We'll miss the pub when it's gone

It's Friday, so after work we'll go to the pub — while there's still a pub to go to, that is. The sad fact is that the pub is dying. In Britain, 39 are going out of business, forever, each week. And it's just as grim in Ireland.

Why are pubs disappearing? Life's changing — that's why. Instead of going to the local, which might sell Guinness and crisps, many people today prefer the "gastropub", a restaurant in a pub setting that serves smoked haddock and prosciutto risotto with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. As well, youngsters now prefer clubbing and drinking mojitos or caipirinhas to traditional pints of beer. Another thing: supermarkets are pricing alcohol so low it makes going to a pub a waste of money. And the ban on smoking has forced smokers to drink at home, while rising unemployment means fewer people can afford to go out. Finally, an evening chatting online, with a few bottles of beer nearby, is an increasingly popular way to spend time.

What do we lose when pubs die? An important part of life, I feel. Take Dick Mac's bar in Dingle in Ireland. It's a shoe repair shop by day, but in the evening it fills up with fascinating people, like Lisa Hannigan, and friends.

The pub is more than a place to have a drink. It's the centre of community life; it's an open living room where everything from the weather to the quality of the football team or the performance of the cricket side is passionately discussed and songs are sung. We'll miss it when it's gone.