Financial Pressure on Bar and Restaraunt scene – Pat Crotty Owner of Paris Texas – 30/09/26

Pat Crotty – owner Paris Texas in Kilkenny, CEO of the Vintners Federation of Ireland. Morale amongst rural publicans is at rock bottom as pubs continue to close and costs continue to rise, according to the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI). Members of the VFI including Pat Crotty, a body representing thousands of publicans across Ireland, gathered outside Leinster House this morning in a last-ditch plea to the Government to introduce a new tax credit to support struggling rural pubs in Budget 2027. The VFI’s proposed on-trade sustainability scheme is a tax credit of €20 for every 50-litre keg of draught beer or cider sold, capped at €20,000 per pub per year.