I was taken aback several times when I would see little children (5 or 6 years old) sitting in some of the pubs with their parents. There was no food being served. Mum and Dad were simply enjoying a pint of Smithwick's or Murphy's before walking on home for the evening.
No one raised a stir, no one was concerned that the children were being corrupted. It's just the way things are done there. No big deal. Their attitudes towards alcohol are simply different.
Can't smoke there, though.