Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like further clarification. In many villages in the area I come from where there are sports clubs, the only vibrant sponsorship available is from the local publican. They have been given a few years grace but the way things are going in rural Ireland, they will not need it because many of them will have shut down, especially if we have more draconian laws coming out of this House.

I attend many sports events. Lately, I attended a cricket match in the Deputy's constituency and I did not see any unruly behaviour. Over the years I have attended major Gaelic games matches in Munster where people had access to alcohol before a match and I did not see any unruly behaviour whatsoever. I never saw that at any match, even at all-Ireland finals in Dublin. The only time I saw a fight was in Dublin in 1982, the year we drew with Dublin and they had Barney Rock. The Dublin fans on Hill 16 came running down by Barry's pub and we had to get off the street. That was not from the alcohol; it was just the force of the Dublin supporters who attended the match. What message are we sending out with this Bill? If the Deputy were to amend her amendment to propose a ban on such advertising in the case of under-age teams, I could probably understand but, for God's sake, I ask her not to put senior clubs out of business.

I am concerned that we are going to decimate our remaining rural pubs. Due to issues with transport, if these pubs did not have established reputations they would already have gone out of business. Young people no longer hand around in villages. At weekends, they travel to the big towns and the cities. Recently, a man who has a disco bar said to me that I must ask the Minister to reduce the licence fee that applies to such bars at weekends. I asked why and he explained that when that licence fee was increased more than ten years ago - it was probably done by my party when in government - many people were going to clubs but that this is no longer the case because they are going off to big events. There are big concerts in Dublin every night. From where are the resources being pulled? They are being pulled from rural Ireland. There is only one last real opportunity for survival for these pubs and local GAA and rugby clubs. This Bill will kill them off straight away, however, with no thought into the issue. I am aware that a run-in period is being provided in the amendment but the damage is going to be done.

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