'Bar life is tough at the moment. It feels like you have to be a nanny nowadays'

“IT WAS the right decision. We are not there to babysit customers,” said Joe Ryan, a Dublin barman, reacting to the acquittal yesterday.

“I tell customers, especially the younger ones, that it is our business to serve them, not to mind them. The customer has to be drink-aware,” he said.

The deceased man Graham Parish, a father of two from England, was celebrating his 26th birthday in the hotel when his friends asked for and were served a pint glass containing at least eight shots of spirits.

After hearing the outcome of the case yesterday, some bar staff did express surprise that the drink had been served in the first place.

Dave Turner, bar manager of the Duke pub in Dublin, said that while personal responsibility was important for customers, he would never allow staff to serve more than a double measure.

“I am really surprised that they would have accepted that drinks order,” he said. “At the end of the day the person behind the counter is the sober one. Yes, the customer has a responsibility to themselves but I would say the bar staff have an added responsibility because people drinking in bars don’t always make the best decisions.”

He said he believed the majority of people in the pub industry were responsible when it came to serving alcohol. “I would be more worried about the situation where people are drinking massive amounts at home with no supervision or control whatsoever,” he said.

Tom Kerrigan, a barman for 18 years in Toner’s pub on Baggot Street, said that if people are obviously drunk he refuses to serve them, a decision they sometimes find hard to accept.

“Now I can say, ‘look, if I serve you and something happens to you afterwards I might get charged with manslaughter’,” he said. He thought the fact the men were charged was “a bit harsh”.

Bar staff in Thurles did not want to give their names but one woman, a publican in the town for over 20 years, said she was “delighted” about the acquittal. “The fellow who died had free will as we all do . . . the drink wasn’t poured down his neck by either the bar staff or by his friends; he knew what he was doing. Every individual has to take responsibility for their behaviour. I think the judge made the right decision,” she said.

The owner of another Thurles bar, in the business for 30 years, also agreed with the verdict. “Bar life is tough at the moment. It feels like you have to be a nanny nowadays, monitoring everything. A barman doesn’t know if someone has already drunk a bottle of vodka at home or is on some other substance . . . I wouldn’t give anyone a drink with that many shots in it but people could buy them separately and then pour them into one glass. It’s impossible to know everything that is going on in your premises.”

The Vintners Federation of Ireland, which represents 4,500 publicans outside Dublin, said it did not comment on individuals. “There are very strict laws covering the sale of alcohol on licensed premises and we are satisfied that these laws are strictly adhered to in the vast majority of cases,” it said.