A pensioner who said she was extremely distressed about the way she was treated by a District Judge when she complained about the conduct of patrons of a Dublin city pub, was given leave by the High Court yesterday to seek to quash the granting of a dance-hall licence to the pub owner.
Ms Mary Laird, of Verschoyle Court, Stephen's Place, Lr Mount Street, said her flat is beside O'Dwyer Brothers (Mount Street) Ltd who were granted a public dancing licence by District Judge Sean McBride in January. Mr John O'Donnell, for Ms Laird, said his client lived with a constant problem of people coming to and from the pub at all hours of the day and night and had problems with men and women urinating and vomiting and shouting outside her flat. Mr O'Donnell said a fundamental issue related to the District Judge's decision that he could not hear evidence of patrons of the dance-hall. Regrettably, this was a wrong conclusion in law, he said.
Effectively, the District Judge was not interested in Ms Laird's evidence and had regrettably refused to allow the evidence of a senior garda who prepared a report but had allowed evidence of other gardai expressing satisfaction, counsel added.
Mr Justice O'Higgins granted leave to Ms Laird to seek an order quashing the award of the dance-hall licence.