Police Discover Suspected Unlicensed Pub In Ireland With 'Fully Operational Bar'

Police in Ireland have discovered a suspected unlicensed pub - or 'shebeen', as they're known in the country.

Officers discovered a fully operational bar, 70-inch TV, smoking area and a pool table at the premises near Athy in County Kildare when they searched it yesterday (23 October) evening.

Police seized five kegs of beer, as well as a significant amount of spirits and bottled beers, and various bits of bar equipment, including taps, gas and coolers.

According to The Irish Times, a police spokesperson said: "An investigation commenced after gardaí [police] in Athy became aware through social media that this premises was operating contrary to the Liquor Licensing Regulations and that members of the public were congregating there in contravention of the Health Act 1947.

"At approximately 8pm on Friday gardaí conducted a search under warrant of the suspected shebeen premises and located a fully operational bar in a repurposed state.

"A full investigation is now underway into this matter and files will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"Garda Síochána would appeal to anyone with information about the operation of illegal shebeens to contact their local Garda station."

Meanwhile in Manchester, police issued a party-organiser with a £10,000 fine last night. Officers said there were over 50 people in attendance at the party, where they found industrial speakers and a buffet.

Police have now issued 52 fines in Greater Manchester since it entered Tier 3 restrictions yesterday.

Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said: "This party was a blatant disregard of the rules and for public health. It is totally unacceptable in the current crisis the whole world is facing and is not what we want our officers to be spending their time doing.

"We had no alternative but to issue the maximum penalty for breaching the legislation on large gatherings and I hope this serves as a reminder to those considering to flout the rules - we will take action.

"The new tier restrictions recently put in place will no doubt have a huge effect on the people of Greater Manchester's lives - but the restrictions are there to save lives.

"While the vast majority of people in Greater Manchester continue to abide by the Government legislation, there are some who continue to flout the law and put lives at risk.

"This is a challenging time for us all and we have to ensure we're working together to reduce the risk posed by the spread of Covid-19."

Topics: Police, Ireland, Pubs, Coronavirus, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey