By Rodney Farry
rodney@leitrimpost.com
 
The recent festive period appears to have served up a mixed bag for Leitrim’s publicans.
While many publicans in the county’s larger towns reported an upturn in business, for their rural counterparts this Christmas showed little improvement on last year’s poor showing. 
Manorhamilton publican Felim Gurn, proprietor of the Milestone Bar, told the Leitrim Post, that the number of revellers through the doors of his establishment was well up on last Christmas.
“Christmas was better this year. People are going back to pubs. I think they are getting used to the no smoking ban and the fact that you can’t drink and drive. They also realise that you can drink at home and still get bagged on the way to work in the morning.”
Mr Gurn’s sentiments were echoed by a number of publicans from Leitrim’s larger towns. However it appears that for many pub-owners in rural areas where there transport continues to be an issue, Christmas 2007 was another washout.
According to the Chairman of the local branch of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) Mr Henry Sorohan, “the general view was that it was a quiet Christmas, even quieter than last year.”
The Drumshanbo based publican said that it was a particularly hard Christmas for publicans it outlying rural areas. Due to a lack of taxis or other public transport many people in these areas are drinking at home, he said.