'We've been left high and dry': Limerick publicans protest

PUBLICANS from across Limerick have staged a demonstration outside Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan’s offices in Newcastle West.

It comes with so-called wet houses – bars not serving food – close in on being closed for six months due to Covid-19.

Two previous target dates to re-open have been missed, leaving businesses particularly in rural Ireland reeling from both the loss of trade and a social outlet.

As part of a campaign to get non-food serving pubs back trading, the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) picketed the offices of government TDs around the country.

Mary Cronin runs The Hogan Stand bar in Meanus, and is secretary of the Co Limerick VFI.

She said: “We feel we have abandoned. We need to get our pubs open and we need meaningful support. We've been left high and dry really. The support announced in the last few weeks doesn't amount to much: €1,600 and a top-up grant which is basically €65 a week while we've been closed. We've been closed for six months. We want the right to open and earn a living.”

In Meanus, she said her bar is more like a community centre than a pub, due to the fact the village has already lost its post office and general store.

“It’s where the older people come and meet up every day. They miss us terribly. It's the centre of our community as we no longer have any shop or post office. The pub is the meeting up place for everybody. We opened during the day, and had a lot of older people coming in for a meet and a bit of a chit-chat,” she said.

Although food-serving pubs have been pulling pints since July, there is still no date for their drink-only equivalents to start.

OPW Minister Mr O’Donovan said he is supportive of the publicans’ cause, describing Ireland as “the only outlier now in Europe”.

“It’s a bit strange to put it mildly. And I know they were closed for a good reason, and in fairness we all had to make sacrifices, but it's time now I think, with proper procedures and trust, to open,” he told the Limerick Leader.

"In fairness to publicans, I think they have built up trust with their customers and it's not in their interest to put their customers or families at risk. They want to work with the HSE and the government and I think they should be given the opportunity to do it,” the TD added.

Mr O'Donovan acknowledged not everyone in his own party supports his position and not everyone in government does either and "that's fine too". 

"I don't have a difficulty with that. I know that there's a risk, but I think the risk will be outweighed by the responsibility that publicans will take. Publicans don't want their licences taken off them and they know if they act irresponsibly that there is a strong possibility that the guards will object in court to the renewal of their licences so they don't want that,” he concluded.