DUBLIN — In recent times two of the main pillars of Irish life — the Catholic Church and the Fianna Fail political party — have proven vulnerable. Now a third appears to be in trouble. And its decline is perhaps most telling about the general state of the nation.
According to industry figures, Ireland’s pubs are closing at the rate of one every two days. Since 2005, 1,100 have shut their doors for good. If you want a comparison that might resonate around Greater Boston, imagine cities like Medford, Malden and Somerville suddenly losing a large number of their sub shops and pizza places.
So will the next step be an Irish-style era of Prohibition? Not exactly. People here still enjoy a drink as much as ever — college-age kids especially — but social habits are changing and the traditional Irish pub is suffering as a result.
Of course, it depends whose side you listen to. Pub owners are notorious for complaining whenever their income drops. In their view, the 2004 smoking ban and stricter drunk-driving laws — including the introduction of random breath-testing in 2003 — are responsible for the slump in business, especially in rural Ireland where public transportation is non-existent and the enjoyment of a smoke with a pint is a nearly sacred ritual.
But not everyone agrees with that assessment. According to Conor Kenny, a consultant to the Irish pub and hotel industry: “The greatest tragedy about pubs is that they have become irrelevant to a generation.”
The idea of staying put in a single pub for an entire evening — a custom those of us of a certain vintage would have favored — isn’t even an option for today’s 20-somethings. The pub might figure as only a meeting point or a way station, if at all. In fact, the watering holes best weathering the current economic storm are the late-night spots, which are licensed to serve alcohol after the pubs have closed.
Of course, in some cases you can’t blame young Irish folks for snubbing the traditional pub. According to Mary Lambkin, a professor of marketing at University College Dublin: “Many pubs, with their dark, dingy interiors and grubby counters, look like they haven’t been done up since 1954.”
Another reason for falling pub numbers is that alcohol is now significantly cheaper than it has ever been in supermarkets and liquor stores. According to research on Irish consumer habits, nearly 80 percent of drink was sold in pubs or other licensed venues a decade ago. Today, less than half of all alcohol sales occur there.
The effect is plain to see: those who still prefer the pub experience might have a few drinks at home before heading out, so that many pubs are buzzing with chat and conviviality for only the last hour or two before closing time.
But before you cancel your next trip to the Emerald Isle, rest assured that the Irish pub is here to stay. “It’s still a viable business for the good ones,” says Lambkin, “and they will survive.”