Extended nightclub hours: ‘It’s very exciting for the development of music culture in Ireland’

It’s 2.30am. The music in the club has come to a crashing halt. Red and green strobe lights are replaced by a bright yellow illumination overhead. The doorman is walking around the alcohol-soaked dance floor, asking people to finish up their drinks.

“Are you right there, folks,” he says, gesturing his arms towards the door, hoping to shift punters reluctant to vacate the premises.

It is a scenario familiar to all who have stayed out until the early hours of the morning, but one likely to change under new plans approved by Cabinet this week.

Proposals to reform the State’s licensing laws, some more than 200 years old, will allow for pubs to remain open until 12.30am seven days a week, with nightclubs to remain open until 6am.

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The plans would also give pubs the option of opening from 10.30am to 12.30am, seven days a week, while opening hours for late bars will remain at up to 2.30am.

‘Sadly, I probably will stay out until the very end,’ says regular clubgoer Aaron Linnane, laughing. ‘You always have that fear of missing out when you leave early, even if it’s got bad’

The prospect of later opening hours is great for the industry, according to Aaron Linnane, a 23-year-old regular clubgoer, although he jokes that it could be terrible for his bank account and sleep schedule.

“Sadly, I probably will stay out until the very end,” Linnane says, laughing. “You always have that fear of missing out when you leave early, even if it’s got bad. But it is very welcome.”

Linnane goes out most weekends, and sometimes on weeknights. However, the selection of clubs in Dublin is, he says, “quite poor” compared to what’s available abroad.

“It used to be a lot better when I first turned 18, but a lot of them have closed over the years.”

There has been a shift in recent times, he adds, with his friends now preferring to go to the local pub rather than go for a night of dancing. However, he hopes the proposed changes might reinvigorate the nightlife scene.

Brian Jordan, who is 24, says he normally leaves nights out by around 1am, but he welcomes the extended opening hours. It will, he believes, create better opportunities to host different types of events.

“It offers more flexibility for hosting events, or for students in general wanting to go out during the week. Students have varying schedules throughout the week, it’s generally not a nine to five,” he says.

Jordan, who is also president of TU Dublin’s student union, says the development is coming at an opportune time post-pandemic.

“It’s the first academic time where we’ve had essentially no Covid restrictions. There is absolutely an appetite for it. Obviously, it depends on the student, but if you’re off the next day or off work, it will be great,” he adds.

The modernisation of the licensing laws, the Department of Justice says, will bring things in line with other comparable countries.

Some late-night clubs in Liverpool, for example, stay open until 6am or 7am, with a majority of bars in that city keeping the lights on until 4am. In Berlin, there is no official closing time.

There is a need and appetite for these extended hours, according to Ross O’Leary, who is 26; he says he always gets “kicked out when the lights come on”.

“I’m not saying things need to stay open until 8am: we’re not Berlin and that’s not our culture. But I think this [proposal] just seems more in line with our culture,” he says.

“I’m not going to go out six nights a week until 6am, but it will probably encourage more diversity on nights out. I would happily sit in Whelan’s [a Dublin music venue] until 6am listening to live music.”

The staggered closing times should also make it easier to get home, he says, adding that he has often struggled to secure a taxi when everyone leaves venues at the same time.

The sentiment is echoed by Jim Waldron, spokesman for the National Private and Hire Taxi Association, who says extended hours should remove the “mad dash out the door at 2am looking for a taxi”.

However, any new system will work only if extra buses, Luases and shelters while people wait for taxis are provided, he adds.

Analysis by campaign group Give Us the Night found that four of the five nightclubs open at the turn of the millennium have since closed down

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee says the proposed reforms, likely to come into effect next year, are aimed at helping a sector that is “dying on its feet”.

A number of high-profile premises have disappeared in recent years. Jam Park, previously the Wright Venue, in Swords, Dublin closed during the pandemic; Dublin hotspot Hangar became a hotel and the Tivoli Theatre remains shut.

Analysis by campaign group Give Us the Night found that four of the five nightclubs open at the turn of the millennium have since closed down.

There were 522 dance clubs in 2000, the group’s analysis says, compared with around 85 now. The average number of venues per county has dropped from 19 to an average of three, with some now having zero.

Sunil Sharpe, a Give us the Night spokesman, says the campaign’s overall aim is to reverse this “negative trend” and he is positive about the proposed reforms.

“It does appear that the notes are being hit in terms of our asks,” he says. “Essentially, we want more dance floors, we want more creative use of existing cultural spaces and putting some of the existing space to better use.”

He adds: “We all aspire for a more diverse offering at night.”

It could bring in increased tourism, too, according to Fáilte Ireland.

“The extension of hours will create new experiences for domestic and international visitors in cities, towns and villages around the country, and drive new opportunities for tourism and hospitality businesses to expand and enhance their offerings,” a spokeswoman says.

As for those who work in the sector, Ellen Harney, head booker at Bodytonic, a collective specialising in creating and producing festival events and club nights, says the proposed changes make the dance music community feel more accepted.

“It’s very exciting for the development of music culture in Ireland. More opening hours means more slots to fill. Whether it’s DJs or live acts, it gives a lot more diversity to the running of the night, and a lot more opportunities for creativity,” she says.

“It’ll be more work for artists. It would be better to home in on developing new artists in Ireland.”

Robert Stapleton, a Dublin DJ known as High Fidelity, says longer events make it “more feasible for people to pursue a career in music and the nightlife industry”.

“From a music perspective, it means more variety in terms of the gig or event offerings and more opportunities for local artists and creatives,” he adds.

Stapleton says it will also help to attract internationally renowned artists to Ireland.

“It’s in our interest to improve the standard of our nightlife economy, arts and culture to stimulate the local economy, ramp up tourism and consumer purchasing and create job opportunities.”

While many are happy about the changes, there are some concerns, too. The hospitality sector has already reported issues around staffing, and some employers fear this could become more acute if opening hours are extended.

Industry sources say for rural pubs, the standardised opening hours are essentially “meaningless” as there are no financial benefits to being open late on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Alcohol Action Ireland says an extension of licensing hours will have ‘health consequences’, while the Irish Medical Organisation describes the move as ‘a regressive and harmful’

In terms of public health, Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, says an extension of licensing hours will have “health consequences”, while the Irish Medical Organisation describes the move as “a regressive and harmful”.

Garda sources are divided on the issue. Some are raising concerns about the levels of policing that will be available between midnight and 8am if new rostering plans are implemented, while others believe there could be benefits to fewer people suddenly flooding the streets at the same time.

However, Stephen Manning, co-owner of The Big Romance bar on Parnell Street in Dublin, and organiser at events brand Hidden Agenda, says there’s a reason why nightclubs have closed, and people have built hotels.

“Having something that’s only open for at best six to eight hours a week isn’t a viable option. This could really change that. It could incentivise new people to come in and run these venue spaces.”