A 76-year-old Co Galway publican was yesterday fined €2,500 and ordered to shut his pub for 25 days after he sold vodka and cider to two 16-year-old girls.
This comes less than a year after he was shut down for 12 days, and fined €2,250, for also serving under-age drinkers.
Michael O'Rourke, Ballygar, Co Galway, pleaded guilty at Ballinasloe District Court yesterday to two charges of selling drink to the two teenagers on May 21st last year. The girls were later found drunk on the streets of the town.
They admitted to gardaí that they had bought the drink from local publican Michael O'Rourke. One girl bought three cans of cider and a naggin of vodka, and another bought a naggin of vodka.
The incidents took place just five days before Mr O'Rourke was due up in court on two other charges of serving drink to under-age people. "At that stage, he was in possession of summonses and knew he was coming before the court to deal with the matter," said Judge Michael Reilly.
Insp Peadar Kearney said that the two girls had gone down a side entrance to the back of Mr O'Rourke's premises, where they purchased the drink. When gardaí later found them heavily drunk on the streets, they had to be brought home to their parents.
Mr O'Rourke's solicitor Mr Gearóid Geraghty said his client had 42 years' experience in the licensed trade, and had never come to the gardaí's attention until last year.
Judge Reilly told Mr O'Rourke he took a serious view of publicans profiting from selling drink to under-age people. Commenting on a claim by Mr Geraghty that Mr O'Rourke would suffer "adverse publicity", Judge Reilly said: "So be it".
Mr O'Rourke has been ordered to display notices at all entrances to his pub saying that he had been found guilty of serving under-age customers. He was also told that any staff members should not be out of pocket while the pub was shut down.
Judge Reilly accepted Mr Geraghty's submission that Mr O'Rourke "is not a man of significant means", and also that he has some medical problems.