A major change in the hours of alcohol sales in supermarkets has been announced.
As part of the new nightlife rule changes, shops like SuperValu, Tesco, Dunnes, and other Irish supermarkets will be able to sell alcohol from 10.30 a.m. on Sundays.
On Sundays, supermarkets are not permitted to sell alcohol until 12.30 p.m. under current laws.
The new General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, which was published this week, is expected to give Ireland’s night-time economy a much-needed boost by reforming licencing laws.
The new legislation is set to take effect next year.
According to Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s new proposals, pubs will be able to serve customers until 12.30 am every night of the week.
This is a change from current legislation, which requires pubs to close at 11.30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12.30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 p.m. Sunday.
However, the law requiring pubs and nightclubs to close on Christmas Day remains unchanged.
Furthermore, pubs will still be able to sell alcohol on Good Friday as closure rules were lifted a few years ago.
Minister McEntee will seek formal approval from the Cabinet to begin the process of drafting the Sale of Alcohol Bill. This will replace approximately 100 laws, some of which are more than 200 years old and two-thirds of which predate the establishment of the State.