The nightclub attached to a four-star Galway city hotel is to be closed by a judge for two nights in the run-up to Christmas for serving alcohol to two young women who were already intoxicated.
The Radisson SAS Hotel, Lough Atalia Road, Galway, which is owned by Shorelark Ltd, with registered offices at Grattan Bridge House, Ormond Quay, Dublin, pleaded guilty at a special sitting of Galway District Court yesterday to permitting drunk persons to consume intoxicating liquor at its nightclub, Club Q, on May 5th last.
The charge referred to the hotel allowing two drunk people, Sakira O'Connor and Caroline Donnellan, to consume intoxicating liquor, contrary to Section 4 (1) and (2) of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2003.
In what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind outside of Dublin under the 2003 Act, Insp Marie Skehill told the court that gardaí were called to the hotel at 2.40am on May 5th and found one woman, who was in a highly intoxicated state, collapsed on the floor of the security personnel's office, while a second woman present was also highly intoxicated. Both women were arrested for their own safety.
Insp Skehill said the women made statements to gardaí a couple of days later saying they had been sold alcohol by staff at the nightclub and had drank it.
The inspector said Sgt Sean Colleran spoke to the head of security at the hotel, Mike Payne, following the women's revelations and he had said there had been staff shortages on the night in question. This had since been rectified and all staff had been briefed on the legislation.