Laws banning under 18s from licensed premises after 9 p.m. do not apply to alcohol-free teenage discos, it was confirmed tonight.
The furore over the 9 p.m. watershed, which prompted gardai to prosecute people for hosting underage discos on licensed premises, was finally quashed today by Minister for Justice Mr McDowell.
He said: "The Attorney General has told the Garda Commissioner that it is not the law that a person commits an offence by being present in these circumstances.
"This theory that the (Intoxicating Liquor) Act prohibits kids from being in a place even though the bar is closed and no alcohol is being served has been tried out in a number of venues and has been rejected."
Mr McDowell said he did not blame individual gardai for attempting to uphold the law as they saw it but said the State could not have two different interpretations of the rules.
He said he was mystified as to why people had not contacted him and queried his own interpretation on the legislation before it reached this point.
The liquor laws have caused huge consternation recently as young people were forced out onto the streets early, even when alcohol was not being served.
Multiple Garda prosecutions triggered accusations from landlords that the Government had "gone mad" and was operating a police state.
It has caused particular disquiet this week due to the approach of Junior Certificate results night - which traditionally calls for teenage celebrations.
Fine Gael's youth affairs spokesman Mr Damien English said young people were being "thrown out onto the streets" because the law had not been clarified.
Labour's justice spokesman Joe Costello had also called for the legislation to be clarified, claiming the DPP and the Department of Justice had two very different interpretations of the law.
Mr McDowell also confirmed he is considering extending the curfew to 10 p.m. in the summer months, after concern expressed by the tourist industry.
PA