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New limits and restrictions have come in on the sale of alcohol, with off-licenses now being forced to close at 10pm.

I’m currently managing a bar in Co. Dublin and I’m still not 100% certain how it will affect us directly. We don’t run a separate off-license outlet but we do sell cans of beer and nagans/shoulders of spirits from the bar for take-away. I’m presuming the new law will apply there meaning we will no longer be able to do it after 10pm although I don’t see any specific mention of bars in what I’ve read about the new laws – only off-licenses.

I’m not sure if this new restriction is supposed to actually HELP pubs (encouraging people to go to the pub to drink instead of stocking up at the offie and drinking at home) but it certainly won’t help our business if we have to comply with it considering most of our ‘take-out’ trade takes place at the end of the night.

[UPDATE] Just got word back from the bar owner who consulted his “very epensive solicitor”. I was right, of course,- we can’t sell anything for take-out after 10pm. Darnit…

As I said in a recent tweet (wow, I’m so up to date… like, using Twitter, man! That was even on CSI!), … today I was a bar manager – tomorrow I’m teaching 5th class in a local primary school (just standing in, “natch”), tomorrow night, I’m a footballer (getting better at that recently), on Thursday I’m a DJ in (the same) local bar – (YES, my Outlook calendar is gone into overdrive) … may be spreading myself a little thin (hah!)… but hey, at the weekend (well, Friday excluded), I’m free!

So… all that, combined with my recent conversion to “single” status means that after over 5 years of absence from “Boards Beers” (pissups organised by the ‘citizens’ of Boards.ie), this Saturday, I’m going to Boards Beer 19 in Dublin (and I’m dragging my brother along too)…

I’m totally assuming, of course, that it’ll look just like this picture (- that’d be me in the middle)…

Should be fun