No booze for rugby fans on Good Friday

[NAG1]

They have a set amount of hours to open and they can choose when to use them from what I understand. Bad job when we cant go one day without a drink esp when most people will have the Monday and Tuesday off to enjoy a few beverages.

[bingobus]

To me its not about going one day without a drink. People do that all the time, so its not an issue. They can drink at home if they wish.

Its about choice and the origins of this rule. The old Catholic church once upon time, dominated Irish society from schools, GAA, jobs, and the law. And this was one of there influences. We are no longer a catholic state as such, and there are alot of people outside the church who has this "law" enforced on them. Its not long ago, that the pubs where suppose to close between 2pm-4pm on sunday.

Open the pubs, if the practising Catholics don't want drink they don't have to, if they do, let God judge them.

[bucketamail]

surly the time has come from the state and the church to become different entities. for too long church rules have affected the every day lives of people. they have influence in the schools, gaa, rural committiees etc

im no rugby fan, im no big drinking fan but i think its time that whoever wants to celebrate good friday go and do it, for those who wanna go to the pub and watch the rugby....go and do it!!!

no one organisation should be dictating and influencing the choice of others. those days are long gone!

[Orior]

Flip.

Some of you will want Christmas and Easter banned next. Sure why dont you ask for all the bank holidays to be in the summer when the golf course is open. Why are things closed on a Sunday? Make Sunday just another day of the week eh?

You also have a choice to drink at home if you want to. Isnt that enough?

[lynchbhoy]

I also think that this is catholocism dictating matters to the state.
this law should be deleted.
While I agree with a lot of Catholic Church things, this is one of the 'rules' that they should no longer any business in having a say.

irrespective of the drink, I hope munster lose as much as I hope leinster win !

[thebigfella]

Flip.

Some of you will want Christmas and Easter banned next. Sure why dont you ask for all the bank holidays to be in the summer when the golf course is open. Why are things closed on a Sunday? Make Sunday just another day of the week eh?

You also have a choice to drink at home if you want to. Isnt that enough?

Most sensible think I've heard all day and no it's not enough to sit at home all day and drink 

[The Subbie]

I was listening to Ian Dempsey on Today Fm on me way to work this morning and a guy texted in a very good idea on how to get round this ridiculous law, let the publicans sell the drink on holy thursday, give out receipts and then exchange the receipts for pints on good friday, sounds too simple but it might work as the law states you can't sell it on good friday, but nothing there to state you can't sell it on holy thursday and hand her out on good friday.

As bingobus rightly says the do gooders who harp on "its only one day can't you not have one day without drink?" have a flawed argument as lots of people go for longer than that without having a drink, its not the not having a drink its the not having a choice, the catholic church are in no position to take the high moral ground about its one day to remember Our Lords suffering, when they were shuffling and moving beast priests round the place to offend over and over again.

If anyone wants to go to the cermonies and get the feet washed etc etc go on ahead, don't force it down my throat.   

[Canalman]

Barmen appreciate the day off and as far as I can see the hardened pubgoers out there accept it . God help us if the GAA were to agitate for a GF opening of pubs........ the media would go brserk.

[spuds]

2 days in year ffs big deal cos game on
would say same for gaa match
real paddy irishman story

[ziggysego]

If anyone wants to go to the cermonies and get the feet washed etc etc go on ahead, don't force it down my throat.   

I've no intention of forcing my dirty feet down your throat.

[spuds]

hes not on about your dirty feet 

[ziggysego]

hes not on about your dirty feet 

Well he ain't getting anywhere near that either! 

[The Subbie]

If anyone wants to go to the cermonies and get the feet washed etc etc go on ahead, don't force it down my throat.   

I've no intention of forcing my dirty feet down your throat.

Sounds like they could do with a wash 

[Bogball XV]

I was listening to Ian Dempsey on Today Fm on me way to work this morning and a guy texted in a very good idea on how to get round this ridiculous law, let the publicans sell the drink on holy thursday, give out receipts and then exchange the receipts for pints on good friday, sounds too simple but it might work as the law states you can't sell it on good friday, but nothing there to state you can't sell it on holy thursday and hand her out on good friday.

As bingobus rightly says the do gooders who harp on "its only one day can't you not have one day without drink?" have a flawed argument as lots of people go for longer than that without having a drink, its not the not having a drink its the not having a choice, the catholic church are in no position to take the high moral ground about its one day to remember Our Lords suffering, when they were shuffling and moving beast priests round the place to offend over and over again.

If anyone wants to go to the cermonies and get the feet washed etc etc go on ahead, don't force it down my throat.   

if the law really stated that then surely a pub could do the same any day of the week and thus ignore closing times?  Does the law not mention consumption of alcohol on a licensed premises?

As for the whole divorcing church from state arguments, where do we start?  At it's most basic, as pointed out above, why do we take sunday's off?  Hell, why do we have 7 days in the week...........

[thewobbler]

Generally speaking I favour restrictions in trading hours.

As annoying as not being able to do the grocieries on a Sunday morning can be, I believe that condensing the day into 5 hours goes a long way towards stopping people who don't know how to fill their weekend wasting time in shops, and helps out with staff sanity no end.

And 1am closing of bars is frustrating when you want a feed of drink, but it does give a buzz and structure to the night. Without it, all we would do is arrive later, stay later, and mess with our body clocks more.

These things are for the greater good.

But closing bars on a Friday for religious reasons is not something I can agree with. It's not for the greater good, but a horribly pointless homage to a culture long gone and unmissed.


Some of the more faithful members of the country might disagree with this sentiment. But as they probably appreciate a Latin mass that they can't understand, enjoy lighting candles for a purgatory that no longer exists, and believe that infants who die on childbirth are doomed the eternity, well then we should probably just ignore these folk.