By Sean Moriarty

All but one publican in Killarney town centre has signed up to an unofficial agreement to ban the practice of “take away” pints.

The move, by a local vintners group, is an effort to curb the growing number of anti-social behaviour issues and street drinking in the town.

Local politicians raised the problems at Wednesday’s Killarney Municipal District meeting.

“Drinking on the streets is a big issue,” Cllr Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan, whose family run the Fáilte Hotel on College St, told the meeting. “Through the vintners, all but one has agreed to not sell take away pints. Most places are being respectful.”

It is accepted by the elected councillors that local publicans are not the root cause of the problems. Instead, they say, it is caused by people buying alcohol in off-licences and supermarkets and often the goods are not purchased locally.

Cllr Donal Grady said: “I am appalled by what I see happening on the streets”.

Killarney by-laws prohibit drinking on the streets, however there are concerns that if the law was applied in full, premises currently offering outdoor drinking and dining in a controlled fashion, would be considered illegal.

Cllr Brendan Cronin gave Kinsale, County Cork as an example of how it could be managed.

“You have to be sitting down. End of story. That’s the rule that is operating across the board there,” he told the meeting.

LITTER

The continuing anti-social behaviour is also causing a massive litter problem in the town centre.

Council crews are on the streets as early as 6am on weekend mornings to clear up the aftermath of the previous night’s activities.

“The work they do to get it clean is absolutely heroic,” said Cllr Niall Kelleher.