From today's Irish Times - Ban has had no effect on smokers.
The smoking ban has not had any appreciable effect on the number of smokers in Ireland, the chief medical officer at the Departmen of Health has said.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Over 1000 pubs have closed and thousands of bar workers have lost their jobs since the smoking ban was introduced in Ireland in 2004.
And for what? Where is the evidence that people are significantly healthier as a result of this mindless piece of political grandstanding?
Meanwhile Forest Eireann's tour of Ireland continues to attract the interest of the local media. Here's the latest report, from the Galway Independent:
I couldn't have put it better myself.
John Mallon will be writing about the tour when he returns home. Last night, in Galway, he met publican and hotelier Ronan Lawless who is a registered supporter of Forest Eireann.
The name may not mean much to you but in 2004 Ronan was the co-owner of a pub, Fibber Magee's, that attracted worldwide publicity when the proprietors challenged the ban and allowed customers to smoke in one of two bars.
(See Irish pub defies anti-smoking law and Irish pub ends smoking rebellion.)
The upshot? Fines totalling 22,000 euros. (The last we heard he was selling up and moving to Florida.)
Ronan now owns the Forster Court Hotel in Galway city centre. Can't wait to hear what he had to say.
PS. On Friday John and I spent a pleasant half hour in a pub in Kilkenny talking to the owner who applauded the ban, saying it had helped him give up smoking.
Without warning (and without irony) he then castigated successive governments and claimed that Ireland had become a "totalitarian" country.
We couldn't persuade him to support our campaign but we got on so well he wouldn't let us pay for our drinks.
That's Ireland for you.