A STATE OF CHANGE

Debate rages as pubs make legal history by serving drink on Good Friday.

THE decades-old Catholic Church-led tradition of keeping pubs closed on Good Friday was broken in spectacular style in Limerick last night.

The city made legal history with up to 100 licensed premises opening for business to accommodate rugby fans attending the Munster v Leinster Magners League game in Thomond Park.

Deputising for the mayor and wearing a mayoral chain of office, Councillor Jim Long marked the occasion by pulling the first legal pint in an Irish pub on a Good Friday since the Intoxicating Liquor Act of 1927. “I do so with a clear conscience,” he said to loud cheers in South’s Pub.

However, the Good Friday pub opening was less well received by some church-goers and was described as “scurrilous” by one worshipper at the 3pm Passion and Veneration of the Cross ceremony at St Joseph’s Church in Limerick.

Niall Carey, 65, from Ballinacurra Gardens, said: “I thought I’d never see the day that pubs would open on Good Friday.

“Irrespective of the revenue pubs get, they are only asked to close on two days – Good Friday and Christmas Day. They have plenty of days to make up what they would have lost today. It is greed more than anything else.”

Limerick Chamber of Commerce estimated that last night’s game was worth in excess of €7 million to the local economy.

Pubs were allowed to open from 6pm to 11.30pm following a ruling at Limerick District Court by Judge Tom O’Donnell that the rugby game was a special event, allowing him to grant an exemption.

In his ruling he said it would be absurd not to allow pubs in the city to open when drink could be made available to the 26,000 fans attending the rugby game.

Extra gardaí were deployed throughout the city and publicans were advised to ensure that their premises were cleared by 11.30pm as there was no drinking-up time.

David Hickey, the Limerick publicans’ representative on the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) national executive, said they were very aware that the eyes of the country would be on the city last night. “We met earlier this week and we made it clear that extra measures had to be taken by each publican to ensure that pubs were managed to the highest possible standard with regard to security and crowding,” he said.