Total of 33 Limerick pubs close since pandemic

LIMERICK has seen the highest proportion of pub closures across Ireland since 2005, according to a new report from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI).

153 pubs have closed in Limerick city and county in the last 18 years, with 33 of those closures since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

The Irish Pub: Supporting our communities report is based on analysis by DIGI and shows a 22.5% decline nationally in the number of pubs from 2005 to 2022.

Over 450 pubs nationally have closed since the start of the pandemic with the greatest decreases seen in rural areas.

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Ireland’s excise duties, currently the second highest overall in Europe, is flagged as a major challenge for the industry, both by the DIGI report, and by Limerick publicans fighting to stay open.

Ger Callanan, owner of the Glen Tavern, welcomed the DIGI’s call for the government to lower the excise rate by 15% over a two-year period, calling the current rate “unsustainable.”

“We are putting the Irish pub out there, and all these wonderful brands who are working really hard to be successful abroad, then you come here and you pay more for those brands than in the States, the UK, or anywhere in Europe,” said the city publican and PRO for the Limerick branch of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI).