Christmas jumpers outnumber face masks as hundreds of Cork students queue for pubs

UCC and MTU students gather for 'Christmas Day' event as pubs apply controls including distancing and Covid cert checks

Young revellers line up outside Cissie Young's pub on Bandon Rd in Cork this afternoon during the unofficial student 'Christmas Day' event. Picture: Larry Cummins

It was Christmas jumpers that were the order of the day as opposed to face coverings as students gathered at pubs across Cork City today to mark an early start to the festive season.  

To the outside observer, the optics were not great, particularly given stark warnings from public health officials to cut socialising amid a surge in Covid cases and hospitalisations. Large queues, with hundreds reported in some places, were seen from early morning outside a number of pubs around Cork City without much social distancing being observed.