Out-dated licensing laws

[Ringo]

Its holy Thursday & i've been to the off licence twice & still feel like i won't have enough drink.. its really time the law was changed.

[soccerc]

Its holy Thursday & i've been to the off licence twice & still feel like i won't have enough drink.. its really time the law was changed.

No, then Good Friday would be like any other day. It's the challenge to get all the beer in the world into the gaff when in reality you only drink a half of it but you buy it just in case!!!!

[bennocelt]

does anyone know if the bars in the train station/airport are open?

doesn't matter anyway - can always get beers in China Town in Parnell Street

[First]

Lads , out of curiosity would people have a drink everyday and would it be much of an ordeal to go one day without a drink.

[superfrank]

Lads , out of curiosity would people have a drink everyday and would it be much of an ordeal to go one day without a drink.

I used to be in that camp but the fact is why shouldn't you be allowed to buy drink for one day of the year?

What's so special about that one day that means you can't do something that 364 days of the year is legal, i.e. buy alcohol.

It's not about being a drink-obsessed country, it's about having the right to buy drink.

[Sheridan]

I think it's an absolutely pathetic reflection of Irish society that one alcohol-free day per year leaves the populace licking the drains of the local boozer in case someone emptied slops down them.

[Mr A]

It's the principle of the thing. Some c**t in a dress who spouts nonsense for a living shouldn't be able to dictate when we can have a drink.

[Sheridan]

Like hell it is, it's an alcohol dependency thing for 90% of the people who complain about it.

[NeilMcD]

I think the fact its a Friday and lots of people are off too makes it worse. If it was a Tuesday and you had to work, it would not make a difference.

[anto1208]

This is the 3rd thread on this good friday thing !! Pubs are shut for 1 day get over it there is more to life than going to a pub.

No one is complaining about the 4 day weekend we get because of a religous holiday ye are all quite happy to sit back and take the days off no moaning about the churches influence there !!!. If you feel that strongly about it go to work friday and monday in protest.

[Macy]

Actually, Fridays are usually the only day I do drink. No fascist* is going to tell me when I can or can't drink, so if the weather is nice we'll be having a BBQ (burgers, sausages etc) with the the family who are all off work too. If not we'll be in one of the houses.

There should be no licencing laws at all - it should be up to the pub or off licence to decide when they want to open.

*Ok, ok, they're not fascist, they just dress in black and tell people what to do.

No one is complaining about the 4 day weekend we get because of a religous holiday ye are all quite happy to take that yet ye freak out because the pubs are shut saying the church shouldnt have that kind of influence if you feel that strongly about it go to work friday and monday in protest.

Actually easter is a pagan festival, hijacked by Christians. I like to celibrate the spring equinox with beer and meat. Think of that when you tuck into your easter egg (both them and easter bunnies are pagan traditions).

[Mr A]

A lot of people don't get a four day weekend and will only be off on Monday for the bank holiday.

[passinginterest]

Some of us get a 5 day weekend.

It should be promoted as national no alcohol day (I was going to say alcohol free day but that might give the wrong impression), that way people can't complain about the religious aspect. Personally I think it's appaling that people have such a problem not drinking for one day, that said I don't believe in denying them the right to buy alcohol either. If anything the way it is at the moment encourages binge drinking, the off licences would be devastated if it was abolished seeing as the Thursday is their second busiest day of the year.

[bennocelt]

for me its just a case of going to one of the football matches - i do like to have a few beers before a game to get into the spirit of it all

[Ringo]

I think it's an absolutely pathetic reflection of Irish society that one alcohol-free day per year leaves the populace licking the drains of the local boozer in case someone emptied slops down them.

You don't drink all week & look forward to a few at the weekend. I'm working tomoorrow. I might drink , i might not, but i'd like to have the choice.

[First]

It's the principle of the thing. Some c**t in a dress who spouts nonsense for a living shouldn't be able to dictate when we can have a drink.

I don't see how it's the housewives fault

[rebelarmyexile]

Is it that difficult to give up 2 days a year? It is a sign of respect, and as a Christian nation, it is justified.

[John83]

Is it that difficult to give up 2 days a year? It is a sign of respect, and as a Christian nation, it is justified.

Why is it imposed on non-Christians? Practising Catholics are hardly an overwhelming majority any more. Perhaps restaurants shouldn't be allowed sell meat on Good Friday either?

[pineapple stu]

Is it that difficult to give up 2 days a year?

It's not necessarily about drinking. I wouldn't particularly mind if pubs were open and didn't serve drink. Like it or not, pubs are a focal point of Irish social life; closing them means closing social life for a day.

I got into town for the Shels game on Friday at a bit after 6; kick off was 8. I would normally head into a pub for a bite to eat and to have a meeting point with the others heading in. Probably a pint too, but I could manage without that. Instead, I found myself wandering aimlessly around for an hour before heading into the game 45 minutes before kick off. Afterwards, I headed straight home, when I'd usually head into the pub to discuss the match with friends. That's my main gripe with the ruling.

Those who use pubs solely as a place to get p!ssed go out and cause the Thursday to be the busiest day of the year, and it has no effect on them. Those who use pubs as once a week social venues are being told to go home early to bed, there's a good boy. People who come out with the "can we not as a nation manage one day without getting hammered" are missing the point.

[Dodge]

As a general trend, licensing laws have got more draconian so its unlikely to be opened up. As Macy pointed out I'd like to see the laws completely opened up so that pubs and clubs could shut when they wanted and off licenses could sell when they wanted. For a country as dependent on tourism as ourselves, we need to cater to as many people as possible.

Oh and I really only have a drink around LOI football, so this isn't my crusade to be allowed drink all day...