Irish clubs to receive government-funded soundproofing so they can stay open later
Night clubs in Ireland are about to receive funding for soundproofing thanks to a newly launched government initiative aimed at keeping venues in the country open for longer.
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, made the announcement this week.
Launched on Tuesday (July 18), the Night Time Economy Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme has €2 million to give out to eligible night clubs and venues. The fund will extent until December 31 2023, or until the funding budget runs out.
A maximum of €70,000 will be paid out per application, with 70% of costs guaranteed to be covered up to that amount. However, venues will either need a loan or to front the investment themselves, as funding will only be issued upon submission of a paid invoice for acoustic work.
The noise mitigation support scheme is part of a wider overhaul of Ireland's licensing laws related to the night time economy, which are widely considered to be outdated with some laws stretching back to the 19th century.
Under new plans, clubs should soon be allowed to open until 6AM with drinks served until 5AM. The decision has followed years of work by Give Us The Night, an Irish nightlife organisation co-founded by Dublin-based DJ Sunil Sharpe.
Responding to the news, Give Us The Night wrote on Instagram: "Fantastic new schemes announced by the minister today, that will make a significant difference to the future viability of night-time venues, and create an interesting new programme of night-time events (and collaborations between music communities and arts centres) this year". Speaking at the launch, Sharpe described the funding as helping "save jobs and careers".
Speaking to Resident Advisor, Sharpe added that the move will "send out a fresh message to the public that night-time venues aren't so much of a nuisance if they have ample noise protection in place."
You can find full details of the grants here, and a guide to applications here.
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