Ireland ranked third in report on European drinking levels

Adults in the Republic drink almost twice as much alcohol as their Northern Ireland counterparts, new research on attitudes to drinking has found.

Ireland has the third-highest level of alcohol consumption by adults in Europe after Luxembourg and the Czech Republic.

However, there is a marked North-South divide with 246.6 litres per adult consumed annually in the Republic and just 135.1 litres per adult in the North, according to commercial market research company Mintel.

Drinkers in the Republic spend almost double each year on alcohol, partly due to the higher cost of drink, with the average adult spending £1,335 (€1,933) in the Republic and £770 (€1,115) in the North.

The amount of money spent on alcohol has fallen on both sides of the Border, the survey found, with a decline of 8 per cent in the Republic and a fall of 5 per cent in Northern Ireland recorded from 1994 to 2004.

The widening gap between pub and off-licence prices is causing a decline in pub drinking, according to Mintel with 5 per cent of the market share being lost by pubs to off-licences.

Three-quarters of those surveyed did not want pub opening hours to increase, compared with 30 per cent seeking an increase in 2000, which is in keeping with the overall downturn in the industry, Mintel said.

The type of alcohol consumed has also changed over the 10 years.

Beer drinking has dropped by 15 per cent since 1994 on both sides of the Border with only premium or more expensive brands experiencing increases in sales.

The wine market, however, has seen a large increase in sales, up 53 per cent in the Republic and 30 per cent in the North.

Mintel independently conducts market research, which it then sells to its own customers.