Coronavirus in Ireland: Campaigners welcome extension of nightclub opening hours (2024)

Proposed new licensing laws provide a “glimmer of hope” for nightclubs post Covid-19, campaigners have said.

Helen McEntee, the justice minister, will today announce an overhaul of licensing laws that will extend opening hours for nightclubs, pubs and off licences as well as create a dedicated nightclub permit.

Give Us the Night, an advocacy group said that confidence in the night-time industry is “at an all-time low” but the reform of licensing laws will help the industry to rebuild after the pandemic.

Sunil Sharpe, founder of Give Us the Night said: “Our industry will be shut, I would foresee, for the best part of two years at this point. I don’t think anyone sees a real return to the industry this year. We still don’t know when we’re going to return and I think this at last is a little glimmer of hope for the industry.”

“In order for the industry to return and rebuild when it is safe to do so I think it is imperative that we have changes in place that facilitate later opening hours and a more flexible system for all venues and promoters and everyone involved in the running of clubs, pubs and cultural venues.”

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that under the new proposed laws a dedicated nightclub permit will be created.

Currently nightclubs are required to apply to the courts for special exemption orders for each night they want to open beyond regular pub hours. Each court order can cost up to €400 meaning a club opening three nights a week can face legal costs of more than €60,000 a year.

The new laws would also allow city centre nightclubs to stay open beyond 2.30 am.

Sharpe said: “There is no system or set up in any other country that would charge a venue over €400 per night just to open beyond normal pub hours.

“It makes more sense that you would pay a one-off fee per year. There is no good reason to be going over and back to court each month.”

Sharpe said that up until now Irish people have had to go abroad to have access to venues with later opening hours, but this new legislation would allow venues to cater for that demand here in Ireland.

“For promoters, organisers, programmers, those who book in these events and put together line-ups, for them this will be very exciting,” Sharpe said.

“It means they can put out more adventurous line-ups and they can actually retain the crowds here at the weekends because people will want to go into their local city or town instead of seeing what’s coming up abroad and booking flights for the next big event in Berlin or Amsterdam or London or Paris.

“This one size fits all system has not worked for the industry. It’s a broken system that should have been overhauled 15 years ago.”

The nightlife industry has been badly hit by the pandemic with nightclubs closed since last March. Wet pubs outside Dublin reopened briefly at the end of September until the Level 5 lockdown was reintroduced at the end of October, while pubs serving food have been open for a total of about five months since last March.

Hazel Chu, Dublin’s Lord Mayor, said the proposed licensing laws would increase public safety and the profitability of these businesses.

Chu said: “A lot of people will say that longer opening hours will be more anti-social but anti-social behaviour is generally when people all come out at the same time and that becomes a safety issue.”

“Your longer opening hours allows for staggered closing in different places and allows for better safety enforcement as well.”

“It’s better, from a transport aspect because everyone isn’t at the taxi rank or bus stop at the same time and overall, for the operators within clubs, theatres and pubs it’s more profitable and gives them more options.”

Chu said that passing the legislation must be a priority for the government to ensure it is in place when the sector reopens post Covid-19.

New categories of alcohol licences would also be created for cultural venues, such as art galleries and theatres, while special event licences will be given for marquee weddings and other one-off occasions.