The 148 pubs that have closed down in Galway
Galway has gone from having 574 to 426 pubs
Galway has 148 less pubs right now than it did twenty years ago.
That’s according to a new report at Dublin City University which shows that the Tribes had 574 pubs in 2005 compared to just 426 last year.
Between 2019 and 2025 - and heavily influenced by Covid and its restrictions and lockdowns - 46 pubs poured their last drinks across the county.
Nationally, the number of pubs that shut their doors last year was 86 which is up from 65 in 2024 - with 2,205 bars saying goodbye to punters since 2005.
Our neighbours Mayo have 139 less pubs than 2005 with 44 closing last year; Roscommon have 83 less and Sligo with just 44 fewer in two decades.
Economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU, Anthony Foley who spearheaded the report said: “Over the past 20 years the Irish economy has grown substantially, including large employment, consumption and adult population increases, despite multiple economic shocks and geopolitical disruption.
“This growth should have supported the alcohol and public house sectors. However, both alcohol consumption and pub sales volumes declined substantially.
"The level of alcohol taxation is very high in Ireland, which alongside rising costs and changing consumer trends, reduces the commercial viability of public houses.
“It is likely that pub closures will continue in the absence of any change in Government policy. Even in the absence of additional significant economic shocks, an optimistic scenario would expect about 600 additional closures in the next decade from 2024. More pessimistic expectations would increase the closure level to 1,000.”