Max HeyraudA law enacted nearly a century ago continues to regulate Ireland’s late-night culture.
The Public Dance Halls Act of 1935 was passed under pressure from the Catholic Church, which saw dance floors as dens of sin and immorality. The Church may have started it, but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have kept the law in place for decades.
Give Us The Night argue that the Act actively strangles the country’s nightlife. Clubs face punishing license costs, restricted hours, and outdated regulations that make running a venue a financial nightmare. For artists, promoters, and dancers, it means fewer spaces, shorter nights, and a cultural landscape that struggles to keep pace with the rest of Europe.
In October 2022, the Irish government announced plans to modernise the country’s nightlife regulations. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee introduced the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, which proposed allowing nightclubs to remain open until 6 a.m., with alcohol sales permitted until 5 a.m. This reform aimed to align Ireland’s licensing laws with contemporary nightlife practices and support the nighttime economy.
At the same time, the government also proposed repealing the Public Dance Halls Act of 1935. Originally enacted to regulate public dancing under the influence of concerns from the Catholic Church about moral implications, the act has become widely regarded as outdated. Its repeal is intended to remove unnecessary restrictions on public dancing and nightclubs, modernising the legal framework governing Ireland’s nightlife.
But in typical government fashion, nearly 90 years on, Ireland is still waiting for its dance floors to be freed from the grip of a law born out of religious control and political complacency.
