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I was home for a while during the summer and i have to agree with John , the Pubs/Bars in West Belfast have no-one to blame but themselves for a down turn in trade , they are charging city centre prices for what are really spruced up shebeens . Service is terrible , and if i was a tourist i would have to be a big fan of horse racing because that is all you will see in West Belfast . A bit more thought for the customer and the tourist trade might save some jobs, but greedy landlords are just trying to get as much as they can but giving nothing in return to loyal patrons . PS I have worked in the bar trade for over thirty years .

Buying supermarket special offers and then selling to punters in a bar a 3 times the price, staff more interested in watching Big Brother than serving customers , bars allowing punters who leech of others too many Televisions inadequate toilet and smoking facilities ..just some other reasons why some local bars in West Belfast are losing trade

The downfall of the pub trade here = loss of sense of community identity, local job losses, lost tourism revenue (tourists want to sample the famous 'craic' in pubs when they come here and they can't do that in their hotel rooms with a carryout), an increased consumption of alcohol through cheap supermarket offers, more health problems through binge drinking as the result of cheap supermarket offers. Of course the smoking ban and the recession are partly to blame but cheap supermarket alcohol means that pubs simply can't pay their overheads. Closing pubs down will not solve broken homes are stop people abusing alcohol, in fact it will make things worse. People (including those underage) can buy more drink for less at supermarkets and drink on the streets and houses. Whereas at least in a pub, people will be supervised and in a social environment with sensible normal prices to cut down their drink intake.

The PUB is a part of the Irish culture and always has been so it must stay open even if drink prices must be lowered and the help in the family only. the old attraction used to be the room was always availalbe for all travelers and groceries were always to be had before the paycheck was spent and credit was always available to the locals this is as much of a necessity to ireland the nation as the thatch cottage . anyway the beer and wine from the supers just creates more alcholism and disfuntional households and violnece as they say never drink alone. the PUB is also the comaraderis for all local and stranger together without it they towns willfall into more violnence and more ignorance and less capacity all round so how bout a cooperativeiwith a nice irish tourist boad connention for weary travelers. jd

At the end of the day, it's a business like any other, but there's two things you can always be sure of in Northern Ireland, you're never far from a pub and you can always get a drink. There's usually a convenient bookmakers nearby too, another integral part of our great culture and in some cases another strain on relationships and the cause of economic hardship for families. Maybe it would help matters if publicans and bookmakers took on some of the responsibility for sensible drinking and gambling, run programs of awareness, fixed limits, etc? And ban cartoon racing, it's fixed. But bring back Happy Hour!

I watched a well known publican fill a trolley four times in a certain local supermarket last Thursday with wine, alcopops and brand premium spirits and bottled beer; he went to four different checkouts and out to his van four times with each load; as far as the bottled beers go, they were retailing at 80p in the supermarket and he would be flogging them for £3 in his pub! So some publicans are playing a double game here, they can buy any drink they want to sell apart from keg beer in a supermarket and mark it up accordingly. Also, the Pubs of Ulster people went along with the smoking ban when it was brought in as they bought the government/health lobby line that hordes of non smokers would descend on pubs once the atmosphere improved; it didn't happen. There have been recessions and cheaper supermarket drink before, eg the 80's and 90's so why are pubs closing so much this time? they were going to the wall in the first year of the smoking ban before the recession bit. I do the books for several local neighbourhood bars and have seen the fall in turnover which happened post smoking ban, I have no sympathy for those who fell for the government/health lobby fairytale on the ban not affecting their business. The gurning about the cheap supermarket drink is a smokescreen in my opinion.

Wel lets look at this from an open mind . I agree Pubs closing will have an effect on the economy , and I know there will be many arguements .Supermarkets are entitled to sell the alcohol as are Pubs entitled to sell food so its status quo there. Pubs I find are a great way to relax and unwind after a hard day its a way of irish life. WHAT I do mind is the opening hours, having traveled the world , and again this will cause arguements longer opening hours are required to stop Binge drinking that also will reduce the younger element getting drunk and fighting etc . The pubs also need ro restrict the number of people in pubs and clubs , if they had longer openeing hours more volume of people coming in will increase, and stop the binge drinkers . Ok yes u will always get the idiot who spolis it , but then this bring me on to the courts any one MALE OF FEMALE casuing a drionk related incident then the courts SHOULD fine them a lot more than what they are doing now IN ADDITION offenders should be banned for an appropriate time and their names posted on the internet as being banned to AUTHORISED persons , IE a vitners data base so the Security door staff can type in a name and see if they are banned .This should only be done by the DOOR supervisor no one else . ALSO in addition the offenders MUST be made do Community service that will stop them , Lets look at the st patricks day fiasco in Blefats Holy lands the Police alone cannot stop this dreadful type of alcohol misuse BUT the courts MUST fine all these people and make them do the above PLUS the the pubs MUST NOT ALLOW any one whos drunk to get more alcohol OR THEY face fines and possible ooss of Publicans licnevce , Ok Policing this is s JOINT effort of the POLICE ,Owners , and Door staff . the communiuty need pubs for relaxation , and a place to meet . Make alcohol slighty more expensive, and make sure the offenders of the likes of these students face a 3 6 12 and 18 months ban if they cause alcohol related offences in severe cases ,BTWE I am an ex cop so I have seen what alcohol does and yes its breaks up families etc but its down to the individual to get a grip on his life NO ONE MAKES THEM DRINK,, its Drink responsiblely or dont drink .Lets see if utv post this one , If not ill draft same copy to BT and Newsletter etc