Sector representatives met with Government officials today where their request for a two-week grace period on the introduction of a digital ticketing system was denied.
Under regulations due to be signed tomorrow, people going to late night events will need to book tickets at least an hour in advance.
There will also be no congregating outside venues. This has been greeted with strong emotions from the nightlife industry.
Yesterday, Michael O’Donovan from the Vintners Federation of Ireland and owner of the Castle Inn in the city said trying to implement this new system by this weekend is not practical.
Speaking to RedFM News he said that it’s getting harder for the trade to keep up with the requirements needed:
“We have many late nights venues across Cork city and county, they do food from when they opened in the morning right through the evening into the night, and now they’re in a scenario that if people are eating at the table, having a few drinks afterwards, maybe they might meet friends and come 11 o’clock when it turns into a late night venue, they will have to be asked to leave the venue, buy a ticket to go somewhere else for an hour, and then come back again to the same venue. It’s just getting farcical at this stage the requirements.”
