Ireland plans to extend club closing times and overhaul licensing laws
Speaking to Resident Advisor, Give Us The Night campaigner Sunil Sharpe called the news a “huge development.
Ireland’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, has unveiled new plans to overhaul current licensing laws and extend nightclub closing times. The commitments to nightlife were among around 200 measures included in McEntee’s Justice Plan 2021, which was announced on Monday, February 22nd. Though the plans are still to be finalised, they’re expected to include staggered and extended closing times for pubs and clubs, as well as a new annual permit to allow clubs to stay open past 2:30 AM, The Irish Times reports. “I fully acknowledge that we are talking about this at a time when much of that industry is closed,” McEntee told Newstalk. “What I want to say very clearly to that industry is that when you get back on your feet, we are going to be there to support you.”