“We know drinking and driving is a huge issue but there also has to be checks introduced for drug driving, all of these accidents are being put down as drink-related but a lot of us feel that drugs have to be involved.  At the moment, drugs are as freely available as alcohol but you can drive away if you’re on drugs, there are no checks. There isn’t a town in Ireland where you can’t get a line of coke or an e tablet for a tenner.  Two pints and you’re in trouble but you can take all the drugs that you like and still drive.”
So what can the next government do to arrest the decline of the industry?
“We find with trade dropping off, we do feel we are being hit hard. Up until the last few years we were seen as being legitimate businessmen, we were kind of looked up to in society. Now all of a sudden we seem to have been cast out as the lepers of society. The last government has done enough damage to our trade, it’s time they looked at other sectors.”

In response ...

Gerry Murray SF
“I think what has happened to the pub industry is symptomatic of the real problems that are facing towns and villages across the county. The problem is being tackled at the moment in the UK under the Sustainable Communities Bill. 6,000 small businesses have closed across the UK in the last year. The same is happening here and we have to address the problem now. Sinn Féin wants to see a programme put in place where €4 or €5 million is invested in each small town so basic facilities like a cinema, heated swimming pool and bowling alley are provided. This in turn will lead to the revitalisation of communities and facilities like public houses will benefit.”

John Carty FF
”I have met with the VFI on a number of occasions and I know they have some proposals which they want to put to the Government. I can assure publicans that the Rural Transport Initiative is something which Eamon Ó Cuív is very serious about implementing and there are pilot schemes ready to be put in place. I suppose, to a certain extent, there has been a lifestyle change, when I was young the two busiest days in the pub were Tuesday and Friday, pension and dole day. That’s all changed. A lot of people only socialise once a week now, people don’t drink much during the week because they are off to work at 6.30 in the morning.”