‘We’re scapegoats: house parties and shebeens are the problem, not pubs’
Worried publicans want to be trusted to follow health rules and be allowed to earn a livelihood again, writes Alan O’Keeffe
SILENCE in the shuttered pubs of Ireland is giving rise to a deepening frustration among publicans. The sounds of clinking glasses, human conversation and general hubbub that filled most of the nation’s bars have been absent now for five months.
While a minority of pubs serving food open their doors each day, most pubs remain shut and many owners feel it is unfair they are being denied the chance to show they can operate their pubs during the coronavirus crisis in a way that does not jeopardise public health.
Publicans in Dublin, Limerick, Monaghan and Mayo told the Sunday Independent in recent days they believe it is past time for the Government to allow the reopening of all pubs not affected by regional lockdowns.
“It’s so frustrating,” said Ronan Lynch, owner of The Swan Bar in Aungier Street in Dublin.
“This pub and all other pubs in Ireland never closed during the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic. It’s crazy now that we’re not allowed to open,” he said. “Publicans and pub staff are people watchers. We control the environment inside pubs and we always watch out that people behave themselves.
“We’ve always controlled what goes on inside pubs. We would certainly ensure any rules on social distancing are obeyed. A publican would not allow staff to work in an unsafe environment,” said Mr Lynch.
Ronan (47) took over the bar from his father Sean Lynch (78), the renowned international rugby star who played on the British and Irish Lions team that beat the AllBlacks twice in New Zealand in 1971.
“My dad is dumbfounded we’re still closed,” he said.
He said he has spent thousands of euro on health and safety measures, including screens and hands-free sensor taps in toilets. He is chairman of the Licensed Vintners Associations, which has 550 of the capital’s 700 pubs as members.
“I’ve been hearing horror stories from other publicans. So far, one in five of all jobs in pubs has disappeared. There have been 2,500 pub staff made permanently redundant in Dublin out of a workforce of around 12,000 to 13,000.
“These were career guys who lost their jobs. Twelve pubs in Dublin will not reopen again. As sure as night follows day, sadly the number of redundancies will increase and more pubs will close down for good,” said the father of two.
“Pubs are part of Irish culture and are the best in the world. We need to be maintained and properly supported. Publicans were glad to do the right thing when we closed but now we feel we’ve been cast aside. It’s very disheartening,” he said.
In the town of Swinford in Co Mayo, Marie Mellett is the seventh generation to run the family business. Mellett’s Emporium can trace its beginnings to 1797, a year before a French army landed in Mayo to support Irish rebels.
Her pub was “so ready to reopen” on July 20 and was ideally equipped to implement social distancing because it has plenty of space. It has a very big beer garden and “we have snugs everywhere”, said Marie.
Marie (35) said she felt “abandoned by the Government” and felt that the pubs that have remained closed from the beginning have been treated unfairly.
She declared she has “a major gripe” that there are pubs which are open yet are not adhering to the spirit of the regulations that stipulate a customer must purchase a meal worth €9.
“While most pubs remain closed, there are pubs that are flouting rules when it comes to serving meals,” she said.
“At the moment, people are trying to pack themselves into a limited number of pubs. All the pubs in Ireland should be allowed to open, which would allow people a lot more space when they go into a pub,” she said.
She said that proposals that would see a flat-rate State payment to pubs for each member of staff were open to exploitation as it could be tempting for a pub to employ a large number of part-time staff rather than employ a smaller number of full-time staff.
She said State aid should include a partial refund of the VAT paid in 2019 as it would be a fairer and proportionate method of support. She said publicans were grateful for the support of suppliers.
In Limerick city, Mike McMahon and his brother James opened Mother Mac’s public house in 2015. There has been no work for their five full-time staff and three part-time staff since it closed.
“Everything remains so unsure. It’s been a rollercoaster for the emotions and mental health. There is almost an element of despair,” said Mike.
Mike (40) has a PhD in chemistry but he abandoned a career in industry because of his love for the pub trade.
“I feel publicans have been treated in a very disrespectful manner. There are a lot of people and senior officials discussing our livelihoods. We don’t want sympathy. We want fairness.
“The Government has taken away our ability to earn a living. We need proper support until we can open up again,” he said.
Mike and James are carrying out a very limited form of trade whereby people can order draught craft beer in refillable glass bottles which they must pre-order for collection. The returnable bottles, with swing tops, are called growlers.
Mike does not like plans to ban drinking at the bar when pubs eventually reopen. He said: “The bar counter is the only place to have a drink in an Irish bar — it’s the heart and soul of a pub.”
In Monaghan town, Ray Aughey (55) said The Squealing Pig pub has remained closed. He and his wife Emma have a staff of 30 and up to 500 customers would arrive on busy nights.
The pub used to serve food and there is a restaurant upstairs, but the entire business remained closed as Ray waited for regulations to be published governing ‘wet’ bar sales; but as weeks went by, official guidance was withheld.
“I believe pubs have been scapegoats. The problem isn’t the pubs. It’s the house parties and the shebeens in every town that are the problem. Pubs are highly regulated and can ensure that people socialise safely,” said Ray, who is a Fianna Fáil councillor.
“Pubs can be a great help for mental health by providing a place to meet and to talk, even if it’s just for a tea or a coffee. It’s time to take the pressure off and let us all open,” he added.
‘Pubs can be a great place for mental health by providing a place to meet and to talk’