MORE than €1million has been splashed out on food and drink at Leinster House since the end of the pandemic, with politicians and visitors to the Dail bar knocking back more than 28,000 pints of Guinness.
A total of 28,233 pints of plain were supped in the Houses of the Oireachtas’ two licensed premises in the three-year period from 2022 to 2024, as elected representatives made up for lost time following the end of Covid-related restrictions.
And with a pint of the black stuff at Leinster House now costing just €5.50 – up from €5.20 in 2023 – it appears that TDs and Senators are making the most of the cut-price booze prices that would be all but impossible to find in the average city centre pub.
Last year alone a total of 8,362 pints of Guinness were sold in total in the Dail’s Members and Visitors Bars.
Heineken – of which 1,1618 pints were consumed – was the next most popular draft beer.
And according to the product sales report for 2024, Cork Dry Gin was the spirit of choice for the bars’ customers last year with 1,227 measures sold.
Wine was another big seller, with the own brand ‘Oireachtas’ – at €6.70 a glass – in high demand, with 3,225 units sold between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2024.
The bars’ customers – made up of elected representatives, Leinster House staff and visitors to the Oireachtas – spent just over €331,000 [€331,559.93] in total last year on food and drink.
And in the three-year period from the beginning of 2022 – the first year the licensed premises opened fully following the lifting of Covid-related restrictions – to the end of 2024, total till receipts at the two bars hit €1,008,312.60.
The latest figures, released under the Freedom of Information, confirm that the two Leinster House bars have traded strongly in the post-Covid era.
And it’s not just alcohol that’s been in high demand, as the figures reveal that tea was the biggest seller, with 9,218 cups sold in total last year.
Caffeine-loving patrons also knocked back 7,193 Americanos, while toasties were the most popular food item, with 4,044 sold.
There are four full-time staff that work between the Visitors and Members bars.
TDs and Senators have the option of signing up to a credit policy, which gives them the option of having the amount they owe deducted from their salaries after a further 60 days.
