Rural pubs to take on new functions in quiet times under pilot scheme

Supports to enable rural pubs to provide community facilities such as pop-up cinemas and libraries may be introduced on a nationwide basis, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has said.

The Minister announced the Pubs as Community Hubs initiative at the Keepers Arms bar and guesthouse in Bawnboy, Co Cavan, one of five locations participating in a €50,000 pilot scheme aimed at making better use of the venues during quieter trading times.

The project is expected to see digital hubs, community cinemas, book clubs and markets showcasing locally produced artisan food and crafts incorporated into licensed premises.

Speaking at the launch, Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) chief executive Pádraig Cribben said he believed “considerably” fewer rural pubs than expected had remained closed following the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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He said the numbers would be clearer early next month when figures on the numbers trading during March were collated.

“A lot did not open until just before St Patrick’s Day,” he said, adding that many pubs would not be going without Government supports.

Mr Cribben said one of the key criteria of the pilot scheme was that the participating pubs would have to provide a service needed by the community.

Sheila McKiernan, who runs the Keepers Arms with her husband, Brian, said they were opening a pop-up cinema in an existing lounge as the nearest cinema was some 35km away in Cavan town.

“We hope that older people who might never go to the cinema would come here to socialise and watch a film together,” she said. “We’re going to be using funding from the pilot programme to secure a projector and screen, new cinema seating and blackout blinds.”

Fighting isolation

Ms McKiernan said community organisations were supporting the plan, which it was hoped could counter the isolation experienced by many in rural areas.

The Minister would not be drawn on how many pubs might eventually participate in the scheme, but said she wanted it to be rolled out nationally as it could be a “game changer for rural Ireland”.

Ms Humphreys said that while the pandemic was “not quite over yet”, people were welcoming opportunities for social outings. She said the crisis had “taught us the value of community” and shown that things could be done differently.

Pubs in counties Kerry, Donegal, Clare and Cork will also be selected to participate in the pilot programme.

The Minister said people in some areas had to travel for miles to access certain services and that there was no meeting place for local clubs in some communities. She said she hoped the scheme could help to meet those needs.

The project is for pubs based in Clár areas, which receive targeted investment from the Government to counter issues such as rural isolation, village decline and a lack of access to services.