The Circuit Court has refused an application to extend the licensed area of Ryan’s pub on Lower Camden Street in Dublin 2 after finding that the operator had a history of deliberate breaches of licensing law and had not shown that the proposed enlarged premises would be suitable.
Nitram Nayr Limited sought a new publican’s licence covering Ryan’s at 92 Lower Camden Street together with parts of 1, 2 and 3 Camden Row, including a rear yard, laneway and outdoor bar area.
The Gardaí objected. The company acknowledged that it had previously sold alcohol from areas which were neither licensed nor authorised by planning permission. It also accepted that adjoining premises at 91 Lower Camden Street had been used to sell alcohol without a licence. Director Brenda Ryan told the court that the company would plead guilty to a prosecution concerning that premises.
The Gardaí also relied on an undertaking given in December 2024 concerning CCTV and the closure of an opening between numbers 91 and 92. They said CCTV was not preserved and the opening remained in use for a period afterwards.
The applicant submitted a new operational plan intended to separate the premises from number 91 and provide for off-site storage at 5 Camden Row. It also relied on planning and fire-safety material concerning the proposed extension.
Judge John O’Connor was not persuaded. He found that the applicant's assurances depended heavily on future promises and an operational plan he considered unlikely to work. The judge also found the storage arrangements inadequate and was not satisfied that planning and fire-safety requirements had been demonstrated sufficiently to make the enlarged premises suitable.
The court said the operator's history of deliberately failing to comply with licensing law weighed heavily against it. It concluded that the applicant had not done enough to establish its suitability and refused the licence extension.