I would be of two minds about this. On the 1805 to Longford, for as long as I've been commuting there has been a group of people travelling to Mullingar in the front car who treat the train journey as an opportunity to have a couple of cans of cider and a chat with their mates. This dates back to when the venue was the bar car of the old 1810 Sligo intercity.
These guys have a nice journey every day and don't bother anybody and I would think it makes the long-haul commute a lot more bearable for them.
On the other hand, you regularly see the odd thug on train with a few cans of scrumpy and who has to go to the toilet for a smoke every 20 minutes.
There is difference between these two types of people. The problem isn't the alcohol - it is the treatening behaviour and the illegal smoking in the toilet that is the problem. If Irish Rail had staff on the train (the 1805 to Longford is always driver only), there would be plenty of grounds to throw the threatening scumbags off without having to invent yet more rules that aren't enforced and yet deny a bit of pleasure to the law-abiding majority who might enjoy a glass of wine or a couple of tins of beer with their mates without causing offence to anyone.
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