It's good news for clubbers and pub-goers in Dublin as the Cabinet has approved an outline for new legislation next year that will allow pubs and nightclubs to have longer opening hours.
The new General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, which was published today, is expected to give a much needed boost to Ireland's night-time economy by reforming licensing laws. The new legislation is expected to come into effect next year.
The new changes are sure to delight pub and club owners, but what exactly will it mean for Dublin clubbers and pubgoers? We take a look at what the new changes will involve.
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What are the new opening hours?
Pubs will be allowed to open from 10:30am to 12.30am seven days a week. Late bars with special licences will have their hours extended until 2.30am, and nightclubs will be able to stay open until 6am.
Currently, pubs close at 11.30pm Monday - Thursday, 12.30am on Friday and Saturday and 11pm on a Sunday. Late licenced pubs can serve until 1:30am on weekends and nightclubs until 2:30am.
When will the pubs and nightclubs openings hours change?
An exact date has not been given for the new opening times, however it is expected to come in place in 2023.
Why are the new pub and club opening hours coming into place?
For several years there have been calls for pubs and nightclub opening hours to be extended. This would allow them to attract more customers and bring us level with other European countries and their nightlife economies.
At the moment, Ireland's licensing legislation is around 200 years old, and the planned reforms are part of a wider government plan to revitalise and modernise the night-time economies in Irish towns and cities.
Earlier this month, Taoiseach Michael Martin described the process of reforming Ireland's alcohol licensing system as “complex”, and the bill has been delayed until 2023. Under the planned reforms, licences will continue to be granted only by the courts, with objections allowed from fire authorities, Local Authorities, the HSE, An Garda Siochana and local communities.
What is the new General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill?
On Tuesday, Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin welcomed the publication of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, which will include a support package for the night-time economy to include nine new towns and cities in the new Night-Time Advisor Pilot initiative.
The towns and cities included in the pilot initiative are Dublin city, Cork city, Limerick city, Galway city, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Sligo, Buncrana and Longford town.
Speaking at the announcement of the publication of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022 at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), Minister Martin said: "Modernisation of our outdated licensing laws was one of the key recommendations of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce which I established back in 2020. The publication of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill agreed by Government today shows this government’s commitment to supporting a more diverse and vibrant night-time economy."
Minister Martin said that Ireland's outdated licensing laws were "consistently raised as one of the key obstacles to change, innovation and creativity" by those working in the night-time economy. She added: "I hope that everyone can get behind these changes which will see a more streamlined, efficient and transparent system to licensing, more in step with a modern and diverse society and will hopefully open up more opportunities in the cultural sector."
Meanwhile, commitment has also been given for sound-proofing grants for night time venues with a new capital fund of €2million set up to help prepare for late openings when the new legislation comes through next year.
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