Drink sales fall in some Dublin pubs since smoke ban

Drink sales in some Dublin pubs have fallen by up to 20 per cent since the smoking ban was introduced, according to the city's publicans.

The chief executive of the Licensed Vintners' Association, Mr Donall O'Keeffe, said "landlocked" pubs - that is, pubs without access to a beer garden or outside sheltered area - were "hurting" since the ban was introduced over three weeks ago.

In these pubs, many of them in the inner city, business was down by 10 to 20 per cent, according to reports from LVA members, he said.

Overall, however, Mr O'Keeffe said it was too early to say how publicans' business had been affected by the ban. He pointed out that Easter was an unusual period for Dublin pubs, which close on Good Friday and are often quiet in the week after because of holidays.

"But it hasn't been a disaster, that's clear." The enforcement of the ban was "not an issue" for most publicans. "We're delighted and appreciative that customers are abiding by the law," he said.

Mr O'Keeffe made his comments after the launch yesterday of a €1 million promotional and advertising campaign to promote Dublin pubs. With its slogan "The atmosphere's got even better" the campaign attempts to capitalise on the smoking ban by promoting the capital's pubs as "the best in the world".

However, he denied that it was a "knee-jerk response" to the ban. Rather, it was the first part of a three-year marketing drive which would also focus on improving pub standards.

Before the ban's introduction, Dublin publicans had never made "aggressive statements" opposing it, he said, but merely sought a two-year deferment. This battle had been lost and it was now time to "move on". "In recent times, publicans have had a number of contentious issues to deal with - issues striking to the core of our business. Rather than dwelling on the negatives outside our control, Dublin publicans have chosen to act in a positive and progressive way to ensure that the Dublin pub goes from strength to strength."

A spokesman for Diageo Ireland said it was "too early to form any judgment" on the ban's effects, although it was clear that its enforcement had not created major difficulties for its customers.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, a Labour peer yesterday called for the introduction of a similar ban on smoking in public places. Lord Dubs said the government should "show some imagination and courage" by following the Irish example.