A senator has accused publicans of engaging in shameless profiteering after he was charged €10 for a late-night drink in a Dublin hotel.
So incensed was Mr Noel Coonan at being "blatantly overcharged" for a Bacardi and coke, he raised the matter in the Seanad yesterday, warning that "rip-off" prices threatened the Republic's tourist industry.
The Fine Gael senator urged the Tánaiste and the director of consumer affairs to clamp down on "greedy" vintners - if necessary by introducing pricing control.
He said he was flabbergasted by prices at the Earl of Kildare hotel, a city centre venue popular with politicians. Three pints of Guinness set Mr Coonan back €19.50 - but it was the €10 Bacardi and coke which most upset him.
"I could buy two or three drinks for that sort of money in any pub at home in Templemore. When I complained they told me that music was being provided. But bars in Tipperary play music and they don't ask you to pay prices like that," Mr Coonan said.
Acknowledging some pubs set "outrageous" prices, director of consumer affairs Ms Carmel Foley said the issue was beyond her remit. Provided publicans displayed their prices, they were free to charge as much as they saw fit. "It's up to the customer to decide whether they want to pay. This is a question of choice - if you don't like the price then take your custom elsewhere."
A spokeswoman for the Tánaiste said price controls were an inappropriate method of addressing overcharging.
The Earl of Kildare said it was baffled by Mr Coonan's criticism. Hotel manager Mr James Boyle said the senator had attended the opening of a new piano bar at which premium prices were charged in place of a cover fee. "We decided to pass on the cost of staging live music by raising our prices."