TOPIC:

What is the situation with drinking in public places these days?

From Alcohol and the Law[/url:1umxc3oc] on www.citizensinformation.ie[/url:1umxc3oc]

"citizensinformation.ie":1umxc3oc wrote: While there is no national legislation prohibiting drinking in public, each local authority area is entitled to pass bye-laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in a public place. Contact your local authority to find out about these bye-laws in your area.[/quote:1umxc3oc]

So I was wondering if people knew what the story is in their local areas.

I remember reading a Dublin City Council by-law a few years ago (can't find it now) which basically said that drinking in the street was banned, unless you were consuming it immediately outside the pub or restaurant where you purchased it.

Youghal recently banned drinking on the street and beaches[/url:1umxc3oc] but exempted the curb outside pubs and restaurants, if they have outdoor seating. Apparently it is also expected that gardai will use discretion regarding picnics etc.

So can I have a beer on the beach in Youghal or not? If I bring a beer or two, can I expect a member of an Garda to appear and if he/she does can I expect discretion to be exercised? What happens if he/she decides not to? I could then be fined €30 to €75 for violating that by-law.

More to the point (as I don't live near Youghal) can I have a picnic in the Phoenix Park, or on one of Dublin's beaches and bring a beer? I was at a County Dublin beach (different local authority, so different by-laws?) last year and there was no shortage of beer among one particular group of Dublin youths there, but that may well have been due to the absence of Gardai rather than any legal difference or Garda discretion.

So, in the unlikely event that we actually get a summer this year, would it be possible for some of us to fill a mashtun or two with ice (I believe they can be used to keep things cool too) and craft beer and head to the Phoenix Park for a picnic without worrying about the Gardai showing up and ending the fun? Would an ICB picnic be legal?

Me and my girlfriend have sat in Phoenix Park on m,any a summers day with a picnic and a couple of bottles of wine, no one said a ward, park wardens and Guards both walked by us and said nothing

The Phoenix Park Bye Laws are here[/url:1qktvwav] and amount to "Look, just don't be a dick, okay?"

12 is particularly amazing for Ireland:
[quote:1qktvwav]12. No person shall annoy or otherwise interfere with any other person using or enjoying the Park in a lawful manner[/quote:1qktvwav]
More of this kind of thing please.

Edit:
Oh, except this is most probably trumped by the City Council rules[/url:1qktvwav] mentioned above which are a blanket ban on picnicking with alcohol anywhere in the Corpo jurisdiction. I had hoped that Phoenix Park, as OPW land, was outside this. But according to the Council's own map it isn't.

At a guess I would say that there is nothing specifically outlawing it but could stray in to illegality if people were causing a public disturbance, drunk, littering, creating excessive noise. I've noticed large groups of well behaved people having barbecues in the grounds of Newbridge house in Donabate. That's a Fingal council property.

Great idea btw, like a funsize Septemberfest!


Edit: TBN has posted the definitive reply while I was typng <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

&amp;quot;TheBeerNut&amp;quot;:3nmyuuz7 wrote: The Phoenix Park Bye Laws are here[/url:3nmyuuz7] and amount to "Look, just don't be a dick, okay?"[/quote:3nmyuuz7]
Ok, so there is no specific Phoenix Park by-law prohibiting it, but is it covered by the Dublin City Council by-law? If it is, then we would be breaking the law.

&amp;quot;kev2403&amp;quot;:3nmyuuz7 wrote: Me and my girlfriend have sat in Phoenix Park on m,any a summers day with a picnic and a couple of bottles of wine, no one said a ward, park wardens and Guards both walked by us and said nothing[/quote:3nmyuuz7]

I would have expected that to be the case, but that does not mean it is legal. It may just be that you were not doing any harm, so the authorities chose not to make an issue of it. Would 15, mostly male beer drinkers get the same reaction?

&amp;quot;Diablo&amp;quot;:3nmyuuz7 wrote: Great idea btw, like a funsize Septemberfest![/quote:3nmyuuz7]

That's the idea, Septemberfest meets ICB tasting session. Only with more sandwiches. We could even bring spouses, etc.

&amp;quot;sbillings&amp;quot;:338xsrpi wrote: but is it covered by the Dublin City Council by-law?[/quote:338xsrpi]Looks like it. See my edit above.