Diageo right to call time on Arthur’s Day – Noone

Dublin Senator Catherine Noone today welcomed the announcement by Diageo that Arthur’s Day, the annual event which celebrated the anniversary of Guinness, will not be taking place this year.

“In the last two years in particular, we have seen a lot of negativity associated with Arthur’s Day. According to Alcohol Action Ireland, ambulance call outs were up by almost a third on the day.

“Arthur’s Day was developing a bad reputation, with some treating it as yet another excuse to bing drink excessively. This was never the original intention, so I am glad that Diageo has decided to not go ahead with it again this year.

“We now need to work on bringing about further education on the dangers of binge drinking, as well as minimum alcohol pricing. While I commend this move from Diageo, there is still a great deal of work to be done by the drinks sector.

“Time will tell whether ‘Amplify’, Diageo’s new festival, will live up to its commitment to act as a launch pad for up and coming Irish artists, rather than just encouraging people to drink too much, which unfortunately had become the case with Arthur’s Day.

“It’s time we had a more mature, responsible approach to drinking, and I think consigning Arthur’s Day to history is a positive step in that regard.”

ENDS