Guinness tight-lipped on festival decision

GUINNESS last night declined to confirm reports that it plans to withdraw sponsorship from a Kerry festival at which the products of other drinks companies were sold last weekend.

In the fight for market supremacy, drinks companies normally insist that only their products are sold at events they exclusively sponsor.

But several publicans in Ballybunion, Co Kerry declined to turn off rival Heineken taps during the weekend mussels and music festival sponsored by Guinness-owned Carlsberg.