Dublin hotel refused late licences

A Temple Bar hotel which, according to gardai, had become the haunt of city
centre criminal families, has been refused late licences after a court
heard evidence of drug abuse and violence at its nightclub.

Judge Con O'Leary described the Mission nightclub at the River House Hotel,
Eustace Street, as a "disgraceful abuse of facilities provided to investors
in the development of Temple Bar".

After hearing evidence of ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis distribution on the
premises, he said: "This type of thing is on the verge of destroying what
Temple Bar was set up to provide." Insp Tom Murphy told Dublin District
Court that criminal families such as the Mitchells and the Hutches from the
north inner city frequented the place.

He said violence between rival drug gangs at the night club during the
early hours of October 27th last were the worst he had seen in 24 years as
a Garda officer.

One man was stabbed in the arm with a broken bottle and there was blood in
pools outside the front door, down the stairs and over the walls and seats
of the club.

The rave music was still playing although the floor was littered with
broken glass and people were standing around with blood on their hands and
faces.

"I tried to make my way in but was forced back because the crowd was
hostile. I saw some people covered in blood running out the fire escape."

He said the club owners had been warned repeatedly about problems with the
club but had failed to rectify them.

The inspector added that on one occasion the smell of cannabis was so
strong it produced a stinging sensation similar to that experienced by him
when incinerating confiscated cannabis.

When he tried to search some people under the Misuse of Drugs Act on
September 1st the lights were put out and afterwards there were cannabis
cigarettes and white powder seen on the floor.

On five different occasions between August and Septembers he visited the
club and saw bottled water being sold at the bar with "scantily clad" young
people dancing and sweating profusely which was, said the inspector,
evidence of ecstasy abuse.

He said there were breaches of the licensing laws ad nauseam and the
licence nominee, John Harty, and manager, Frank Conway, had been warned
earlier this month on the day before the fight that some fatality was going
to occur at the place either from drugs or violence.

Mr Joe Finnegan SC, for the owners, The Peg Sayers Hotel Partnership, asked
for one last chance to put things right and said the problems had arisen
with "undesirables" coming into the club after other venues like The
System, The Temple of Sound and The Harp were closed down.

Mr Harty denied there was any drug abuse at the club and although he had
not visited the hotel at all last week promised to attend every night next
week if the special exemptions were granted.

Judje O'Leary turned down applications to cover yesterday until November
3rd, and 25 further applications were then withdrawn by the owners. 3rd,
and 25 further applications were then withdrawn by the owners.