Dragon backs drink sales on Good Fridays
Teetotaller Duffy says ban is outdated
A DRAGONS’ Den star who has never drunk a pint of beer in his life has backed calls to allow the sale of alcohol on Good Friday.
Gavin Duffy described the ban as ‘dated’ and ‘out of touch’ with modern Ireland, despite being a teetotaller himself and sympathising with the lack of holidays for bar staff.
The millionaire businessman was speaking following the launch of the Stop Out-of-Control Drinking campaign, which aims to reform Ireland’s attitudes towards alcohol.
Describing the Good Friday laws as outdated, he said: ‘If you are a publican and you have two days off a year – Christmas and Good Friday – you would think, “Oh God, do they really need those two days?”
‘But in a more secular society and a society where we have people from various religions, I really think the Good Friday thing is dated.’
Mr Duffy said abstinence was important to lots of religions but pointed out that it was only enshrined in national law for Good Friday but not for Ram- adan or any other religion’s holy days.
The aim of the campaign, which is chaired by Barnardo’s chief executive Fergus Finlay, is to make ‘out-of-control drinking’ an unacceptable part of Irish culture by 2021.
Mr Duffy and the campaign’s other high-profile volunteers will attend four town hall meetings in Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork throughout March, before drawing up a five-year-plan on how to proceed.
Other members of the cam- paign’s board include Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey, St Patrick’s Hospital chief executive Paul Gilligan, GP and health commentator Dr Ciara Kelly, National Parents’ Council chief Áine Lynch and Simon Keogh of the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association.
Mr Duffy conceded: ‘I’m always conscious that someone like me
‘I think it’s appropriate Diageo are involved’
talking about alcohol might be viewed with scepticism.’
The campaign was launched on Thursday but quickly attracted criticism over the fact that it is being funded by drinks giant Diageo.
Mr Duffy said: ‘If the Department of Health or the HSE want to fund it sometime down the line, great. But at the moment we have a drinks company providing more than €1m and I think it’s appropriate that they are involved.’