Intoxicating Liquor Act now available as gaelige

Two Cork publicans who tried to follow two publicans from Claremorris in pleading that their ‘found-on’ charges were not prosecutable as the Intoxicating Liquor Act had not been translated into Irish, as was their Constitutional right, were disappointed recently.

Solicitors for Tony Deasy of St Ledger’s Arms in Doneraile’s Main Street (closed since March) and Aidan O’Connor of of Kitt Roche’s in Buttevant’s Main Street were told by Judge Olann Kelleher at Mallow District Court that they could not use this defence as the legislation had now been translated into Irish and the case could be held in Irish if necessary.

Judge Kelleher said he had read two Supreme Court cases, O Murchú v An Taoiseach & chuid eile, as well as O’Beoláin v Fahy. He understood that the Act had now been translated and could see no reason for not proceeding with the prosecutions if the defendants wanted to hold their case in Irish.

They declined and he fined both publicans a total of €500 for two ‘found-on’ offences each.

See  http://www.drinksindustryireland.ie/article.aspx?id=2336