The streets of Dublin will be filled with thousands of people celebrating Paddy’s Day this week, and pubs across the city will be preparing for a busy few days.
Ireland’s laws on drinking in the street are given some leeway over the festive period - due to the volume of people filling the streets.
While drinking outdoors is not prohibited in general in Ireland, there are many city and county councils that have bye-laws that forbid drinking in some or all public places - depending on the region and population.
While you won’t be arrested or fined by gardai for consuming alcohol outdoors on St Patrick’s Day, there are a number of scenarios where officers can take action.
According to Irish law, gardai can take your alcohol away if you are drinking in public and behaving in a way that could cause worry for safety.
They can also confiscate alcohol if it is being drunk by a person under 18, or where they have cause to believe that it will be consumed by a person under 18.
It is an offence to drink alcohol bought in a closed container - like a bottle or can - within 100 metres of the off-licence where it was sold, but the law does not forbid a pub from delivering drinks to people’s homes or allowing customers to bring drinks home.
While consuming alcohol in public is not an offence outside of what has been mentioned, it is against the law to be so intoxicated in a public place that you could be considered a danger to yourself or to anyone around you.
If a Garda suspects that you are intoxicated in a public place they can take the substance away from you.
The penalty for being intoxicated in a public place is either:
- A fixed charge fine of €100, or
- The maximum class E fine of €500, if the Gardaí decide to prosecute you for the offence, and you are convicted
While things can often get rowdy when there are large crowds if gardai get involved and you do not comply with their directions to either stop behaving in a certain way or move on from an area they can arrest you, charge you and bring you before the courts.
