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Gardaí will not oppose the renewal of the beverage license of the controversial Co Galway hotel at the center of the Golfgate scandal unless its criminal investigation into the business finds that it violated Covid-19 laws on organizing events.
Garda sources have suggested that no charge will be formed regarding the hotel license, which will be renewed on September 30, of the Station House Hotel in Clifden, Co Galway, which hosted the infamous Oireachtas Golf Society dinner for 80 people last month, until the investigation is completed.
Last week, a gardaí at Dublin’s Pearse Street station opposed in District Court the renewal of Berlin’s D2 license because of the bar, the site of an infamous video shot in August showing customers in a ‘ brunch ‘in the afternoon ignoring social distancing, and a waiter pouring drinks into some people’s mouths, not complying with social distancing regulations.
Gardaí is understood to believe that he would not have a solid basis to object to the Station House license unless the investigation determined that the hotel had violated Covid-19 laws regarding the organization of events, and gardaí was in a position to make that case to the Director of the Public Ministry.
The hotel research is described as being at a relatively early stage. Another Garda investigation of the event’s organizers is being jointly conducted.
The key to those investigations will be whether dividing the guests sitting at dinner in two by means of a partition would have been enough to ensure compliance with the Covid regulation of “maximum 50 people at an indoor event” in effect at that time. .
In the aftermath of the golf dinner, political casualties were high, and aides Dara Calleary and Phil Hogan were forced to resign as EU agriculture minister and trade commissioner respectively.
It is unclear whether or not Station House will apply to renew its license.
A hotel spokesperson, when asked for a comment, said: “We will not respond to any media inquiries if it is okay.”
The renewal of these licenses, required for all establishments that sell alcohol, is the responsibility of the Commissioners of Revenue. All of these licenses are renewed on September 30 of each year.
A Garda spokesman said any objection to license renewal is “a matter for the superintendent in each Garda district.”
The Gardaí “has no national information in this regard,” they added.
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