Ireland: Irish pub goers have drunk 23 million fewer pints since the smoking ban was introduced at the end of March, according to new figures. There were 339 million pints of beer sold in pubs from the beginning of April to the end of September, compared with 362 million during the same period last year. The fall of 23 million represents a 6% decrease, according to the survey by the Irish Brewers’ Association (IBA). “The harsh fact of the matter is the figures are down,” said Paddy Jordan, the director of IBA, which represents beer producers such as Heineken and Diageo, the makers of Guinness. “The trend is likely to be 9%-10% down for the year,” The Times Online revealed on November 1.

Publicans say the breweries are only now understanding what the pub trade had been saying months ago. “We said this from day one although the breweries did contradict us at that stage,” said Seamus O’Donoghue, the president of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland. “The smoking ban is a significant player in this because it accelerated a downturn which began last Christmas. At our last meeting trade was down 30% in ‘landlocked’ pubs, that is those that had no room to put facilities outside for smokers.”

Last week it was reported that of the 42 Dublin pubs publicly to go to the market this year, 19 have failed to sell. Lillies Bordello, off Grafton Street, with a starting price of €4m, failed to attract one bid and Conways in Blackrock, was withdrawn at €2m, despite fetching €3.5m two years earlier. Several publicans have resorted to the once-unheard-of tactic of dropping prices in a bid to lure punters back. One such venue is the Submarine bar in Crumlin.

Peter Kavanagh, the assistant manager, said: “I thought with the smoking ban the food sales would have picked up dramatically. There has been a small increase but nothing to make up for the loss in drink.” However, Jordan said the smoking ban was not all to blame. “Beer consumption in Ireland had got to be so high — at about 150 litres (265 pints) per capita a year — that there was only one way it could go.”

Draught beer sales have been falling consistently since 1999. While volumes sold at the pump have decreased, sales of beer at off-licences have been climbing — up about 7% this year — as consumers switch to entertaining at home.

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