The owner of the controversial Lantern Bar in Ballybane has been granted a renewed Liquor Licence for premises in her name for the next year so that it can be sold.
A transferred licence was granted to Mary Lydon by Judge Eoin Garvan at a Galway Circuit Court appeal last week.
The Lantern Bar has had a tumultuous history with its drinks licence in the past year year, with multiple applications, objections, refusals, and appeals related to the bar’s history of anti-social behaviour.
In November of last year Judge Mary Fahy refused to renew the bar’s drinks licence at Galway District Court after intense objections from Gardai and local residents concerned about the history of public order incidents there.
However, that decision was appealed to Galway Circuit Court, where it was again subject to heavy Garda objections.
Gardai told the court at that time that there were 31 incidents requiring Garda attention between New Years of 2019, and September of that year, when the bar shut.
Judge James McCourt decided to overturn the District Court order and grant a renewed licence after hearing that the lease had since been surrendered by Danny Kenny, the publican at the Lantern for several years prior to this.
An application was then made under Section 30 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act back at the District Court for the licence to be renewed in the name of Mary Lydon, the owner of the Lantern Bar, with the intention that it would be later transferred to a new owner.
However this application was again refused, the Circuit Court heard, requiring another appeal.
Based on the successful appeal in January, there was no objection from the state on this occasion either at the District Court, or the Circuit Court appeal.
The applicants said that Mary Lydon intends to sell the Lantern Bar, and that a buyer has been identified. It is anticipated that a further application will be made to transfer the licence to that person at a later date.
This application would then seem to be a “holding action” Judge Garvan said, granting the applicants their licence.
