A clear plan is needed for pubs until virus vaccine is developed
THE owner of one of County Wexford’s most well known pubs has said those working within the hospitality sector in Ireland need a clear and concise plan from the Government to address the crisis facing the industry until a vaccine for Covid-19 is developed.
Speaking to this newspaper, Niall Holohan, from Holohan’s Pub , in Enniscorthy, said: ‘We wait with bated breath for a plan and we really need clarity on what the Government plans to do.’
Niall said the Government needs to have a plan in place that ensures that banks, creditors and insurance companies are made to support the industry.
‘Insurance companies are saying to people that you chose to shut your doors but if a pub had kept their doors open they would have been shut with an enforcement order,’ said Niall
‘ There will be a lot of tears at the end of this and some premises are waiting to see what the powers that be are going to do and then they will decide whether to open up again or not’ he added.
With pubs being at the heart of the social fabric of Irish life Niall said they play a key role within the hospitality sector along with hotels, cafés, and restaurants.
‘ They are all spokes in a very big wheel and each is as important as the next,’ he said.
Niall bought the pub in 2001 and transformed what is one of the most historically significant buildings in the county.
Everyone from Padraig Pearse and De Valera to Michael Collins have gone through its doors and Oliver Cromwell stood outside it: ‘It was originally a toll house for the castle’s river crossing.’
‘ The reality is that a vaccine will not be developed for probably a year and more likely 18 months,’ said Niall.
‘If we know what the [Government] plan is then we can work to that. We will be back but we need clarity now’