A Cavan councillor and publican believes extending the opening hours of rural pubs will be a "positive" step forward.
Brendan Fay's comments come following, Justice Minister Helen McEntee's promise to introduce legislation this autumn that would allow pubs and nightclubs to open until the early hours of the morning.
Speaking on today's Wider View, Cllr Fay says the proposed legislation is something that he has advocated for down through the years.
He believes extended opening hours will act as a "great incentive" towards people staying in their local area to socialise as opposed to going elsewhere.
He added that the proposed legislation could also act as a deterrent for anti-social behaviour as people will be able to leave at whatever time they like, as opposed to large crowds leaving a bar at a specific closing time and congregating onto streets:
