Pub Opening Hours

marcphisto · 13-04-2006 11:31am #1

Hi all,

was just wondering if someone could settle a "discussion" as to which two days in the year pubs are required to keep their doors closed.

I'm pretty sure of the answer myself but the other person just won't listen at all!

thanks.

Noelie · 13-04-2006 11:32am

Good Firday and Christmas day isn't it

marcphisto · 13-04-2006 11:34am

That's what I said, and i'm pretty sure that it's correct. It's just the other guy is adamant that it's legal to serve alcohol on Christmas Day. (You can open as a private member club and serve away afaik)

hullaballoo · 13-04-2006 11:34am

I'm not sure that there's actually a legal requirement to close pubs on Christmas day. It's just tradition. Good Friday is different though, it's illegal to sell alcohol on that day.

Noelie · 13-04-2006 11:37am

hullaballoo wrote:

I'm not sure that there's actually a legal requirement to close pubs on Christmas day. It's just tradition. Good Friday is different though, it's illegal to sell alcohol on that day.

Then why do the Garda raid pubs on Christmas. Publicans wouldn't throw out paying customers unless they had to by law.

Perhaps you can server, but there's no way you can Sell.

hullaballoo · 13-04-2006 11:42am

I'm pretty sure the gards don't raid pubs on Christmas day. In fact, I remember going to Hotels on Christmas day and being served drink as well.

Noelie · 13-04-2006 11:44am

Hotels are different, they can server to residents. Just like a Resident can drink all night long in a hotel if they wish
Someone also mentions trains and trainstations can server on these days.

marcphisto · 13-04-2006 11:46am

Yes, hotels and restaurants serve alcohol with dinner on christmas day but I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to. In the case of hotels I think it works on the same principal as the residents bar whereas the restuarants are not supposed to serve alcohol at all. That's as far as I know anyway. I have friends that own pubs and they constantly say that the only two days of the year that they definitely hav off are Good Friday and Christmas Day.

hullaballoo · 13-04-2006 11:59am

Ok, yeah, it looks like that's right:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA17Y2000S3.html
There is an exception for restaurants and hotels:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA17Y2000S6.html.
I

google.

marcphisto · 13-04-2006 12:02pm

Good man, thank you very much for that

I know that is says exemptions for hotels and restaurants but I'm just wondering if the second one can be challenged by pubs that serve food?

hullaballoo · 13-04-2006 12:57pm

No, it's a seperate licence.

Victor · 13-04-2006 5:02pm

Noelie wrote:

Someone also mentions trains and trainstations can server on these days.

Yes, the Victorians needy a little stiffner to keep them going on long journeys and the law still stands. You do need a long distance ticket though and trains don't run on Christmas Day.

I wonder what the case is regarding road vehicles.

Eru · 14-04-2006 9:48pm

I have never raided a pub on Christmas and why in gods name would you go to a pub or work in one on Christmas day?

England does open on X mas day for some reason.

besty · 14-04-2006 11:18pm

hullaballoo wrote:

I google.

You nerd!

It's actually funny to observe the Irish psyche regarding the one day of the year on which you cannot obtain alcohol. Frantic hoarding of beer and wine last night in anticipation of the Good Friday drought.

hullaballoo · 15-04-2006 1:58am

besty wrote:

You nerd!

You better believe it!

I went to the off licence on Thursday out of instinct myself. Got a few beers just in case I was thirsty.

Trojan911 · 17-04-2006 8:09pm

marcphisto wrote:

Hi all,

was just wondering if someone could settle a "discussion" as to which two days in the year pubs are required to keep their doors closed.

I'm pretty sure of the answer myself but the other person just won't listen at all!

thanks.

Still a darn inconvenience whenever they close......

TJ911...

IMPEGA · 24-04-2006 10:58am

christmas day and good friday are the 2 days of the years where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. I must stress the word alcohol. That is why all off-licences are closed too.

AFAIK there is nothing stopping pubs opening on these 2 days and not serving drink

Bamboozled · 24-04-2006 11:01am

Perhaps the other person has ecperienced GAA clubs on both of these days?

marcphisto · 26-04-2006 11:00am

I was just thinking about private clubs, I remember going to a Golf Club in Cork one Christmas and they were serving alcohol to everyone and all they required was you to sign in as a member and pay a membership fee (£2 at the time I think).

Is this a loophole?

If it is I assume that it would work in every type of club, sporting or otherwise.

Pub Opening Hours

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