Councillor in call to shut down underground club
An underground club in a warehouse on the east side of the city where drugs are freely available is attracting hundreds of revellers after they spill out onto the streets at closing time from the licenced nightclubs.
The matter was raised by Councillor Padraig Conneely at a Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting. He said he had been contacted by concerned parents who were worried about the impact the venue was having on young people.
The club kicked off in earnest from 2am when clubs in the city closed. Alcohol in bottles and cans was sold at the warehouse like in a regular licenced premises but was available until dawn.
“People are encouraged and taken to this club where there are drugs freely available and alcohol sold, there’s a fee of €10 to get in. I’ve been contacted by concerned parents. I’ve checked it out myself and it is operating.”
He declined to name the premises but said he would pass on the information to the gardaí.
Superintendant Marie Skehill said any premises selling alcohol without a licence was known as a shebeen.
“There are a number of investigations ongoing at the moment and there may be court cases,” she remarked.
After the meeting, he handed over the details to Supt Skehill. This week she confirmed in a letter to the Fine Gael Councillor they were investigating the matter.
For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune