AIB Spend Trend revealed St. Patrick’s Day is busiest day of the year for pubs
Spending in pubs had its highest day for the first three months of the year on 16 March, the day before St. Patrick’s Day, according to the AIB Spend Trend for March 2025.
With the day itself falling on a Monday this year, people took advantage of the long weekend and celebrated on Sunday 16, with €5.4 million spent by AIB customers in pubs that day, up 160% compared to the average day in March.
Two-thirds of the spending was by men (66%), while people aged 18 to 24 accounted for almost a quarter of spending.
Those aged over 65 accounted for just 7% of the spend.
People from Dublin (€19.48), Louth (€18.64) and Wicklow (€18.52) spent the most on their round of drinks that day, while people from Waterford spent the least per round (€14.89).
Overall spending increased 10% in March year on year, primarily driven by online spending which increased 18% year on year.
In-store spending increased 2% during the same period.
Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB.
The data was compiled from 77 million card transactions carried out by AIB customers in-store and online during March 2025 and has been anonymised and aggregated.
- Spending on Electric Vehicle charging increased by 68% year on year, demonstrating a continued significant shift towards greener transport in the past 12 months.
- Grocery spending increased by 4% month on month to almost €453m.
- Airline spending increased by 4% year on year.
- Charity donations peaked for the first three months of the year on 28 March, which is the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day.
Speaking about the data, Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB said “St. Patrick’s Day celebrations contributed to another positive month for pubs in March, with Sunday 16 March the biggest day for spending in the sector so far this year.
Interestingly, the cheapest round of drink was in Waterford and the most expensive was in Dublin.
The data also confirms that consumers are choosing to spend more and more of their money online, with an 18% increase in online spending in the 12 months to March 2025.
Many sectors have benefitted from this continued trend in consumer behaviour, particularly sectors such as the beauty industry, with a 22% increase in cosmetic spending in the year, with the vast majority of sales online.
Hardware spending is also up in the past year, by 9% as more and more of us invest in our homes, a trend we expect to see continue into the summer months ahead.
AIBs data insights offer customers crucial information about how, when and where they are spending their money and in turn, these insights allow businesses to plan effectively, so they can best support customers.”
