THE smoking ban in Ireland is a real drag for Co. Meathman Pierce Brosnan — so much so that he will no longer drink in Irish pubs.

We weren’t aware that the robust looking Pierce was so dedicated to an unhealthy habit, but here’s what he has to say about the no smoke rule. “I can only enjoy the boozer in London. In Ireland you can’t smoke, so that’s slowly changing pub culture. It’s a shame. The old cigarettes are good.”

Actually the cigs are pretty bad for you, Pierce. Let’s hope he doesn’t find that fact out the hard way. But in the meantime, it’s obvious he’ll still puff away.

“When you are with a bunch of mates at 3 a.m. and the ciggies are flying around and you’re shooting the breeze, owning the world, ruling the universe and having the best ideas, ciggies are great,” he adds. Ruling the world? Hmmm . . . wonder what kind of ciggies Pierce is referring to!

In other Brosnan bits, if his acting gigs ever dry up he could easily find work as a painter. Pierce is currently flogging reproductions of his original paintings on his website, and the works are excellent, as you can tell from the one we’ve included with this piece that he’s titled “Fiji.”

Pierce has been personally involved in every step of the Giclee process, whatever that is, directing and fine-tuning the procedure to produce flawless reproductions, his site says. Some of the profits from the paintings will go to his Brosnan Trust which gives money to environmental, kids and health causes.

The paintings don’t come cheap. “Fiji” sells for $1,995, and the other available for purchase, “Bisou Moi,” is a grand less. Each one is signed by Pierce and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Pierce recreated only 999 of the paintings, so rest assured you won’t find them in the half-price aisle in your local Wal-Mart anytime soon.

“He loves to paint, to draw, to play music,” says Pierce’s wife Keely Shaye Smith. And any free time he gets is usually spent at his easel.