Almost 2000 pubs closed since 2005

[armaghniac]

Not often I agree with the noble Lord Looney

[AustinPowers]

There was a lot of investment in shops, filling stations, news agents, store fronts, cafés etc as more money sloshed around the economy from the mid 90s on. A lot of those pubs wouldn't have justified investment as spending patterns changed. They

Sure in 20 years filling stations in rural areas will be only a shop.

There will be no rural  shops in 20 years.

Tesco/Asda  will deliver your  shopping , Deliveroo drones your coffee/takeaways and  those Bastids Amazon  everything else. 

[thewobbler]

There was a lot of investment in shops, filling stations, news agents, store fronts, cafés etc as more money sloshed around the economy from the mid 90s on. A lot of those pubs wouldn't have justified investment as spending patterns changed. They

Sure in 20 years filling stations in rural areas will be only a shop.

There will be no rural  shops in 20 years.

Tesco/Asda  will deliver your  shopping , Deliveroo drones your coffee/takeaways and  those Bastids Amazon  everything else. 

More time at the desk.

More time at the couch.

We are going to need to develop two arses for all the sitting down we will be doing. And might as well get rid of our mouths in favour of another finger for our phones.

Evolution is over for us.

[armaghniac]

There was a lot of investment in shops, filling stations, news agents, store fronts, cafés etc as more money sloshed around the economy from the mid 90s on. A lot of those pubs wouldn't have justified investment as spending patterns changed. They

Sure in 20 years filling stations in rural areas will be only a shop.

There will be no rural  shops in 20 years.

Tesco/Asda  will deliver your  shopping , Deliveroo drones your coffee/takeaways and  those Bastids Amazon  everything else.

You can get Tesco deliveries, Amazon and takeway deliveries for years. There has been an effect, but it is still handy to go to the local shop for bits and pieces. What Amazon does is deliver you things that probably aren't in the local shop anyway.

[AustinPowers]

There was a lot of investment in shops, filling stations, news agents, store fronts, cafés etc as more money sloshed around the economy from the mid 90s on. A lot of those pubs wouldn't have justified investment as spending patterns changed. They

Sure in 20 years filling stations in rural areas will be only a shop.

There will be no rural  shops in 20 years.

Tesco/Asda  will deliver your  shopping , Deliveroo drones your coffee/takeaways and  those Bastids Amazon  everything else.

You can get Tesco deliveries, Amazon and takeway deliveries for years. There has been an effect, but it is still handy to go to the local shop for bits and pieces. What Amazon does is deliver you things that probably aren't in the local shop anyway.

Yes but  you have to admit  the grocery deliveries have  increased  particularly from lockdown. And amazon  deliveries  are off the scale  in the last 2 or 3 years . Now drones are   delivering people's coffee  and doughnuts.  Christ almighty!

[armaghniac]

Yes but  you have to admit  the grocery deliveries have  increased  particularly from lockdown. And amazon  deliveries  are off the scale  in the last 2 or 3 years . Now drones are   delivering people's coffee  and doughnuts.  Christ almighty!

Amazon's volumes have fallen back after the lockdown, I'm not sure about grocery delivery volumes. People working at home might be glad to go to the shop. Drones are local delivery option, the local shop can do its business in the locality. It is pretty easy to make coffee at home and doughnuts are bad for you.

[Blowitupref]

Not often I agree with the noble Lord Looney

First bit I'd agree with and now isn't the time to start up a pub business. The latter bit probably not so much, wasn't there more drinking done during covid when pubs was closed?

[seafoid]

There won't be an Amazon in 25 years. There may not even be a Tesco. It's dangerous for behemoths. Debt is a hour. Rural shops don't serve the stockmarket  . That is a strength. 

[Captain Scarlet]

I know in Dublin a few have sold up and will be Hotels soon.

Truth be told a lot of the pubs in some partsare depressing kip. Around the Dublin commuter belt places with very little overheads also charge mad money for a pint. athfleece people where

[Eamonnca1]

A mate of mine from Dublin said he bonded with his GF (now his wife) over food, not drink. It seems like pubs in Ireland are acting more like restaurants, which is no bad thing IMHO.

There's also the changing role of dads. The days are gone when you'd get away with leaving the missus at home with young children while you go swanning off for pints. Both parents are a lot more involved with their kids now. The wee ones aren't just left to their own devices anymore. Every weekend we're constantly taking our two youngsters to places like the beach, or local parks and whatnot. We never had much of that.

[seafoid]

https://lcnonline.co.uk/courthouse-bar-unveils-bold-new-look/
Interesting angle from Lurgan
"Thomas McConaghy's grandson, who is also called Thomas, explained to LCN recently that when the family first took the bar on, they used it to attract customers in the 18 to 30-years age range which they funnelled across the road to their nightclub – The Burn – located at The Ashburn Hotel.

