Ireland has lifted its Good Friday alcohol ban after nearly a century and is set to receive a massive boost to its economy as a result.
The new legislation was voted into place earlier this year by the Irish parliament after members in favor of the bill said the prohibition of alcohol on the Easter holiday was negatively impacting the tourism industry, ABC News reported.
While families have made it a tradition to hold house parties over the holiday period, foreign visitors would find themselves wandering the streets aimlessly in search of a drink.
Republican group the Vintners Federation of Ireland reported that alcohol sales could rake in about $49 million over Easter Friday alone, the BBC noted.
In a statement, the group’s chief executive, Padraig Cribben, pointed out that the alcohol ban stemmed from a different era.
“Pubs opening on Good Friday is good news, both for ‘publicans and their customers but also for the many tourists who visit Ireland over the Easter weekend, who in the past would find the pubs closed during a major holiday,” Cribben said, according to The Independent.
However, not everyone is on board with the new legislation.
Pauline Fay, a landlady in County Meath, refused to open her bar over Easter Friday, saying that family came first.
“It’s a religious day, it’s one of the most important days in the Catholic Church, and you have to respect that in every way,” she said, according to The Independent.
Local pub owner, John Scanlon also said he would not be opening his bar.
“We have only two days off each year, Christmas Day and Good Friday, and we want to hold on to that. It is a day publicans want to spend with their families,” he said according to BBC.
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