Sir, – The letter by representatives of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners' Association (September 24th) asks us to "take, for example, last St Patrick's Day, when a slab of beer – 24 cans – was available for €24" in a supermarket.
Just as we’ve started to discuss the national addiction in a mature way, vested interest groups (whose usual mantra is “please consume alcohol responsibly” or some variation on same) ask readers to take the example of a slab of 24 cans of beer on St Patrick’s Day for the purposes of their argument.
The popularity of boozing in the local pub seems to be on the decline, but there are plenty of opportunities for Irish pubs that move with the times. If pubs cannot compete with the supermarkets on the price of alcohol, then maybe it’s time they considered doing what other businesses do and diversify.
Irish pubs have an abundance of wonderful ingredients and food products on their doorsteps. Decent pub lunches or dinners are not products a supermarket offers.
Many pubs that offer these are thriving, while providing jobs, making Ireland more attractive to tourists and changing our focus when it comes to socialising for the better in the process.
Let’s not take St Patrick’s Day and a slab of 24 cans of beer as an example. – Yours, etc,
ROB SADLIER,
Stocking Avenue,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.