Fresh concerns over future of rural pubs

A MAYO Oireachtas member has expressed fresh concerns over the future of rural pubs and the part they play in the community in addressing isolation and social exclusion.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh said burdens are being put on rural pubs in terms of trying to meet all theeir overheads.

She stated pubs that do not have a high turnover to meet huge insurance costs based on the square footage of the premises.

“This is delporable. I cannot see how pubs in rural Ireland will survive.

”If we were to do a survey of publicans across rural Ireland, we would find that most of them want to get out of the game.

“These pubs play a huge role, not just in serving drinks to people. It is the social inclusion aspect that concerns me.

“That is why the government needs to give a commitment to do everything it can to address the rising and unexplained costs across the board, not only in terms of insurance but also other costs such as television licensing and so on.”