Plans to relax Ireland’s licensing laws will push rural pubs out of the market, the Licensed Vintners Association has claimed.
The LVA is concerned rural pubs will struggle to cope with the competition if too many new licences are granted in towns and cities. Last year, the number of pubs in England and Wales dropped to a record low, research from real estate advisers Altus Group found.Mr O’Keefe says pubs are under similar pressures in Ireland.