The smoking ban and changes in student behaviour have contributed to a fall of some 20 per cent in the sales of alcohol at two of the main student bars at the State's largest university, University College Dublin.
In a sign that UCD students are increasingly choosing to eat meals rather than drink in the college's student bars, between July and December of last year the total turnover for the bar at UCD's Student Club was €487,268.
This compares with €609,658 for the equivalent period the year before when students were still allowed to smoke in bars.
The Forum Bar also witnessed a 23 per cent drop in bar takings in the last six months of 2004.
According to David Carmody, UCD Student Union's financial administrator for both bars, many UCD students are increasingly opting to stay in with a bottle of wine or some beer.
As a result, both bars have sought - with some success - to provide a greater variety of food to entice students in during the day.
For the last six months of 2004, the total revenue generated by food sales at the student club alone was €194,600.
This represents a significant increase in food revenue compared to the previous year, when food at the bar was provided by a franchisee, Mr Carmody said.