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Irska e prvata zemja shto go zabranuva pushenjeto duri i vo barovite (poznatite Irish Pubs). Dosega toa go imaat napraveno New York i California, no Irska e prvata zemja toa da go napravi na drzhavno nivo. Mozham samo da zamislam kolkava kje bide zagubata na biznismenite.
Smoking Ban Ends Age-Old Tradition in Rural Ireland
ABBEYLEIX, Ireland (Reuters) - A relic of a bygone age when farmers dropped by to purchase their weekly provisions over a pint of stout, time has stood still in Morrissey's pub for over 200 years.
But its nicotine-stained walls were given a well deserved breather on Monday as bar staff enforced a nationwide ban on lighting up under the threat of heavy fines.
The ban, which follows anti-smoking legislation in several U.S. cities and is being closely monitored across Europe, has divided the nation and angered some publicans who fear their profits will disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Ireland has a reputation as a nation of strong drinkers and regular pub-goers who are up for the craic (the fun)," said Morrissey's publican Tom Lennon.
"This is a draconian measure which goes a step too far, and I don't know how foreigners are going to view us now."
The archetypal Irish pub, Morrissey's is a throwback to a time before supermarkets existed, when licensed premises catered to all the needs of the surrounding area.
To this day, boxes of cereal and loose tea compete for attention with bottles of beer behind the mahogany counter in this pub in a small farming town in County Laois, midway between Dublin and the Irish Republic's second city Cork.
Until just two years ago, Morrissey's even served as an undertakers.
On its walls are reminders that tickets for the Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage were sold in Morrissey's while whiskey barrels, India tea tins and clocks that have long since stopped are dotted throughout its maze of snugs and alcoves.
On the first day of the smoking ban, barwoman Breda Smith said there had been a noticeable drop in business from older customers, and doubted whether the promised new health-conscious clientele would make up for the shortfall.
"They're not really the sort of people who'll spend all night in a bar, are they?" she asked.
Lennon, a non-smoker, said sales of drinks like Guinness, popular with regulars, could suffer at the expense of more youth-orientated beers.
To this end, Guinness has embarked on a massive advertising campaign, offering free pints of the legendary "black stuff" to persuade punters to keep frequenting pubs.
In a country where a cigarette and a pint have traditionally gone hand in hand, the long-term repercussions of the ban are difficult to predict.
"There is a slight fear that people could start using pubs more as a coffee shop, which is unchartered territory for publicans," Lennon said.
However, in what has been a smokers' paradise for centuries, there were some fans of the new smoke-free Morrissey's.
"There are people who want to come back to pubs who have been out of them for years," said Paddy Prendergast, adding that the ban would do wonders for his breathing problem.
"Some of my friends have stopped smoking to coincide with the ban," he said as he enjoyed a drink in the pub. "They're making a supreme effort to kick the habit."
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