Cost of Living Issues
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-25
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Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It is really encouraging. He said that the proposal merits careful consideration. That is one thing I can take back to the Vintners Federation of Ireland, its members and local families. I grew up in a pub. I have three nephews who are in the pub business. I can see the struggles and the hardship. Every cut goes onto the price of a pint. I will again put this in football terms. Ballymacelligott won the all-Ireland junior club final. There are two pubs in the village. An Ghaeltacht won the intermediate all-Ireland final. There are three pubs in that area. It was all centralised around that. That is where the social inclusion and community elements come in. If those pubs were not there, that element of community would be lost. It is not about major profits in rural Ireland. It is about keeping our culture and our identity through the pub business. I really welcome the Minister of State's comments.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-25