Irish DJs call for ‘more progressive’ laws on longer club opening hours

An Irish DJ group called Give Us The Night are lobbying for longer licencing hours for bars and clubs. 

The group believes that introducing more progressive laws will improve the Irish club and music scene. 

They also want to take the focus of a night out off drinking alcohol and back on enjoying some good tunes. 

With Irish clubs closing at 2,30am, members of the group feel like Irish people have to export their fun from time to time. 

DJ Sunil Sharpe told The Sun that: 'A lot of Irish people are paying to go clubbing in cities such as London, Berlin and Paris because the licensing laws in those cities are much more progressive.' 

Venues can pay licencing fees in order to stay open later, but the funds are not feasible for smaller venues, 

The Give Us The Night  group was founded in retaliation in the early 00s, when a policy was suggested which would see Irish club hours shortened from 2.30am to 1.30am. 

'Nightclubs should be allowed more flexibility of opening hours, according to consumer demand,'  says Give Us The Night .

'We believe that nightclub culture does not solely revolve around the sale and consumption of alcohol, rather it also provides an outlet for people to socialise and enjoy music.'

'Therefore, from our perspective, alcohol does not need to be on sale for the entire duration of a nightclub’s opening hours.'

If it means we can have a bop for longer, we're here for it.