It's hard being good looking. And in Kenmare, one bar owner's irresistible good looks have helped land him in court. Or so his solicitor claims.
Anne Lucey's report from the court is a delightful read.
James O'Connor, a 41 year old bar owner in Kenmare, was in court on allegations that he had served drink after hours on more than one occasion.
In June last year, there were no fewer than 100 people in the his pub (O'Connors) when gardai arrived at 1.50am, a whole hour after closing time. On August 23, gardai found 28 people in his bar after closing time.
James O'Connor's solicitor Padraig O'Connell disputed that all the customers were drinking at this point. Rather, a proportion of the young women found in the pub after hours were simply there to admire the unfortunate Mr. O'Connor.
They weren’t all consuming alcohol. There is a strong social aspect to the premises — there is a social attraction there in that my client is a bachelor and young women find him very attractive.
O'Connell instanced his client's roguishness as part of his attraction.
The judge, also called James O'Connor, remarked that most of his namesake's clients appeared to be rogues.
Garda superintendent Derek Fleming had a somewhat more prosaic explanation for the problem.
The problem is he can’t get them [the public] out at night — the premises is beside the Square Pint nightclub and they wait in his bar until it is time to go there.
The Judge appeared to accept this dilemma. The guards withdrew the summons for the August offence on a guilty plea for the June offence.
Mr. O'Connor was fined €200.
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