"Rural pubs are going to go and rural Ireland will go with them", according to Independent Councillor, Seamus O'Donnell.
Councillor O'Donnell runs John Paul's Pub in Old Parish and says the hospitality sector has not received enough support to combat rising costs.
He believes the closures that are happening across the country at the moment are only the tip of the iceberg.
The rural pubs are gone, they're really gone. Anyone that's going around would say during holiday time or anything, there's no more country pubs. They're a big loss and practically, when they go, rural Ireland is gone with them because people have no place to meet for funerals and so on. There'll be no pubs that'll be open there for them."
"With the past even 12 months, I mean, the cost is unreal", he continued. There's higher rates, there's higher rent right across West Waterford and I met quite a number of them. They said they'd never again open. I spoke about the restaurants here about four or five months ago. It's going to happen, the restaurants in the town of Dungarvan, there's one big one closed already. It is only the beginning."
He believes that a shortage of available accommodation is negatively affecting tourism and hospitality in Dungarvan, and Cllr. O'Donnell says that closures of pubs and restaurants will continue in large numbers if there is no place for tourists to stay.
"Of course, they want to stay in Dungarvan but unfortunately there's no bed spaces for any tourists anymore. I mean the whole lot is taken up by different people coming into the country and they're getting the first choice. The tourists are getting no choice."
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