Alcohol and the law

The sale of alcoholic drinks is controlled by law, and only licensed businesses can serve or sell alcohol. It is an offence to serve alcohol to a person under 18, and pubs, hotels and restaurants that serve alcohol can do so only during specified hours.

This page describes the law on alcohol in Ireland, the penalties for breaking those laws and the powers the Gardaí have to enforce them.

You can also read about

• Drink driving offences in Ireland
• Support services for alcohol addiction

Alcohol can only be sold on a licensed premises during set hours. For pubs serving alcohol on the premises, these hours are:

• Monday to Thursday from 10:30am to 11:30pm
• Friday and Saturday from 10:30am to 12:30am
• Sunday from 12:30pm to 11:00pm

For off-licences (including supermarkets), alcohol can be sold at these hours:

• Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 10:00pm
• Sunday and St Patrick’s Day from 12:30pm to 10:00 pm

Types of alcohol licences

There are a number of types of licences with different conditions attached.

An Ordinary Publicans On Licence allows the licence holder to sell alcoholic drinks on the premises during regular opening hours. A new application for this licence must be lodged with the Circuit Court.

A Special Exemption Order allows the licence holder to serve alcoholic drinks outside of ordinary opening hours. The latest time that alcohol can be served for drinking on the premises is 2:30am. Applications for this exemption must be lodged at the local District Court.

A Public Music and Singing License and/or Public Dancing Licence is required if the venue has live music or the venue is operating as a nightclub or disco. This licence is granted by the local District Court.

A Restaurant Certificate entitles pubs that serve a substantial meal (one that costs more than €9) to serve alcohol one hour after normal opening hours if it accompanies that meal. A Limited Restaurant Certificate allows a limited part of a pub to have the same exemption.

A Wine Retailer’s On Licence is for ‘refreshment houses’ and allows for the sale of wine, sherry and other liquors containing less than 23% alcohol.

An Occasional Licence is used for events that take place in a venue or premises that normally does not serve alcohol. It can only be granted to the holder of an existing licence. This licence is applied for at the local District Court.

Minimum unit pricing (MUP) means that alcoholic drinks must be sold for at least the minimum price set for the quantity of alcohol the drink contains.

From 4 January 2022, the minimum price of alcoholic drinks is set at 10c per gram of alcohol. One standard drink in Ireland contains 10 grams of alcohol, meaning that the minimum price for one standard drink is €1.

You must be 18 or over to buy alcohol in Ireland. It is an offence to:

• Serve alcohol to a person who is under 18
• Pretend to be 18 or over to buy alcohol
• Buy alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18

It is also an offence to give alcohol to a person who is under 18, unless it is in someone’s home, and the child has the consent of their parents.

Garda Age Card

If you are 18 or over, you can apply for a Garda Age Card as proof of your age. This is not an ID card and is only for the purpose of proving your age so that you can buy alcohol.

The Garda Age Card is voluntary and costs €10. You can apply for the card online.

Children in pubs

You can bring your child (under 18) to a pub with you with some restrictions:

• Children under 15 must be supervised at all times
• Children under 15 can only be on the premises between the hours of 10:30 am and 9:00 pm (10:00 pm from May to September)
• Children aged 15 and over, who are accompanied by their parent or guardian, can stay on the premises after 9:00 (10:00 pm from May to September) if they are attending a private function where a substantial meal is being served

The licence holder (normally the pub owner) can also refuse to allow a child or children on the premises if they believe that doing so would be harmful to the child’s health, safety or welfare.

It is against the law to reduce the price of alcohol at specific times of the day. This means that ‘happy hours’ are against the law in Ireland.

Other drinks promotions and special offers are illegal including:

• Loyalty card programmes that reward customers for buying alcohol
• Promotions that allow for alcoholic drinks to be sold at a reduced price or given away for free when bought alongside other products
• Short term price promotions where the price of an alcoholic drink is reduced for a period of less than 3 days

Drinking outdoors is not prohibited in general. However, many city and county councils have bye-laws that forbid drinking in some or all public places.

The Gardaí can confiscate alcohol if you are drinking in public and behaving in a way that could cause worry for safety. They can also confiscate alcohol if it is being drunk by a person under 18, or where they have cause to believe that it will be consumed by a person under 18.

It is an offence to consume alcohol bought in a closed container (like a bottle or can) within 100 metres of the off-licence where it was sold. The law does not forbid a pub from delivering drinks to people’s homes, or allowing customers to bring drinks home.

It is also an offence to be so drunk in a public place that you could reasonably be assumed to be a danger to yourself or to anyone around you.

Under the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003, a ‘drunken person’ is someone who is intoxicated to such a degree that they may be a danger to themselves or to other people.

It is an offence to supply alcohol to a drunken person. It is also an offence to engage in disorderly conduct in a licenced premises. This means that you cannot behave in any way that poses a risk to the health, safety or welfare of anyone else on the premises.

If you are asked to leave the premises by the licence holder or a Garda, you must leave or you may be guilty of an offence. You could also be arrested.

There are strict rules about the advertising of alcohol in Ireland.

It is illegal to advertise alcohol:

• In or on public service vehicles, at public transport stops or stations and within 200 metres of a school, a crèche or a local authority playground
• In a cinema except before films with an 18 classification or in a licensed premises in a cinema
• On children’s clothing
• At an event aimed particularly at children, or an event where the majority of people in attendance are children
• •On a sports field, playing surface or other playing area during a match or competition (this does not include the stadium or hoarding around a sports pitch, or what players are wearing)

Alcohol sponsorship is forbidden for events involving cars and other vehicles, or events aimed at children. This does not include sponsorship by alcohol licence holders. For example, a pub or hotel can sponsor the event.

Changes to alcohol advertising from January 2025

From 10 January 2025, it will be an offence to advertise alcohol on:

• Television between 3am and 9pm
• Radio on a weekday between midnight and 10am, and between 3pm and midnight

From 22 May 2026, an alcoholic product must be labelled with:

• Its alcohol content in grams
• Its calorie content
• A warning about the health effects of drinking alcohol

This table summarises some of the penalties for breaking alcohol-related laws in Ireland.

It is not a full list of all alcohol related laws and penalties. You can also read about drink driving offences.

Legislation

The relevant Irish legislation relating to the serving of alcohol in licensed premises, the buying of alcoholic drinks in off-licences and drinking alcohol in public places is:

• Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021
• Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018
• Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008
• Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003
• Intoxicating Liquor Act 2000,
• Licensing Act, 1872
• Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994

If you are concerned about your drinking or someone else’s drinking, there is help available:

• You can phone the HSE Drugs and Alcohol helpline on Freephone 1800 459 459
• The HSE has a list of local alcohol services
• SpunOut has information for young people who are concerned about their drinking