An application for the temporary transfer of a pub licence was adjourned in the district court in Co Roscommon this afternoon after a judge was told a large number of people were found on the premises in the early hours of the morning last weekend, even though it was supposed to be closed.
Strokestown District Court was hearing an application on behalf of two people who have leased the 'Kon Tiki' bar near the village of Rooskey.
The property, which was once a famous music venue in the 1970s, has been let since last February, but the bar had been closed during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
When an application was made for an ad interim transfer of the bar licence to the new management in the court this afternoon, there was a strong garda objection.
Inspector Kieran Hanley said that when gardaí visited the premises at a quarter to three in the morning last Friday, the bar was full. No food was being served.
The court was told the bar was in blatant breach of the coronavirus regulations. He said no attempt had been made to enforce social distancing on the premises and that a full garda investigation was now under way.
"There was no social distancing whatsoever - I would have to question their whole way of starting a business and whether they are fit to run a bar," Inspector Hanley said in court.
After hearing the details of the case, Judge Alan Mitchell severely criticised the incident in light of the hard work carried out by the healthcare services over the course of the last number of months, and the fact that so many other bars had closed and stayed closed in compliance with the Covid-19 regulations.
"There cannot be one rule for some and another for somebody else," the judge said. "Everybody has been in this together. The minute people start doing their own thing - my worry is - we have to lock down again."
After a short delay in today’s case, an application was made on behalf of the new management for the adjournment of the licence transfer until September.
Judge Alan Mitchell agreed to adjourn the application urging the applicants to consider their position in the intervening period.
