Picture this: It’s Friday, and you’ve just wrapped up the last working day of the week. As you check the time, you realize — it’s happy hour! So you immediately rush to your local bar to get your hands on that well-deserved drink, unwind with friends or coworkers, and think about anything but your job, all without spending every penny you made that day. The restart happy hour provides is truly a godsend. It may even be one of the best things the U.S. has ever given the world — you know, apart from hamburgers and deep-dish pizza.
This popular American tradition emerged during World War I and since then, happy hour has changed dining forever, not just in America, but in many countries around the world. But you might find it surprising that it’s practically unheard of in Ireland. And it’s not that the Irish have something against cheap booze and appetizers — they’re simply not allowed to.
While anyone of legal age in Ireland can enjoy a drink at the bar, it’s actually illegal for bars to offer discounted drinks at specific times of day. Of course, things weren’t always this strict. In the past, the Irish were free to enjoy as many happy hours as they wanted and ‘split the G’ when drinking a Guinness at a significantly reduced price. But the government introduced the Intoxicating Liquor Act in 2003 and reportedly brought in the ban to put a stop to people going overboard.
It’s against the law to reduce alcohol prices in Ireland
A 2010 Irish government report found the use of alcohol in the country had doubled from the ’70s to the early ’00s, making it one of the biggest spikes around the world at the time. To combat the problem, the act banned happy hours, alcohol loyalty cards, free booze combo deals, and even short-term promos where prices drop for less than 3 days. And if that’s not enough, bars that break the rules can get hit with a €1,500 ($1,622) fine, which jumps to €2,000 ($2,163) if they’re caught again.
There’s also a rule stopping alcohol sales after 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 11:30 p.m. the rest of the week. Yet Ireland’s drinking culture is as strong as ever, with pubs not only serving as places to grab a pint of Guinness — a beer so iconic it even has its own set of instructions on how to pour it from a tap – but also as spots to catch up, chat, and meet new people.
Keen on visiting but worried you won’t find a spot to relax and enjoy a drink? Fear not, because the Irish have more than made up for any drinking bans, with more than 10,000 pubs ready to welcome you across the country. All you need to do is find a seat and pick your favorite porter or stout.
