Waterford lost 74 pubs in almost 20 years, new research finds

A new report commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) has found that 74 pubs in Ireland have closed since 2005.

 All 26 counties experienced declines in pub numbers over the 2005 to 2024 period.

 The report, compiled by the Economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU, Anthony Foley, shows that nationally, an average of 112 pubs stopped trading every year, with a further 600 to 1,000 closures estimated over the next decade.    

DIGI said the high cost of doing business was a major factor and said without immediate action by the Government, many villages and small towns will soon lose their pubs, "dealing a devastating blow to the economic and social fabric of that community."