Good Friday opening a ‘holy grail’ for pubs

Hundreds of thousands of euro could be generated in rural parts of County Galway if the Government took one simple step – allow pubs to open their doors on Good Friday.

A leading Galway vintners chief said that festivals could be organised around the Easter holiday weekend in rural towns and villages and could kick off on Good Friday if the pubs were allowed to trade.

There is another major push to force the Government to amend the licensing laws to permit pubs to trade normally on Good Friday. They want the laws changed in time for this Easter weekend which runs from April 8 to 11.

But publican Timmy Broderick, who is PRO of County Galway Vintners, said that while opening on Good Friday was not the “making or breaking” of any trader, it inhibited local communities from organising events around this particular weekend.

He said that the Easter Weekend was one of the biggest in the year and it should provide local communities with the opportunity to organise events that would bring visitors to their area.

“Like it or not, the local pub is often central to such events, but if these premises are closed on Good Friday, then it takes the impetus out of any potential to organise festivals over the course of the weekend.

“Opening on Good Friday is not the difference of a publican surviving in the trade or going to the wall, but it give an opportunity for towns and villages in the county to build an Easter festival around it. Such festivals, by their nature, normally kick off on a Friday evening,” Mr Broderick said.

The Kilconnell-based publican and member of Galway County Council added that even if it was a case of opening their doors at 6pm in the evening, it would be a step in the right direction.

It is estimated that there are around 500 pubs across the city and county and if there was some relaxation in the licensing laws, it would certainly provide a boost to the Galway city pubs and restaurants.

Many visitors from overseas to the city and some of the larger towns in the county often cannot understand why they are unable get a pint on Good Friday.

“It is not that publicans are going to make a killing on Good Friday.It is more to do with the fact that the facility would be made available for anyone who wants to avail of the local pub on this particular day.

“It is an outdated law and one that should be changed,” added Mr Broderick who wished Monivea publican Padraic McGann well on his efforts to become the new President of the Vintners Federation of Ireland – following in the footsteps of the late Paul O’Grady from Tuam and city publicans Val Hanley and the late Odran O’Leary.