A survey carried out by Dublin City University Business School for The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland has shown that more than 1,500 clubs, pubs, hotels and restaurants have closed over the past five years. The report has highlighted a number of factors leading to the closures, the rate of which has increased over the past 18 months. These include the clampdown on drink-driving and the smoking ban, and it is pubs outside Dublin which face the greatest difficulty in remaining in business.

DIGI predicts that a further 2,000 rural pubs will close over the next decade and has  asked  for a 20% reduction in the excise duty on alcohol to boost trade and stop making it worthwhile for shoppers to cross the border to buy their drink.

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