Gardaí are abused as pub stays open after last orders

A GARDA public order unit was sent in to shut a north Dublin pub which remained open after closing hours and after it was announced that all pubs across the country were to close.

The pub was cleared out at 12.30am on Monday when there were still about 30 punters drinking inside.

According to legislation, last orders in pubs on Sundays is at 11pm. The incident happened after all pubs nationwide had agreed they would close at the end of business on Sunday night for two weeks to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

It was an hour-and-a-half after closing time when gardaí entered the public house and ensured it was shut down and customers removed.

No arrests were made but officers ordered the pub close immediately.

“Because of the unique nature of this health crisis it is envisioned that public order units across the country will be utilised much more frequently,”

‘Public order units across the country will be utilised much more frequently’

a source told the Irish Independent.

“What you saw in the early hours of Monday is just one example of this.”

The Garda raid was videoed on a mobile phone and then uploaded onto social media.

In the video, officers can by seen talking to staff and then requesting that everyone in the pub leave immediately.

One drinker is heard exclaiming: “The ERU in here bleedin’ running amok.”

“F**k the coronavirus,” shouts one man.

Later, as gardaí asked people to leave, they were subjected to more abuse.

“Get out of the f**king pub,” one man shouts.

The video ends with the drinkers dispersing outside the pub.

On Sunday, Health Minister Simon Harris made the announcement that pubs were to close just hours after video footage of a large gathering in a Dublin city pub last night went viral causing widespread anger that social distancing requests were not being observed.

The footage caused outrage and was deemed an insult to the efforts of health workers.