Tension at the Royal Starlight Hotel in Bray where the South African rugby team are due to stay.
The South African rugby tour of Ireland and Britain in 1969 and 1970 resulted in protests and demonstrations. For many people, the all white South African rugby team, known as the Springboks, symbolised apartheid in South Africa.
The Springboks are due to arrive at Dublin Airport on 7 January 1970. They will stay at the Royal Starlight Hotel in Bray, County Wicklow for their visit. The joint manager of the Royal Starlight Hotel, Colm Cavey believes it is too late to cancel the booking.
If we did, I think we would be leaving ourselves as wide open for all sorts of actions.
Despite organised opposition from the trade union movement to the Springboks visit, Colm Cavey believes his staff will continue to work and provide services while the team stay at the hotel.
However, pickets on the hotel are affecting business. A three-day conference and the hotel's weekly dinner dance have been cancelled.
While the Springboks are here we may as well be closed so far as other people chancing for dinner or anything like this is certainly out of the question.
This episode of 'Seven Days' was broadcast on 6 January 1970. The reporter is Donal Kelly.
'Seven Days' began broadcasting on 26 September 1966 and was RTE television's flagship current affairs programme for ten years. The programme's young production team was made up of producer Lelia Doolan, directors Eoghan Harris and Dick Hill, and reporters John O'Donoghue, Brian Cleeve and Brian Farrell. Muiris Mac Conghail became producer of 'Seven Days' in 1967 when the programme was merged with another current affairs programme, 'Division'.
