Publicans in Tralee had a good Christmas.
THERE was good news for town centre publicans over the past two weeks as trade was up considerably this Christmas/New Year period on the same time last year, due to a number of factors.
We spoke to five town centre publicans and all reported a successful Christmas, which was mainly due to the way it fell this year, rather than people returning home for the festive period.
Christmas Day fell on a Thursday which meant they were extremely busy over the following number of days, even beyond the weekend.
One bar owner told us their New Year’s Eve trade was up over 30% on last year and they were far busier over the other nights as well.
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The countdown in Denny Street at midnight on New Year’s Eve was a big success and brought many revellers into the town centre and into nearby hostelries. It’s something some publicans hope the Chamber and the Council will build on for next year.
Another publican told us that not as many people travelled to Dingle and Killarney for St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Eve, while the good weather conditions over the past two weeks also boosted trade. On St Stephen’s Day 2013 a storm severely affected trading for many publicans.
However, one publican told us that, taking in the 31 days of December, his figures were about on a par with 2013’s.
