But what’s happening to Ireland’s Irish pubs these days? Over the past 20 years, more than 2,000 pubs have gone out of business… and some country pubs are struggling to make ends meet. A worrying situation, which undoubtedly threatens an institution so sacred to the Irish people…
Let’s face it. Irish pubs are much more than just places to drink a pint. In Ireland, they’re cultural pillars, living spaces, meeting places, places for discussion and exchange. A sacred place of socialization, where the Irish went almost daily. Not necessarily to empty a pint… No.
It was all about having a goodIrish craic, watching a hurling match on TV or listening to a music concert with friends.
You’ll meet colorful regulars, indefatigable chatterboxes, complicit silences, heated but always civilized debates. It’s a place where the world comes alive between sips, where we talk soccer, politics, love and the weather. In short, it’s the place to bond.
Although the pub is still a mainstay in Irish life, some Irish pubs are closing at an alarming rate. Over the past two decades, more than 2,000 pubs have closed in Ireland. This trend is affecting towns and countryside alike, disrupting an entire part of the Irish identity.
So what’s going on? Why are people deserting these places so deeply rooted in Irish culture? One of the main culprits is undoubtedly poorly calibrated modernization.
Where once there was a stone fireplace and soft lighting, today there are giant flat screens, loud music and sanitized interiors. Cosy places are being transformed into pseudo-sports bars, losing what made them so charming in the first place: authenticity.
The result? Many regulars no longer feel at home here. They prefer to stay at home, sipping a beer in front of their own TV, with no noise pollution and no social pressure.
Fortunately, many historic Irish pubs are still standing. Some even date back several centuries, and have managed to retain their authenticity. For some, there’s no TV, no wifi… Just a counter, music, and old tables weathered by pints and coasters. These timeless places remain extremely popular with locals and travellers alike!
Modernity has its advantages, but also its perverse effects. Today, social relations are becoming increasingly dematerialized. We’d rather chat online than raise a glass to a stranger. We order food via an app and stay cloistered in our living room, in front of a screen. The Irish pub is losing the battle against individual comfort and sanitized domestic rituals.
The most alarming aspect of this gradual disappearance of pubs is the domino effect on the social fabric. Ireland, a country renowned for its warmth and hospitality, is now faced with the chilling realization that it has become one of the most socially isolated countries in Europe. In 2022, over 20% of Irish people said they suffered from loneliness, compared with an average of 13% in the European Union.
And what if this growing solitude was linked to the slow death of these places where people came, precisely, not to be alone? The Irish pub was not just a place to drink, but a bulwark against isolation. Closing it is like closing the door on the neighborhood, on spontaneous conversation, on the smiles exchanged at the corner of a bar.
Can Irish pubs be saved? Yes, as long as they rediscover their original vocation: to bring people together, open hearts and slow down time. It’s not a question of rejecting modernity, but of not sacrificing the soul on the altar of progress.
But rest assured, as long as there are Irish people (and Irish lovers) who believe in the power of a good old pub, all is not lost! Collectives are springing up to try and save the original soul of the pub. There’s a lot of work to be done, but nothing’s lost yet!
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