Publicans have strongly criticised the Government's €16 million support package announced for the industry yesterday. The owners of so-called 'wet pubs' - whose doors have been shut since March - are calling for clarity and guidelines as to when they will be allowed to reopen.
Like thousands of pubs that do not serve food, the Swan Bar on Dublin's Aungier Street has been closed for nearly six months.
It has been in owner Ronan Lynch's family for three generations. He said the increased cash grants announced by the Government yesterday don't go nearly far enough. "The emotional and financial stress, and the level of uncertainty, over the past few months have been huge," he told RTÉ News. "We just do not know where we are going as a sector.