IRELAND’S "really archaic" licencing laws need to be changed so that some bars can stay open all night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar believes tourists find the entertainment scene in Dublin and other cities "disappointing" because they are forced to go home at 2.30am.

He wants different rules to be introduced for rural and urban areas, saying there should be an element of local control over opening hours.

At present bars have to stop serving alcohol by 11.30pm on Monday to Thursday, 12.30am on Friday and Saturday and 11pm on Sundays.

Nightclubs and late bars can apply to the courts for a licence to stay open until 2.30am but the licence comes with a hefty price tag.

Mr Varadkar also argued the 30-minutes 'drinking up' time after which punters must leave a venue is "weird".

"There may be people who still want to stay open and dance and so on and they're not allowed to, once you stop serving drink you have to close down I think within half an hour or so, so they are really archaic.

"I think we can do better for people who enjoy the night in Ireland and tourists and it is something that we are very much working on," the Taoiseach said.

Culture Minister Josepha Madigan has been tasked with setting up a group to review nightlife in urban areas. She has already suggested for the appointment of 'night mayors' with local authorities who would work to find the best balance between providing nightlife and respecting local residents.

Mr Varadkar said their jobs would be to "reinvigorate our nightlife, which of course shouldn't be all about drink".

One proposal is to amend licencing laws so that judges can assess each application from a restaurant, bar or venue based on its specific merits.

"I don't necessarily think that we need the same licensing laws for everywhere.

"Where I live [in Castleknock] is different to town, and rural areas are different again. So I think we do need to have a degree of local control around licensing laws."

He added: "People who come to Dublin, and come to our cities and people that go abroad from Ireland do say that our nightlife can be disappointing, in that premises shut down, so it's very different in Madrid or Germany or other places, you know where places can stay open all night."

Noting that some people would have concerns about the impact of keeping clubs open all night, Mr Varadkar argued there could be advantages.

He said in other countries it hasn’t led to increased levels of public disorder.

"It can actually be better in terms of public transport because instead of everyone rushing out on the streets looking for a taxi at the same time, that's spread over a longer period of time.

"And it's an area that I think we need change in."

Online Editors