Ireland is introducing new controls on alcohol marketing through the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, which saw the first phase of restrictions being introduced in November 2019, followed by additional controls in November this year. 

This briefing paper summarises the first set of findings from research funded by the Institute of Public Health, the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA), and the University of Stirling, which is monitoring the impact of Ireland’s new marketing controls. 

The research was led by Dr Nathan Critchlow, SSA Academic Fellow, Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling and Dr Crawford Moodie, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling. 

This paper specifically examines changes in alcohol marketing awareness one-year after the initial advertising restrictions were implemented in November 2019. This research also examines to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic, including closure of some public spaces and mandated social distancing, impacted on alcohol marketing awareness.