Irish Examiner view: Rural communities are losing their light

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

What now for the Irish pub?
As reported on these pages in recent weeks, an average of two pubs are closing a week, with one third of those in Co Cork having shut since 2005.
Overall, the country has seen 2,119 shut their doors, with as many as 1,000 more to follow suit in the next 10 years. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is rural Ireland taking the brunt of the losses, even if it's the part of the country that needs them most.
On these pages yesterday, we voiced concerns about cutting the Vat rate for hospitality when it would take the room to manoeuvre away from areas of the economy that needed more help: We highlighted families struggling with the basics, including food. That Vat move is on pause, it was announced yesterday, and it likely wouldn't make a difference between keeping a pub open or shut given other cost pressures, but is there not scope to consider a more targeted tax reduction for rural pubs?
That's not to minimise the challenges being faced by other hospitality businesses, but it recognises the unique place of the pub in rural Ireland.
Vintners Federation of Ireland president Michael O'Donovan, in a piece published by the Examiner in May, noted: 'Pubs are the social fabric of rural Ireland. They are where local clubs meet, where fundraisers are held, where neighbours look out for each other. For many older people, a visit to the local pub is a lifeline, a chance to see familiar faces, catch up on local news and feel part of a community. Every pub that closes is another light going out in its community.'
He also noted that pubs pay some €567m of the €1.26bn collected in alcohol excise duty, suggesting that some of this money be put toward keeping the industry going.
We should recognise that, while some initiatives have been suggested, rural Ireland still needs considerable help, and this should be considered less a burden and more an investment in the country's social and cultural fabric.
This is not a call to keep Ireland drinking; far from it. Pubs can reinvent or diversify, as long as the options and support is there.
Clock ticking for X on safety rules
It was, perhaps, inevitable that at least one of the big digital firms would be tardy in complying with the online safety code, which was brought in last November but which saw its last section come into force on Monday.
It was also, perhaps, inevitable that the biggest outlier would be X, formerly Twitter.
Under the code, companies are obliged to put measures in place to protect children from harmful material. Since Monday, they have been obliged to restrict access to adult content such as pornography, as well as provide for parental controls.
Since its acquisition by Elon Musk (it's now owned by one of his other companies, xAI), the social media company has platformed all manner of hard right and racist detritus, with Musk himself known to champion conspiracy theories and other harmful nonsense.
That it launched an anime-style AI assistant that can engage in sexual conversations just days before the code came into force indicates very much where the company's priorities lie. There is no age restriction on that tool, even if it requires a subscription.
X has until today to provide answers to Comisiún na Meán, or face fines of up to €10m or 20% of its turnover, whichever is greater.
The various online platforms had nine months to get ready for this, even if a sizeable amount of this crossed over with Musk's foray into politics and fractious relationship with
US president Donald Trump, as well as declines at his car-marker, Tesla. Still, these are rules and not guidelines, so any failure to adhere to them, especially where child welfare is concerned, should be taken seriously.
It remains to be seen just how the regulator will respond if X continues to fail in its responsibilities. It may become the first real test of not just the safety code, but of what teeth regulators have to enforce it.
Put an end to dereliction
Anything that puts unused property back into circulation is a welcome thing. Any street that has vacant buildings that might once have been shops or businesses looks a very sad thing, and the more they decline the more the town or city around them declines in turn. Dereliction is a blight.
So the suggestion by Cork councillor Isobel Towse that empty properties in West Cork be given over — temporarily — to arts or community groups is a welcome one. Importantly, these are not gone in perpetuity: Rather, the idea is that while awaiting longer-term tenants, the buildings are used by smaller groups looking for a base or a home.
Noting that some 12.4% of commercial buildings in Co Cork are vacant, among the highest in Europe, she says: 'All of this would boost economic development and innovation, attract tourism, and improve the liveability of towns, and importantly, tackle problematic vacancy and dereliction.'
These are all worthwhile points that should be discussed even at the highest level — a pilot project in West Cork, for example, might be a blueprint to bring other parts of rural Ireland back to life as they see their pubs and social avenues decline.
But a bigger question when it comes to vacant commercial property is, what about housing? That would be a much longer-term initiative and would have to very carefully weigh the needs of locals and, indeed, property owners. But with grants available for renovating derelict buildings, rural Ireland under pressure as we've noted above, and the country creaking under the weight of housing demand, is it not worth at least a debate?
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