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Gardaí making enquiries into alleged breach of Covid rules at pub near Croke Park

Gardaí making enquiries into alleged breach of Covid rules at pub near Croke Park
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Gardaí ordered a number of premises in the vicinity of Croke Park to temporarily close due to large crowds gathering for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling final, with enquiries being made regarding an alleged breach of Covid regulations at one pub.

The fixture saw Limerick meet Cork in front of a reduced crowd of 40,000.

A statement from Gardaí confirmed officers carried out a number of inspections at premises surrounding the stadium as part of the policing plan for the game.

Reports of "anti-social behaviour and a lack of social distancing among crowds" in the area were also received by Gardaí.

"A number of these premises were asked to temporarily cease trading in the interest of public safety," the statement said.

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"Gardaí are carrying out enquiries into alleged breaches of Covid regulations at one of these premises," it added.

Criticism

There was plenty of reaction on social media during and after the final, with many questioning why live sporting events can go ahead while gigs cannot.

Sharing two images of the crowds at Croke Park, Kodaline's Vinny May tweeted: "Loads of social distancing going on here anyway!"

"The hypocrisy of our Government's guidelines and the complete disregard for the entertainment sector is mind-blowing! One rule for [the GAA] and another for our industry!" May added.

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In a statement issued on Monday, the Event Industry Alliance called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to fully reopen the live entertainment sector from September 1st.

"Why is the live entertainment and event industry, the only sector mandated to remain closed, still being discriminated against?" the group asked.

The alliance, which represents a number of industry groups including Event Industry Ireland and the Irish Showman's Guild, said fans at Sunday's match did not need to provide a negative test, details for contact tracing, or prove they were vaccinated, while proposals made by the live events sector for full capacity shows with only fully vaccinated people have not been adopted.

"This is a shameful indictment of Government, which demonstrates a clear and blatant disregard for the live entertainment and event sector, and shows complete contempt for every Irish citizen," Event Industry Alliance member, Justin Green said.

The group added the Taoiseach must now consider his position, which they said is "clearly untenable".

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