The Southern Health Board has issued formal warnings to two pubs in Cork that are defying the workplace smoking ban.
The owners of the pubs have been given until 4pm today to give a written guarantee that they will implement the ban or face High Court action.
The Southern Health Board said it was also investigating alleged breaches of the ban in other pubs in the Cork area.
A Galway pub that had been openly defying the ban backed down yesterday after the owners threatened with High Court action by the Western Health Board.