Irate customer smashes €6,000 worth of Galway pub's windows

A Galway City pub suffered an estimated €6,000 worth of damage after an irate customer – using empty beer kegs – smashed five large windows on the premises after closing time.

One man was responsible for the damage and he is understood to have used empty kegs – left outside for collection – to throw at the windows of Garvey’s Bar in Eyre Square.

The incident occurred between 1am and 2am on Wednesday morning last week.

The Sentinel has learned that the man suspected of being involved in the incident had been drinking in the bar of the premises earlier that night with ‘words being exchanged’ when staff asked him to leave sometime after midnight.

At around 1am, astonished onlookers on the street watched as the man picked up empty barrels and began smashing the large exterior windows of the premises.

At least four windows were smashed in the attack with extensive repair works carried out to them over Thursday and Friday – the total bill for repairs is estimated to be in the region of €6,000, the Sentinel has learned.

A Garda spokesman said that they were investigating the incident and asked for any witnesses in that area in the early hours of Wednesday, April 15 last to contact them at Mill Street Garda Station, Galway, on 091-538000.

Yesterday, the Mayor of Galway, Cllr Padraig Conneely, said that while he didn’t want to comment on this specific case, there was a serious problem in relation to criminal damaged being caused to premises in late night acts of vandalism.

“These are just random acts of wanton vandalism but the end result is that hard pressed businesses have to end up picking up the tabs for this kind of behaviour.

“I really do think that the time has come for a zero tolerance approach to be adopted by the Gardaí – and more particularly the courts – in relation to people smashing windows after late night drinking sessions.”

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel