But now that minimum unit alcohol pricing has been introduced, what can Donegal’s drinkers expect to pay at the till?

A price comparison carried out between Asda in the North and Tesco in the Republic yesterday shows a clear disparity in the cost of beer, cider, wine vodka and gin.

In Asda 18 cans of Carlsberg are being sold for £11.50 (€13.75). Tesco has eight slightly larger cans of the same beer on its shelves for €15.

For those looking for something cheaper again, an Asda own-brand ‘Biere De Luxe’ is also available, four cans being sold for a total price of £2.69 (€3.22).

Ten cans of Guinness from Asda will cost you £10 (€11.96). For eight cans from Tesco expect to stump up €15.

Turning to cider, according to Tesco’s website eight 50cl cans of Bulmers are retailing for €14.50. Eighteen cans of Magners, 440cl size, are being sold by Asda for £13 (€15.55).

Staying with cider, a two litre bottle of Hawksridge can be picked up from Asda for £2.04 (€2.44). In Tesco a different brand but of equal amount will set you back €8.

In terms of wine, a bottle of Yellow Tail Sauvignon Blanc comes with a Tesco price tag of €12. Asda has the same bottle, same size, listed for £7 (€8.37). Again for the bargain hunter Asda also has its own brand of ‘Zesty and Vibrant’ white wine on the market for £2.99 (€3.58) per bottle.

Spirits have long been more expensive in the Republic and that very much continues to be the case with a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff vodka costing £13 (€15.55) from Asda and €23 from Tesco.

And it is an identical picture with Gordon’s gin – £13 from Asda, €23 from Tesco. Alternatively Asda has its own brand of ‘London Dry Gin’ on the shelf for £11 (€13.16) per bottle.

To sum up then: 28 cans of beer, 18 Magners, a bottle of Yellow Tail wine, a bottle of Smirnoff and a bottle of Gordons gin from Asda comes with a total price of £67.50 (€80.73).

From Tesco’s outlets in the south 16 tins of beer, eight Bulmers, a bottle of Yellow Tail, a bottle of Smirnoff and a bottle of Gordons comes to €102.50.