A number of foreign tourists have told the Minister for Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, that they will not visit Ireland again because of the ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the response among the foreign tourists who have written to Mr O'Donoghue about the ban has been mostly negative.
The release of the recent correspondence coincides with the results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Department of Health which showed strong domestic support for the ban.
Foreign tourists expressed their opposition to the initiative in e-mails and letters sent to Mr O'Donoghue, with some saying they had abandoned plans to spend thousands of dollars on their holidays in Ireland.
The letters were signed but Mr O'Donoghue's Department blocked out details about the writers when releasing the records to The Irish Times.
One correspondent complained that the ban smacked of the "nanny state and bureaucracy gone mad".
"I had been planning to meet a client in Dublin in June. This will now be switched to somewhere more amenable (we are both smokers).
"This will represent a straight, irrecoverable loss to the Irish Exchequer (and an equivalent gain to the UK one)."
Another letter-writer said: "Thank you for your ban on smoking. You have probably saved me about $12,000 already. Ireland is now off my shortlist for summer vacation spots.
"I was planning to visit my 'heritage locations' but now I will just have to think of them as being locations my ancestors came from when the Irish men were 'real men', not the 'feminised EU-type men' they've become."
There were some positive responses, with one recent visitor saying that the ban "will definitely be a plus for another visit sooner than later".
Another thanked the Government for introducing the ban. "I have always wanted to visit Ireland and to enjoy the atmosphere in your local pubs and clubs. In the past my asthma has prohibited it. Now I am able to."
In each case, Mr O'Donoghue's private secretary wrote to the correspondent telling them that their remarks would be passed on to the Minister.
The opinion poll survey of 1,000 people was carried out by Lansdowne Market Research for the Department of Health.
Some 82 per cent of those surveyed said they supported the ban, which was introduced on March 29th. The same proportion of respondents said the measure was of benefit to everyone in public places.
While 90 per cent agreed that the initiative was of benefit to workers, 95 per cent agreed with the proposition that the ban was a positive health measure.
However, fewer respondents supported the proposition that the ban had improved their experience when eating out and drinking. Some 70 per cent said the ban improved their enjoyment of pubs while 78 per cent said it improved their enjoyment of restaurants.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said in response to the survey that efforts to discredit the ban had not diminished the positive view held by most people. "This measure is primarily about the health and safety of workers and the public. People recognise passive smoking as a significant health and safety issue."
