Sunday court issues drink licence to Kilgarvan Show
Kenmare gardaí were concerned that an event being attended by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, did not have a licence to sell alcohol and contacted the committee to produce the permit.
By 5pm on Friday, the permit had still not been presented to gardaí.
A special court sitting took place in Killorglin at 11am yesterday morning during which the application for an occasional licence for the event was made.
Superintendent Dan Keane of Listowel gardaí said the State said had no objection.
Judge James O’Connor granted the licence to a licensee for the event later that afternoon.
A second matter in relation to a bench warrant from Listowel gardaí was also dealt with in the special Sunday morning sitting of the court in Killorglin.
The village TD, Michael Healy-Rae, the country’s poll topper in the last general election, was being hailed a hero, as was the judge, for saving the day.
The Kilgarvan show’s chairperson said “only for Mike Rae” they would have been in despair and were preparing to cancel the event.
A tent for beer and drinks was installed in the field behind Reilly’s Pub in the village centre. There was a large screen showing the GAA senior football quarter final between Kerry and Clare which was taking place in Croke Park.
“The minister was to be here and we thought we would have to close down. We were going to call the whole thing off,” Kilgarvan Show chairperson Helen O’Sullivan said.
“Our hero is the judge. We can’t thank him enough,” Ms O’Sullivan said of Judge James O’Connor who presided over a special sitting at Killorglin Court House.
The judge granted the licence to licensee of Reilly’s Bar for the show.
“Only for Mike Rae too,” Ms O’Sullivan said, adding that the committee, in a panic, had approached the TD.
“We were calling it off,” she said.
