An application for a liquor licence to sell alcohol in a tent on land behind a pub in Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, was heard at a special sitting of the District Court in Kerry yesterday.
Normally an application for an occasional liquor licence would have to be made to the District Court office 48 hours before such a court hearing.
However, the hastily arranged court sitting was held after it was discovered Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed would be attending to officially open the Kilgarvan Agricultural Show in a tent selling alcohol without a drinks licence.
The show, now in its 32nd year, discovered at the weekend that due to some mix up the liquor licence was not in place.
A special court sitting took place in Killorglin at 11am Sunday morning during which the application for an occasional licence for the event was made.
Supt Dan Keane of Listowel Garda station said the State had no objection.
Judge James O’Connor granted the licence.
Poll topper
The village TD Michael Healy-Rae, the country’s poll topper in the last general election, was praised for helping to sort everything out, so the show could run smoothly.
Kilgarvan show chairwoman Helen O’Sullivan said “only for Mike Rae” they would have been in despair and were preparing to call the whole thing off.
“The Minister was to be here and we thought we would have to close down. We were going to call the whole thing off,” she said.
“Our hero is the judge. We can’t thank him enough,” she said of Judge O’Connor.
“Only for Mike Rae too,” Ms O’Sullivan said, adding, the committee in a panic had approached the TD.She said gardaí did their best for them too. The event is one of the largest in Munster. Weeks of preparation go into the show which costs over €30,000 to stage.
A tent for beer and drinks was installed in the field behind Reilly’s Pub in the village. The show was later officially opened by Mr Creed.