Late night entertainment spawns public order incidents in Dunboyne

It is only a matter of time before there will be a fatality in Dunboyne in the early hours of the morning, as patrons leaving a local premises congregate on the road near a busy junction, Trim Court heard last week. Judge William Hamill was told that patrons leaving O"Dwyer"s pub on Main Street were congregating in the early hours out on the roadway, close to the busy junction. O"Dwyer"s failed in a bid to secure a dance licence and special exemption orders at last week"s court. The court heard that the pub had been opening late on foot of a theatre licence obtained over four months ago but, because of new licensing laws introduced last week, it now needed to apply for a dance licence. Judge William Hamill heard there were objections from residents in Dunboyne and from the Gardai. He also heard that Judge Coughlan had refused a dance licence to O"Dwyer Leisure Holdings for its premises at Main Street, Dunboyne, earlier this year, but the company then obtained a theatre licence. O"Dwyer"s barrister, Ms Dorothy Collins, BL, said they had been operating a theatre licence for four-and-a-half months without propblem but the new licencing laws introduced last week meant they would have to revert to normal trading hours. William O"Dwyer told the court that they had live music and a dj in the premises, along with a dancing area. He added they had a full security team in place to look for identification and 17 year-olds wouldn"t be allowed into the premises to dance. He said that the pub didn"t open until evening time and that they served alcohol during live performances. He told the court they had a very elaborate security system with CCTV cameras giving a panoramic view of the outside of the premises and further cameras covering the entire area inside. He added that when the premises closed, staff supervised the street, getting taxis for those who wanted them. Alan Geraghty, who manages the premises, said they had a good relationship with the Gardai who had access to the pub"s CCTV system. Supt Charles Devine outlined to him a number of incidents at the premises, including on 17th May when a girl was struck in the face by another female; another occasion where a man was breaking windows in cars in the pub car park and an incident where an individual damaged the side door of the premises. He mentioned two occasions when people were found on the premises after-hours and an occasion where two sisters were fighting with knives on the premises. Sgt Joseph Fitzpatrick said that between 150 to 200 people exited O"Dwyer"s between 2.30am and 3.40am while people coming from the Vortex nightclub outside Dunshaughlin also gathered on the street, He said they prevented traffic going by and some had thumped cars. He added that the Gardai didn"t have the manpower to supervise the area all the time. The arrival of late night entertainment in the village had seen additional public order incidents, the sergeant said. Sgt Fitzpatrick said the crowds congregated close to the junction in the centre of Dunboyne, out on the road, and posed a serious danger to life. 'It is only a matter of time before there is a fatality there,' he said. Maria Murphy, chairperson of the Dunboyne Combined Residents" Association, said they had received just under 1,000 signatures to a petition from within the village against the licence. She said there was a row of terraced houses with elderly residents living in them in the vicinity of the premises, two houses backed onto the pub and there were a number of estates nearby in the centre of the villge. There had been a number of incidents in the village since late night opening began, she claimed. She alleged there had been damage at three premises and flower boxes had been overturned and had to be replaced. She would not feel safe walking home late at night anymore and the late night licence had affected the quality iof life in the village, witness said. John Slevin, who runs a licenced premises next door, said he had never applied for a dance or theatre licence because they brought undesirables into the village. He said that since O"Dwyer"s got the theatre licence, he had experienced a lot of difficulties and now needed to have security on his door at night. He said there were regularly people loitering outside the pub in the early hours of the morning and his staff had to run the gauntlet as they left the premises at night. He showed CCTV footage of the street outside in the early hours of the morning to the court. Judge Hamill said that the licence had been refused before and he was refusing it again.