Ireland is one step closer to legalising the sale of alcohol on Good Friday after a bill was passed by a large majority in the Seanad yesterday.
The ban has been described as outdated and discriminatory by publican representative bodies, which warn that it could be damaging to the tourism industry. Under the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1927, alcohol sales are not allowed in pubs, bars, restaurants or shops on Good Friday but exceptions to the ban include train stations.
The legislation will now go to the Dáil, where it will be debated after the summer break.
Billy Lawless, the independent senator who introduced the bill, said that the ban contributed to binge drinking.
“An 18-year-old with €10 can buy ten cans of beer on Holy Thursday to keep for the next day but cannot walk into a pub to meet friends where he might buy two or three pints for the same money,” he said, adding that passing the bill would show that “Ireland is a pluralist, globalist, forward-thinking country”.
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“The passage of today’s bill is another progressive step in Ireland’s long journey in the separation of church and state. There is an affinity to the closed day but that affinity is in fact leading to alcohol abuse in many cases,” he said.
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) renewed their six-year effort for the ban to be lifted earlier this year. Representatives have previously expressed frustration at the slow pace of reform.
Donall O’Keeffe, LVA chief executive, described the ban as ridiculous. “All we’re looking for is the option to trade. If people don’t want to drink for religious reasons that’s their choice.”
The LVA, which represents about 600 publicans in the Dublin area, and the VFI, which has 4,000 members outside the capital, estimated that closing on Good Friday costs the sector about €30 million a year. They claim that the exchequer suffers an annual loss of €6 million in foregone excise and VAT.
Padraig Cribben, VFI chief executive, previously pointed out that members of the public were clearly choosing to drink on Good Friday based on the busy off-licence trade on Holy Thursday. Publicans have said that Fridays are one of their busiest weekdays, accounting for up to 30 per cent of weekly turnover.