Pint of order: politicians sink 10,000 Guinness in Dáil bars

THIRSTY TDs and senators took full advantage of Leinster House’s cut-price booze prices last year, as new figures reveal more than 10,000 pints of Guinness were knocked back in the Dáil’s two bars.

A total of 10,031 pints of plain were supped in the Houses of the Oireachtas’s two licensed premises in 2023, and Guinness emerged as the biggest seller among politicians and Leinster House staff.

And with a pint of the black stuff at Leinster House costing just €5.20 – a fraction of the price in nearby citycentre bars – it’s clear our elected representatives are getting more bang for their buck than the average punter.

The next most popular draft beer purchase was Heineken, with 1,869 pints guzzled, while Cork Dry Gin was the spirit of choice, with 1,620 measures sold.

Wine was another big seller, with the own brand ‘Oireachtas’ – at €6.40 a glass – proving to be the favourite, selling 4,102 units between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

Almost €360,000 [€359,497.89] was spent by the bar’s customers last year, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Like all licensed premises, the Dáil’s two bars – namely, the Members’ Bar and the Visitors’ Bar – had been off-limits during the pandemic, due to Covid restrictions in the hospitality sector.

But the latest figures confirm that the pub trade – at Leinster House, at least – has been booming in the post-Covid era.

And it’s not just booze that has been flying off the shelves.

The figures also confirm that tea and Americanos – formerly known as black coffees – were the next most popular drinks sold at the two bars, after Guinness.

According to the product sales report for 2023, 9,803 cups of tea were served, while caffeine-loving patrons knocked back 7,261 large Americanos.

Three full-time and two part-time staff typically work between the Members’ Bar and the Visitors’ Bar.

It was recently revealed that more than €70,000 in unpaid debts was accumulated by politicians who were socialising in the Members’ Bar last year.

The €70,775,56 debt for unpaid drink and food bills – which was shared between 85 TDs and senators – was deducted from the salaries of the politicians responsible, in line with the revised credit policy that’s been in force since last September.