A publican who failed to get a special drinks licence for an open-air New Year's Eve concert yesterday succeeded in obtaining a late licence for part of his premises this weekend on condition that dancing be restricted to an upstairs area.
Mr Paul Griffin, owner of the Newmarket pub, Newmarket Square, Dublin, had organised a concert last New Year's Eve with such singers as Shane McGowan on the bill. But he ran into opposition from the city council and gardaí.
Yesterday, he sought a late licence for the coming two weekends but gardaí expressed concern that only part of the premises, the upstairs section which has a dance licence, had been inspected by the fire authorities. They did not object to a late-night bar for the upstairs area which the fire officer had inspected.
Judge Timothy Lucey granted the bar extensions for this weekend on an undertaking from Mr Griffin that he would limit the number of people to 120 and confine them to the upstairs section. Applications for bar extensions for the following weekend were adjourned for a week pending inspection and approval of the downstairs area by the fire officer.