ONE of Donegal's most popular night clubs will have to shut down for seven days from next week for allowing an excessively drunk person on their premises.

At Thursday's special sitting of Letterkenny District Court the owners of Voodoo Nightclub, Lower Main Street, Letterkenny, were convicted of allowing drunkenness in one of their bars.

The night club is owned by J and S Black Ltd. and denied the charge.

The court heard that on March 26, Sergeant Christopher Galligan inspected premises at around 1.40am and found a man in The Downtown bar in an extremely drunken state.

The man, who was abusive to Sgt Galligan, was escorted from the premises and arrested under the Public Order Act.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy convicted Voodoo under the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 and ordered them to close the premises for seven days from 24 to 30 November and fined them ¤700.

Inspector Pat O'Donnell told the court the nightclub had a previous conviction for the same offence. In December 2008, a person in a drunken state was found on the premises and it was ordered to close for two hours.

Under the Act, publicans must ensure customers are not a danger to themselves or others as a result of being sold too much drink.

If a licensee is found to have person of certain drunkenness on premises it can be closed for up to seven days for the first offence. The premises can be closed for seven up to 30 days for a second offence.

The company has a right of appeal.