Louth cinema under fire after apparently taking water from child with diabetes

A concerned father has spoken out against his local cinema after they allegedly confiscated his son’s bottle of water, despite knowing that the boy was diabetic.

Bryan Keelan wrote on Facebook to express his anger and disappointment at the way he says his nine-year-old son, also named Bryan, wastreated in the Arc Cinema in Drogheda.

Bryan Jr, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just three months ago, was apparently refused permission to bring his own drink into the screening as it was not purchased on the premises.

"The lady behind the counter who was serving them, in front of everyone, pointed at my son and said that he couldn't bring his small bottle of water with him into the cinema," Bryan Snr writes.

The staff member was informed that the child was diabetic, shown his medical wristband, and told he would need to consume the water throughout the long film.

"She still refused to let the child bring the water in with him and then took the bottle of water out of the child's hand, again in front of everyone, and told him there was loads of water behind the counter if they wanted to buy some," Bryan Snr continues. "At this stage everyone in the queue heard everything and were disgusted with the way he was treated with his condition."

Bryan Jr, who was at the cinema with his friend and his friend's mother, was still upset from the experience by the time he returned home.

"We approached Bryan, sat him down and asked him what had happened," his father writes. "He started to tell us but he burst out crying and got too upset because he thought he had done something [wrong]."

Bryan's parents contacted the cinema to clarify the situation, and they were told no liquids bought elsewhere would be permitted inside the cinema, despite a medical condition that requires them.

"My wife even asked [the manager of the cinema] if she was to go in with him and she was carrying a bottle of Lucozade, which we bring with us most times just in case he would get a low sugar level and the Lucozade would bring it back up quickly, would it be taken off us and he replied yes it would."

Bryan Snr says it is a "disgrace" to treat a child this way, and explained that a trip to the cinema is one of the few treats his son can enjoy.

"Bryan was so excited to be heading to the cinema purely because with his condition he doesn't get other treats like sweets, crisps, soft drinks, etc," he explained.

"We had just given Bryan a bottle of water and nothing else because obviously he can't have the goods that the ARC Cinema would have to offer."

UPDATE

The Arc Cinema has offered a full apology to Bryan Keelin and his family, saying a "misunderstanding" occurred during his visit and guests with medical conditions are permitted to bring their own food and drink to screenings.

"The management and staff of the ARC Cinema would like to publicly apologise to the Keelan family for any hurt and upset experienced as a result of Bryan’s recent visit to the venue.

"Due to his medical condition, Bryan’s bottle of water should not have been taken from him. We have a policy in place in the cinema whereby anyone with a medical condition can absolutely bring necessary items into the cinema with them. However, due to a misunderstanding, this didn’t occur on Friday and we sincerely apologise for this.

"We would like to reassure guests who have a particular medical condition that might impact on their visit, they can either ring us in advance or, when they arrive at the venue, ask for a senior team member and we would be more than happy to discuss their individual requirements.

"We strive for the highest standards of integrity and professionalism at The Arc Cinema at all times and we will ensure that lessons learned from this occurrence will be implemented quickly."

Click here to read the full apology

Read the original Facebook post below: