Irish Pub Owner Arrested Hours After Opening ‘Covid Free’ Bar With No Kitchen Or Food

A Mayo tavern keeper was arrested last night a few hours after opening his “wet” pub with a rapid Covid-19 testing system.

Donal Byrne, the owner of Eileen’s Bar in Aghamore, was arrested after Gardai inspected his pub and discovered a “series of violations” of public health regulations.

The arrest came on the night of the reopening of Eileen’s Bar, which claimed it would function as Ireland’s first ‘Covid free pub’ after introducing 15-minute coronavirus tests for customers.

Yesterday, Byrne said he would reopen his pub with the new tests – which he said would free the bar from Covid-19 – even though he has no kitchen on the premises and does not serve food.

“I’m not serving food,” he said on Midwest Radio. “Food, as we know, does not stop Covid or prevent Covid.

His arrest came after a “failed” compromise attempt by Gardai after the premises were raided last night.

A representative for Donal Byrne declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the Irish Mirror this morning.

A Gardai spokesperson said: “A Garda Síochána carried out an inspection at an authorized location on May yesterday 10/12/2020”.

“Gardaí alleged a series of violations of public health regulations and guidelines to the owner of the premises and requested that the premises be complied with.

“After a failed engagement, a man in his 30s was arrested for violations of the Health Act 1947 as amended. The man was subsequently released from Garda custody and a dossier will now be prepared for the Director of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

All the other people present complied with the Public Health Regulations and later the premises were closed.

“Social responsibility, social distancing, the use of masks (outside public transport and in commercial premises) and other similar public health guidelines are not criminal regulations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health crisis and An Garda Síochána continues to call on all citizens to comply with public health guidelines and regulations to continue saving lives.”