Little sign of recovery for struggling rural publicans

WHEN it comes to the local pub trade it appears to be a tale of two counties. Pubs in the city are reporting an increase in business but publicans in rural towns and villages are still struggling and many are considering closing their doors for good.
The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) were putting on a brave face at their annual conference in Killarney last week. The VHI represent over 4,000 publicans outside Dublin and as such its members have borne the brunt of the recession.
It is estimated that over 2,000 pubs have closed in the past ten years and Co Galway’s publicans have been badly hit.