Laois publicans from all across the county took to social media on Saturday as part of a national online campaign to highlight the impact that the closure of pubs is having on people.
The campaign #SupportNotSympathy began trending on social media on Saturday as publicans across the country used the 150th day of the pubs being closed to air their message.
Publicans are campaigning for support from the government as thousands of premises remain closed five months after shutting up shop due to Covid-19.
The campaign asked to take a photo outside a closed bar this Saturday and post it to social media, in a show of solidarity with affected owners.
In Laois, many of the publicans drew attention to how long they have been in business as they appealed for Government support at this time.
“Five months closed today,” posted Kavanagh’s pub in Portlaoise alongside a photo of owners PJ and Niamh Kavanagh outside the premises in Portlaoise with their two young children. “110+ gigs c cancelled. Thousands of hours of employment gone.
“Please stop putting us on the long finger for three weeks and three weeks and three weeks again. Now is the time for #supportnotsympathy
“Today our family pub of 31 years in Spink is closed,” posted Julie Headen of Headen’s Bar in Spink.
“We stand here in the hope that the Government will take notice of what is happening to the pubs and the effect it is having on workers.
“Rural Ireland has been totally neglected and our business is in serious trouble.
“The Headen family have been involved in the liquor licencing trade for 140 years. We are not allowed to earn a living.
“We understand the difficulties that Covid 19 pose to the powers that be but we believe a fairer system is possible for the ‘wet pubs’. We stand together with all our other publican families in the hope for change.”
Bennetts Fountain House in Mountrath had a similar message saying that it was a family pub of 47 years and that the Fountain House has been serving beer in the town for over 100 years.
Up the way in Camross, Pauline and Sean Bergin said it has been their first closure in 37 years; in Ballyroan Eileen Scully said that “for 73 years we have provided song and cheer and Scully’s beer enlivening Ballyroan” – a nod to the classic Skies Oer Ballyroan song.
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