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LAST UPDATE | 24 Oct 2021
BARS AND PUBS hosting music performances will not need to introduce a ticketing system under the new industry requirements for nightlife.
People in those venues must remain seated if live music is being performed but there will be no requirement to introducing ticketing, unlike new rules for night clubs and music venues.
In a statement, the Department of Culture said that “traditional bars and pubs that are not operating as night clubs or live music venues can operate as per the hospitality guidelines which are published on the Fáilte Ireland website”.
“This states that while music may be performed in the venue, people must remain seated. There will be no ticketing requirement for establishments operating within the hospitality guidelines.”
“Any venue, subject to having the necessary licences and facilities, providing music within the Live Events and Nightclubs guidelines (that is, allowing for standing / dancing) will be required to operate a ticketing arrangement.”
All nightclub events must be ticketed from next week, according to government guidelines published on Friday evening, just before clubs reopened for the first time in more than 600 days.
The guidelines said that, alongside a Covid-19 certificate and photographic ID, anyone attending a nightclub will need to have bought a ticket in advance.
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said the government process to reopen the sector has become “Keystone Cops meets Father Ted stuff”.
Earlier today, Pippa Hackett, the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, admitted there are still anomalies to be ironed out but insisted that decisions had to be made based on the upward trend in Covid-19 numbers.
Appearing on RTÉ’s The Week In Politics, Hackett was asked if the timing of the announcement has been a shambles.
“No, it isn’t,” the minister said.
“Less than a week ago we were going to reopen without any restrictions and we had to make some decisions based on the direction of travel of the Covid numbers and we have made those decisions this week,” she said.
There are anomalies, there are things to be ironed out and we are continuing to do that, but we have seen the sector itself has been closed for over 600 days. We are trying now to move to a situation where we can live with Covid.
“The measures that have been brought in in relation to ticketing … I think people have been socialising anyway, we have seen hordes of people on the streets.”
Hackett said: “The elements in relation to ticketing, I know there has been some dissatisfaction with that, but there was dissatisfaction when we introduced Covid certs and they have worked really well.”
“Ticketing will iron itself out. I think it is important that we do have that contact tracing information that we wouldn’t have had otherwise if people are socialising on the streets on their own.”
But Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy told the programme that the government’s handling of the situation “was and is an absolute shambles”.
“Nightclubs were opening when Government outlined the new guidelines and we still haven’t seen the actual regulations in terms of what the legal underpinning of all of this was,” he said.
“It goes back to a scenario we have seen several times throughout this pandemic where our government failed to engage with affected sectors, failed to plan adequately in terms of putting in place contingency measures for scenarios we have seen.
“The government is refusing to share the type of information that is required in relation to the public health advice that is underpinning this.”
Carthy continued: “What needed to happen is they … we have this discussion with the sector a number of weeks ago to see if we need to introduce a ticketing system, how would that work and how would that be effective.
“Instead we have a situation where business owners were actually trying to manage a big logistical challenge in terms of their first night reopening, and then hear the guidelines are going to be different within a number of days.
“That is just not fair on anybody involved and undermines public confidence that the Government knows what they are doing.”
@GaryGannonTD on #TicketsForLiveVenues: “Bad communication during a pandemic is simply unforgivable from a government”
— The Week in Politics (@rtetwip) October 24, 2021
Rebroadcasts tonight at 22:00 on the RTÉ News channel and at 23:40 on @RTEOne. #TWIP #RTEPolitics pic.twitter.com/kdNTEJUAEN
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said the Government has been guilty of “bad communication”.
He said: “Last week we had industry representatives in a room with Government and everyone came away with different understandings of the rules and what was going to happen.
“Bad communication during the pandemic is simply unforgivable from the Government.”
Meanwhile, there have been a further 1,725 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the Department of Health said.
As of this morning, there were 473 patients in hospitals with the virus, 97 of them in intensive care units.
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Minister for makey uppy
The Government is absolutely clueless a complete shambles
Bouncer; Ticket? Yes! Pass? Yes! ID? Yes! Not tonight regulars only! :(
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christoph: “your name’s not down you’re not coming in…. Not tonight”
@Epgenetics29 Declan Christoph: that sounds like leopardstown club 92 about 20 years ago after spending two hours getting ready and a taxi to it, they were a nightmare, regulars only tonight.!
Well the covid certs worked well, didn’t they?
In the last number of weeks I have been asked once to show it. Pubs, restaurants, delis are not asking for them. That is the only reason “it ironed itself out” and there is no enforcement. Not because the system worked.
Also, are these new proposals guidelines or law?
@JG: I get asked every time I go. Your experience isn’t all experience. Best not to make general claims based on the data of your own point of view.
@Dan Moran: So we have to accept things based on your point of view? Makes a lot of sense.
@David Corrigan: No I didn’t say that. That is a straw man argument. My point being that various data sets exist. He is drawing from only to comment on the whole situation. But if you want imagine I said things and argue against them, fire ahead. Stay safe and learn to think clearly.
If a solution to all problems was never found I doubt we’d have gotten beyond evolution. I remember during the 90s in a club here you could purchase tickets in advance or at the door on the night for that ticket you got a plate of a concoction of curry & rice. Surely clubs now can do the same ticketing now or are club owners VFI LVA just looking for an excuse to piss & moan.
@: Just sell tickets online from the QR code posted on your door.
It’s not rocket science
Ah Cmon this shambles is not the clubs and pubs looking for excuses to moan they would surely prefer to just open as normal – this one is on the Govt and health officials and of course to most peoples surprise Bord Fáilte who seem to now miraciusly hold some level of importance in how we run our country and live our lives post pandemic – usual Irish nonsense
Sick to death of publicans whinging, their industry has had the most supports put place. Most of them made more money during the pandemic than before.
@Fakë Ăvatăř: clearly neither sick enough nor dead enough to prevent you whinging.
@JG: spot the LVA stooge.
@Fakë Ăvatăř: Actually not all did. The Big ones maybe. But the small ones in villages and towns who have don’t have massive turnover didn’t. I have two family members in different parts of the country who have pubs. One never reopened its up for sale the other barely keeping his head above water. Don’t believe everything you read.
Didn’t a load of businesses complain about the certs at the start as well and those sorted themselves out?
@Jim Buckley Barrett: The certs are a waste of time and only add costs to businesses. Only about 1 in 10 places are checking certs and IDs properly. Plenty of unvaccinated are using friends certs. It’s all a bit pointless without being implemented properly
Our government is an i ncompetent shambles would trust anything the do or say
@Richarddoherty: wouldn’t trust anything that they do or say
Says an unelected unwanted para_site in an unwanted made up job…
Will the ticket rule actually be applied unlike the covid cert rule?
Sinn Fein should concentrate on the Northern Ireland Covid situation seeing these they are in power up there. If the Irish Government according to SF is a disaster how would you classify the SF handling of the problem in NI. Catastrophic comes to mind with an average of 1250 cases daily up there.
@Irish big fellow: Sure why don’t we all concentrate on on whats going on in another country and don’t bother homing in on whats going here, where we all pay tax and can have a say in an election… You guys who prop up these clowns are part of the problem…
@Irish big fellow: Seriously educate yourself on how N.Ireland government works. It will stop you embarrassing yourself.
Muppet government
I’ve got a ticket to ride………. Your mam
have your say