Publicans and night club owners were warned by a judge sitting in Co Galway that he would shut them down if they continued to serve drink after hours or to sell alcohol to people under the legal age.
Serving drink after hours was one of the primary causes of rows and assaults which occurred outside pubs and discos, particularly on weekend nights, Judge Harvey Kenny said at the Circuit Court in Loughrea.
Irresponsible disco owners who served drink after hours were to blame for a lot of people leaving premises with too much drink which often led to fighting outside. "Their premises will have to be put under observation from now on. They have to sort it out or be put out of business," he said.