Danny Healy-Rae addressed the Dáil urging the Taoiseach to give rural publicans the green light to reopen next Monday after 17 or 18 weeks of closure. He argued rural communities lack alternatives to town venues, raised mental-health concerns among publicans and patrons, and said the government was discriminating against rural publicans.
Reopening demand
The Deputy asked the Taoiseach to allow rural pubs to reopen next Monday, stressing that publicans and customers in rural areas have waited 17 or 18 weeks and need access to their local pub for social contact and sanity.
Rural hardship and mental health
He said people in rural valleys and on highways do not have the time or funding to travel to bigger towns for a meal and that many are at their wit's end. He specifically raised mental-health concerns for publicans and patrons cut off by closures.
Examples of affected venues
The Deputy named a series of local venues that remain closed, mentioning places he called Dini Billa, Scottie, Dlinrat, Moor, Braston, Nogda Gossel and Steam as examples of pubs shut in rural Ireland.
Government response and public health
The Taoiseach replied that he enjoyed the Deputy's delivery but emphasised that public health is the overriding priority. He said public health advice would be provided to the Cabinet this evening and the government would decide based on that advice, noting concern about an increase in the spread of the virus and that decisions must be clear-headed.
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Teachta, Taoiseach, I want to ask you on behalf of all the publicans in rural Ireland to give them the green light to open on next Monday. They have waited for 17 or 18 weeks. People in rural valleys and glinds and highways do not have the, where we'd all go to, bigger towns where they have to have a meal, they don't have the time and they don't have the funding. They just need to go to their local pub for a couple of drinks and sanity, they're at their wit's end and mental health is an issue with publicans and with people who just can't get a drink in rural Ireland and have a conversation because all the doors are closed. Two tons of publicans in Dublin are working, half of them around the bigger towns, but nothing in rural Ireland. Places like Dini Billa, Scottie, Dlinrat, Moor, Braston, Nogda Gossel, Steam and all those places, all shut down, Taoiseach, it's not fair and you're discriminating against the publicans in rural Ireland. Thank you very much, Deputy. Thank you very much, Deputy. Thank you very much, Deputy. I'm reluctant to intervene in such lyricism and the manner in which the Deputy can ream off wonderfully solidity, genuinely, I always enjoy that. But your point is well made in respect of the plight of publicans in rural Ireland and the plight of generally life experiences as impacted by COVID-19. But the overriding priority, Deputy, I would have to put it to you, will be public health. And, you know, public health advice will be made available to the Cabinet this evening and the government will take a decision then based on that public health advice. And I have to say, as I said earlier, that there is some concern in terms of an increase in numbers in terms of the spread of the virus. And I think we have to be very, very clear headed in terms of what our overarching priority is and where our focus needs to be. And that's the approach that will inform our responses and efforts advice this evening. Thank you.
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