The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) has said the Government's new reopening road map must include plans to allow the estimated more than 300 late night venues around the country to reopen.
Figures prepared by the LVA show there are more than 300 nightclubs and late pubs who have been unable to offer late night service for 527 days since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Many of those venues will have remained completely closed for all service during that period.
The LVA said that an additional 5,000 to 6,000 jobs are dependent on the reopening of the late night hospitality.
Late pubs and nightclubs also provide venues for a significant number of live musicians and DJs.
Nightclubs have already reopened in England, Scotland and Wales, the association noted.
NPHET will meet today to discuss its recommendations for the next phase of reopening the country, ahead of the Government's publication of a road map next week.
The LVA is also urging the Government to include details for the resumption of regular service in hospitality settings as part of the new roadmap, taking into account the continued success of the vaccination programme.
It wants to see the return of the use of the bar counter, allowing capacity limits to return to pre pandemic levels, resumption of normal trading hours and permitting customer movement around pubs.
All these measures are still currently banned, despite all customers inside pubs and hospitality venues being required to provide proof of vaccination.
"With more than 85% of the adult population already fully vaccinated and further progress to be made in the coming weeks, now is the time to stat planning for hospitality to return to normal trading," Donall O'Keeffe, the chief executive of the LVA said.
"That will mean the return of late night pubs and nightclubs, who offer significant employment around the country. These are also key venues for the recovery of the music sector, with many of these late pubs and nightclubs providing platforms for live musicians and DJs to perform," Mr O'Keeffe said.
"Music is part of Irish hospitality and Irish life, so its return to hospitality settings is long overdue," he added.
