A Waterford pub owner says he feels pubs and restaurants are basically being pitted against hotels by the government.
Colm Kennedy of Itty Bitty's in Waterford says he can't understand why hotels can open on June 2nd but pubs and restaurants can't operate indoor services until a month later:
"Last year they pitted the traditional pubs against the wet pubs - there is really only one pub. You know, there's really no difference.
"This year they've just pitted the hotels against the restaurants.
"I pretty much think everyone should be open at the same time, in terms of the hospitality trade, because realistically, there's no difference between someone going into a hotel or someone going into a restaurant."
It comes as the Tánaiste has said he hopes the Restaurants Association of Ireland won't waste money on legal challenges to the COVID restrictions.
The body has said it will table action over the plan as hotels are allowed to serve food indoors a month earlier than pubs and restaurants.
Restrictions for hotels lift on June 2nd - while it will be July 5th before indoor dining returns more broadly.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says they will be providing supports for those businesses in the interim:
"Throughout June, when you're allowed to open outdoors, we're still going to pay you the weekly payment as if you were closed.
"So I hope they will see that as some compensation - the hotels aren't getting that.
"And then when you fully open in July, we'll give you a bullet payment and we'll set out more details of that on Tuesday.
"I hope that will answer concerns and you won't waste too much money on legal fees."
The issue of live music is another problem that has yet to be addressed, according to musicians and event organisers locally.
Pubs will not be permitted - even when they reopen in July - to have live music.
Speaking on WLR's Saturday Café, Colm Kennedy also said he hopes those restrictions are lifted before the summer is out:
"You take the regulations that were there last year... Hopefully by the end of June we'll be nearly 70% vaccinated. But the regulations are the same as when we were in the middle of the worst of it last year.
"So you can see there's a lot of distain for the restrictions, but I think that when we do return in July that they might have a bit of sense and they'll start allowing gigs and things like that. Because it just has to get back to some sense of normality."
Meanwhile, Eoin Kavanagh who organises Waterford's Ska Fest says that he's determined it will go ahead this September.
He's already booked acts from other countries to fly over for the event.
He says the continuing restrictions on live music events at the moment is hugely frustrating, especially when all precautions are being taken:
"All these people, when I booked them, I said 'right lads, you have to have your jabs. End of story'. I'm not against any of this and I never was.
"And I went along for the last however many months doing what I was told, going off my absolute bulb for the last year.
"This week, I just got fed up adn to go backwards - like in November we had a little reprieve and we could go out and play. I think I did two small weddings, and it was fine."
