STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Good Friday 2018 represents an historic day for Irish pubs as for the first time in over 90 years licensed venues will be open and permitted to serve alcohol.
The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI), in welcoming the legislation that allows pubs to serve alcohol on Good Friday, says removing the ban was about introducing choice, both for the customer and the publican.
VFI Chief Executive Padraig Cribben, says: “The Good Friday ban is from a different era and is rightfully consigned to history. Like all other businesses who were never subject to a ban, publicans now have a choice to open.
“Pubs opening on Good Friday is good news, both for publicans and their customers but also for the many tourists who visit Ireland over the Easter weekend, who in the past would find the pubs closed during a major holiday.”
The extra day’s business is a welcome boost to the pub trade. It is estimated Good Friday will generate over €40m in sales for pubs throughout the country.
Good Friday will also generate over €7m in VAT and Excise Duty contributions to the Exchequer.
The VFI Chief Executive says the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2017, which removed the prohibition on selling alcohol during Good Friday, reflects Ireland’s status as a mature nation.
“The Good Friday ban was introduced a lifetime ago in 1927 and we took the view that such a piece of archaic and discriminatory legislation needed to be removed.
“Times have changed and the new law reflects this reality.”
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
