The idea of Irish people as charming rogues who make their way around laws dates from a time when this was the only sane way of dealing with laws designed to suppress Irish people in their own country; the attitude may have continued for some years into the new nation, but it's non-existent now - at least to the same extent as in other countries.
In every country you'll find civil resistance to certain hated laws and taxes, and a quiet refusal to obey them. That's all there is in Ireland too. Look at the way the Troika have been trampling over our rights, and the passivity in response. They're even trying to sell off the right to lay low our few woodlands for the profit of the banks who robbed us.
As for driving drunk, in rural areas or urban areas, it should not be tolerated. Other countries - Norway, France, England - have vast open areas filled with people living on their own, and nobody's asking for them to have the right to drive home drunk from the pub.
Pubs should have minibuses, and pubs should serve food at night.