Blowing Hot Air 

IRISH Health Minster Micheal Martin is in New York this week, researching the likely response to the smoking ban in Irish pubs and restaurants set to take place in Ireland on January 1.

There is no gilding the lily on this matter. The ban on smoking has devastated business in many Irish-owned bars and restaurants in New York. Over the weekend, hotelier John Fitzpatrick, who owns properties in Ireland and the U.S., starkly outlined how much business had plummeted in his New York restaurants since the ban was introduced.

Martin should be under no illusion that all will be well in Ireland when the ban takes effect there. He may hear a lot of hot air about non-smokers picking up the slack, but that certainly is not the case. 

Martin has made a tough decision to enforce the ban, but he should know the full consequences for business owners in Ireland when he does so. Pretending they won’t happen would be a foolish way to proceed.