A Donegal judge has slammed what he was told by Gardai was a “culture” of drinking and illegal opening hours in Falcarragh and the surrounding areas.
Judge Paul Kelly made his remarks this morning as he dealt with a number of cases at the court which was sitting in Letterkenny.
A number of cases from Falcarragh, Dunfanaghy and other areas came before him to be dealt with.
Some involved alleged assaults after pubs had closed while others involved people being found in pubs long after the official closing time.
Judge Kelly said there seemed to be a particular problem in this area of the county in relation to drink.
He was told by Inspector Michael Harrison that it appeared to be a ‘culture’ of such behavior.
Judge Kelly said there was no question that after hours opening in pubs was directly linked with fighting and assaults “as people pour out of takeaways.”