A Galway hotel was convicted yesterday of failing to display price lists and overcharging customers for a glass of whiskey during last summer's Race Week.
Park House Hotel on Forster Street in Galway city was fined €700 for its failure to display the 16-item price list, and €300 in costs in a case brought by Director of Consumer Affairs Carmel Foley.
Galway District Court found that the hotel was also in breach of the Consumer Information Act 1978 by charging €3.85 for a glass of Powers whiskey, which was five cent more than the price displayed.
The hotel pleaded guilty to both charges.
Yesterday's prosecution followed a survey of 20 licensed premises last July to coincide with the Galway race festival.
At the hearing in Galway District Court, the company pleaded guilty to the offence and said the error had been caused by an administrative error.
The increased monitoring of festivals and matches has led to improved compliance rates, according to Ms Foley, who reasoned that publicans now feared the possibility of being monitored and charged.
Subsequently, customers are not as likely to feel like "a sitting duck for price rises".
The judgment yesterday also marked Ms Foley's final prosecution as director of consumer affairs as she undertakes a new role on the Garda Ombudsman Commission from today.
There she will work alongside Mr Justice Kevin Haugh and former editor of The Irish Times Conor Brady.