Takeway pints need to be banned, as the level of outdoor drinking is leaving elderly people afraid in their homes.
That’s the view of some Kerry County Councillors, who raised concerns at the recent monthly meeting of the local authority.
Independent councillor Niall Botty O’Callaghan, who is also a publican, says takeway pints need to be banned.
He says if people want a pint, they can sit down to have it; he also outlined that COVID restrictions still need to be followed.
His Killarney MD colleague, Independent councillor Donal Grady says a woman in her 90s was left shaking inside her home as people were drinking right outside it.
Cllr Grady says it’s a shame to see people afraid and says pubs know how to handle their customers and they should be allowed to reopen for indoor service in a safe way.
Fianna Fáil councillor Breandán Fitzgerald also supported the call; he brought a motion calling for the Government to allow indoor hospitality and the controlled reopening of our pubs as soon as possible under strict social distancing guidelines.
Cllr Fitzgerald says the whole country is calling for the same thing.
He says it’s not Kerry County Council’s role to look after people who are drinking on the street and called for Gardaí to maintain public order on our streets.
Cllr Breandán Fitzgerald says if people come to Kerry, they have to respect the locals and the place they are visiting.
