Critics say the ruling could erode respect for a sacred day Pubs in the Irish city of Limerick are to open their taps during a sell-out rugby match, after winning special exemption to serve on Good Friday. The ruling, which was made for the top-of-the-table clash between Munster and Leinster, is expected to provide a boost to the local economy. The Diocese of Limerick has appealed to rugby lovers and locals to avoid the bar, and head to church instead. Pubs elsewhere in the Irish Republic are to open, but only to serve food. About 26,000 fans are attending the match at Thomond Park, with a further 20,000 expected to be drinking in the area afterwards. The game kicks off at 2005 local time, and pubs will be allowed to serve from 1800 to 2330. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. A local judge granted the exemption to the 1927 Intoxicating Liquor Act on the basis that the rugby match was a special event, and that fans could buy drinks inside the stadium. Jerry O'Dea, chairman of the Limerick City Vintners, told the BBC's Today programme the exemption was a "last resort" taken only after publicans had lobbied to have the match moved to Saturday. "It's a one-off event, it's of huge importance to the city, both financially and culturally," he said. But Mick Loftus, medical doctor and former head of the Gaelic Athletic Association, said it was a "very sad day for Ireland" and an end to a tradition "going back hundreds of years". "Good Friday is the most sacred day in the calendar in the Catholic Church," he said. "Here we have the thin end of the wedge going in... just for the sake of a football game." "When I think of the pubs opening and the culture of alcohol we have in this country, it's another victory for the drinks industry and promoting alcohol." Leinster and Munster are in first and second place in the Magners League, which is sponsored by the Tipperary-based cider company Magners.



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