A Laois Councillor has called on the County Council contact Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath, for financial support for rural pubs.
Speaking at the meeting of Laois County Council earlier this week, Cllr Ollie Clooney said that rural pubs provide a vital outlet for rural people.
“A local pub is a lot more than just serving drink – they’re social workers as well,” Cllr Clooney said.
“They know most of their customers – they share their problems.
“It can be good for young people who go in with problems and they can tell the local pub when they mightn’t even tell their own parents.
“Over 50 pubs in Laois have gone to the wall since 2006.
“We’re supposed to be promoting tourism; and where will the tourists go when they come into a rural area? They go to the pub.
“But if we preside over this much longer, there’ll be no door open.”
Cllr Clooney outlined the costs of running a pub, including tax, insurance, rates, utilities, and staff wages, insisting again that “the Minister has to do something.”
Cllr James Kelly fully supported the motion, pointing out that in Mountrath alone, the number of pubs has fallen from 22 to just three since the middle of the last century.
Cllr Kelly cited various reasons for this decline, such as lifestyle change, rural depopulation, lack of public transport, and rising costs.
“But the biggest problem is what the government is charging,” Cllr Kelly said.
“Ireland has the second highest excise duty in Europe for beer, and the third highest for wine.
“Pubs are the cultural and social heart of our communities, they support an awful lot of social relationships, and the biggest thing of all – they reduce social isolation.”
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