"But as time went on, we were able to extend our opening hours and enhance the offering at The Courthouse to include live entertainment, a pool room and lunchtime food and the venue grew in popularity," he said.

"But things never stand still in this game and the pre-club segment of the market depleted as people opted to stay at home and pre-load with cheaper take-home alcohol. The subsequent smoking ban and the economic downturn amplified the problems as patrons turned to smaller venues that were able to hold an atmosphere better with fewer people. We knew that The Courthouse, because of its design and scale, needed large numbers to bring it to life."

It was that realisation that convinced Thomas and the family that modernisation was required and the striking new venue that was recently unveiled corrects the problems that were inherent in the previous bar. It has also been designed to allow future renovations to be rolled-out more efficiently.
Working with a historic building and all the relevant authorities has lengthened that process," he remarked. "From the outset, I had a fairly clear idea of how I wanted the bar to operate and to look...There has been a trend in the trade for 'cheap chic' for some years and that has its own merits, but it wouldn't have worked in a bar of this scale with its listed building status.

"The Courthouse is at the opposite end of that scale and it was our aim to make the premises feel as opulent as possible. We want our customers to feel special. They're going out less often, but they're in search of a more 'complete' experience.

"We find that many of our customers are now opting to trade up to super premium drinks at the bar and this trend is easier to embrace when they're surrounded by high-end furnishings and elegant toilets."

The result of the renovation programme is a plush, versatile new venue that maximises all possible revenue sources. There are three distinct bar areas, each with a different atmosphere. In the main bar, the layout has been changed to better facilitate customers that want to watch sport or enjoy live music. Two of the original three pool tables have been retained and moved to better locations.

The former pool room at The Courthouse has now been converted into an eye-catching new lounge area called The Library:"

They must be taking in less than 20 years ago . The midges don't go out much these days.



Milltown would blame these trends on neoliberalism..and climate change.

[seafoid]

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/211-heather-du-plessis-allan-24837940/episode/enda-brady-uk-correspondent-on-hundreds-121716869/?keyid=Heather%20du%20Plessis-Allan%20Drive&keyid=Enda%20Brady%3A%20UK%20correspondent%20on%20hundreds%20of%20Irish%20pubs%20closing%20their%20doors%20amid%20cost%20of%20living%20crisis&sc=podcast_widget

[From the Bunker]

The emergence of Cheap Beers in the Supermarkets has had a huge influence. Drinking in a pub is a massive financial luxury for most.

[Milltown Row2]

The emergence of Cheap Beers in the Supermarkets has had a huge influence. Drinking in a pub is a massive financial luxury for most.

Didn't seem like that last night...

Every bar and restaurant in Dunfanaghy was rammed last night...

There was a lad that was so pissed last night I watched him knock over 5 of his own drinks, god knows how he finished up but they kept serving him

[theticklemister]

One reason no one posted why bars are closing is mentioned in here......... the troubles. Wouldn't have thought about it to be hinest
————————————-

The day of the Irish pub is gone, according to Donegal man, Frank McBrearty whose family's bar and night club was once one of the biggest businesses of its kind in Ireland.

Now an independent member of Donegal county council, Mr McBrearty (54) said the traditional bar industry has completely collapsed.

He was responding to a report by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) which has revealed that more than a quarter of all bars in Co Donegal have closed up for good since 2005. The DIGI report revealed that the shutters have come down permanently on more than 1,900 pubs across Ireland.

In its heyday, The Parting Glass bar in Raphoe which was owned by Mr McBrearty's father, also Frank, was one of eight pubs in the town. A nightclub developed at the premises drew thousands of patrons every weekend. However, the business closed in 2020, just weeks before the first Covid lockdown.

"At one time there were eight pubs in Raphoe, today there are only two. There's a whole range of reasons for the bars closing but the traditional bar where people came just to drink is now gone."

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Mr McBrearty said a dramatic change in Ireland's "social landscape" along with changes in public drinking habits, as well as the Republic's smoking in businesses ban were among the reasons. The sale of cheaper drink in supermarkets north of the border was also a factor.

"Now, if you want to run a successful pub, it has to be a gastro-pub, you can't just run the old fashioned pub,"  he said.

Read more:

Donegal among counties with highest rate of pub closures since 2005
Bars see largest monthly decrease in retail sales


Donegal pubs and nightclubs also suffered in an unusual way through the peace process. At the height of the Troubles, young people did not socialise north of the border. However, as peace took hold, people were happy to go out in the north, Mr McBrearty said.

"Bar owners still had to pay a fortune through public liability insurance, insurance, rates and that before they could start making money. The government did nothing to help and the big drinks companies did nothing to help.

"The banks too could have done more; it was impossible to get loans from banks to develop bars if you were a small pub owner. My father paid for damage caused by two floods out of his own money and when he went to the banks for a loan to develop the nightclub, they wouldn't give it to him."

Mr McBrearty said: "The local pub was a focus of the community in rural Ireland but that's gone now and it's not coming back."