Alcohol free Good Friday: Are we behind the times?

With Good Friday behind us, and the country breathing a sigh of relief at the fact they can now return to popping down to their local off-licences and pubs at their own will, the question as to whether Ireland’s strict no-alcohol policy on Good Friday should still be implemented arises.

[pullquote] “Only one in three people think the Good Friday alcohol ban should be lifted. [/pullquote]

It may come as a surprise to some that in a recent survey carried out by Ignite Research, a strategic market research agency, figures show that only one in three people think the Good Friday alcohol ban should be lifted. Something that maybe doesn’t come as such a shock is the fact that out of the people surveyed, it was the younger demographic who were less in favour of the ban, with only 26% of 18-24 year olds agreeing with the ban, compared to 49% of 45-54 year olds.

It’s no secret that as a nation Ireland has a problem with drink, with alcohol killing one thousand Irish people each year and ranking 5th in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developments (OECD) list of EU countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita (a whole ten places ahead of the United Kingdom).

Death isn’t the only detrimental effect that alcohol has on Ireland as a country. The HSE also estimates that it is costing society €3.7 billion a year. With that said, it’s pretty safe to say that if the ban was lifted, it would have little or no effect on these figures, after all, those with the intention of drinking on Good Friday can just stock up on any day beforehand. Even so, the reason as to why Ireland is the only country in the EU that still upholds the out-right ban on the sale of alcohol still confuses many.

The rule prohibiting the sale of alcohol came into effect in the 1924 Intoxicating Liquor (General) Act, a version of which is still used today. There is no doubt that Good Friday is a highly sacred and religious day for Christians, but what about the deprived hordes of tourists that visit Ireland over the Easter weekend, with desires of spending Good Friday afternoon with a pint of the black stuff in hand? It’s not only tourists who will have faced the disappointment of a dry Good Friday, but also people of other religious beliefs, or none at all.

[pullquote] “It was ‘ridiculous’ that tourists and families couldn’t go out for a meal on Good Friday and enjoy a tipple. [/pullquote]

There is a small glimmer of hope for those who are in favour of the ban being lifted as the Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, has said that she was examining the issue after Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke stated that the law was ‘Draconian’ and that it was ‘ridiculous’ that tourists and families couldn’t go out for a meal on Good Friday and enjoy a tipple.

With a visible divide between those for and against the ban, it will remain to be seen whether or not Ireland will uphold to its traditions for 2016, or whether the pubs and off-licenses will be granted permission to open their doors. For now all can return to normal, with plenty more time to fit a drink or two in over what’s left of the bank holiday weekend.

 

Photos: PD and Department of Children and Youth Affairs