The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 (“the Act”) was signed into law in October 2018 and has been slowly phased into operation across Ireland. The Act has brought about changes in how alcohol can be advertised and presented to the public generally.

Watershed Ban on Alcohol Advertising.

As of January 2025, Section 19 of the Act commenced, which brought about changes to the time periods during which alcohol can be advertised.

Since January 2025, no alcohol commercials may be broadcast on television between the hours of 3am and 9pm each day. For alcohol commercials broadcast through radio, there is a restriction on such advertising between the hours of 3pm and 10am on weekdays.

The above changes represent a targeted effort by the Irish Government to reduce the exposure of children to alcohol marketing.

Packaging and Labelling of Alcohol.

One of the most significant changes under the Act relates to the packaging and labelling of alcohol products. The relevant section of the Act will come into effect in May 2026. The key requirements are that alcohol products must:

• contain a warning to inform people of the danger of alcohol consumption.
• contain a warning to inform people of the danger of alcohol consumption when pregnant.
• contain a warning to inform people of the direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers.
• contain a quantity of grams of alcohol contained in the product.
• contain the number of calories contained in the alcohol product.
• feature a link to a Health Service Executive website which gives information on alcohol and related harms.

The font and display of these warnings are contained in the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023, which will also come into effect in May 2026.

Further legislative amendments to be enacted.

There are two sections of the Act which await enactment, which will have a further impact on the advertising of alcohol in Ireland.

1. Section 13 – Content of Advertising.

The first of these is Section 13 of the Act, which will restrict the content contained in advertisements for alcohol in Ireland. When enacted, it is expected that any advertisements for alcohol will be restricted purely to facts and will aim to remove what is perceived as positive associations between alcohol and lifestyle in alcohol advertisements. Advertisements will also be required to contain health information, such as information on the link between alcohol and cancer, and a link to the HSE alcohol information website.

• Section 18 – Percentage of Advertising Apportioned to Alcohol.

The second is Section 18 of the Act which restricts the advertising in print media, with the exception of trade publications, to a maximum of 20% of advertising space in a publication which can be devoted to alcohol products.

Where you have any queries in relation to the above highlighted sections, or your obligations under the Act more generally, please contact Laura Fannin, Partner or Mark Dalton, Solicitor.