IF THERE’S ONE country in the world that doesn’t have the weather for outdoor drinking, it’s Ireland.
Yet, drinking on the streets, in wet fields or in poorly lit parks has been a very popular Irish pastime for generations. However, it seems as though that is all changing.
In September, it emerged that Irish teenagers are drinking much less than they did in the past. For instance, only 3% of 15-year-old Irish girls are drinking on a weekly basis, down from 11% in 2002. With boys of the same age, the figure of weekly drinkers is 5% in 2018, whereas it was 14% in 2002.
Who knows what we have to thank for this. Maybe it’s Fortnite? Maybe it’s Instagram? Kids today are much more fashionable than the tracksuit-clad teenagers of 2007. Ireland’s currently the second most expensive EU state for goods. The price of clothing is desperately inflated (think of how much a pair of Converse cost in 2007 compared to now). Kids can’t afford to get their €180 Air Max dirty and wet in a damp field.
