Drinks group Diageo, which owns Guinness, has said its Irish sales volumes fell 3% in the six months to the end of December compared with the same period a year earlier.
The company said the results reflected the continuing shift from pubs to home drinking, which was exacerbated by the smoking ban introduced in March.
The volume of Guinness sold fell 1%, though higher prices pushed the value of sales up by 5%. In the pub market, which accounts for 80% of Guinness sold, the drink's market share edged up one percentage point.
Diageo said spirits performed well, with Baileys and Smirnoff volumes up 6% and 12% respectively, but a cool summer and increasing competition in off-licences dragged volumes of lager and Smithwick's down 10%.
Overall, Diageo's interim pre-tax profits fell 4.8% to just over £1.2 billion, with volumes up 5% in North America but just 1% in Europe.
