Nightclub owners to protest against new hours

NIGHTCLUB OWNERS and music promoters are to protest outside the Dáil tomorrow against proposed restrictions on club opening hours.

The Intoxicating Liquor Bill, currently before the Oireachtas, proposes to close a loophole in the law which opened following a High Court decision last year. The loophole has allowed clubs to obtain theatre licences and so remain open until 3.30am.

The Bill proposes a reversion to the position where pubs and clubs must seek an opening hours special exemption. This will mean they must close at 2.30am on Monday to Saturday nights and at 1am on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Introducing the Bill in the Dáil last month, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said it was designed "to tackle public disorder and alcohol-related harm resulting from excessive alcohol consumption". The Bill contains a number of further restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

Sunil Sharpe, a DJ and spokesman for the Save Our Night campaign, which is organising tomorrow's protest, said the proposal to curb club opening hours showed a misunderstanding of Irish nightlife.

"There just seems to be a lack of respect for the culture of nightlife and how it has changed as Ireland has become more multi-cultural and cosmopolitan," he said.

"People who come here from Spain and places are gobsmacked at how early clubs close here. This would be a really backward step."

He said that for many people who worked in such industries as the hotel and catering trades, Sunday was the one night they went out as they would be working at weekends. "Not everyone is working 9 to 5," he said.

"This will also make it more difficult to attract international DJ acts who already see Ireland as a less attractive place to play, because they are used to playing for much longer into the night. So this would be a threat to jobs."

He said the later opening hours staggered the times people were leaving clubs at night and so had a positive impact on public order and access to transport. The protest takes place at 1pm tomorrow.