BY CJ MCGINLEY
GARDAI raided a public house in Dunfanaghy on Monday night and seized all of the alcohol from two premises because they didn't have a valid licence.
Speaking to the Donegal News Superintendent Jim Gallagher said two search warrants were issued under the Intoxicating Liquor Act and a large quantity of alcohol was seized.
While Gardai did not name the premises it was the Carraig Rua Hotel and a premises known locally as the 'Boat Shed'. Speaking to the Donegal News, the proprietor, Anne Sweeney, declined to make any comment at this stage on the matter but confirmed she was taking legal advice.
She said the premises would have created 55 jobs in an area that had been badly hit by unemployment in recent years following the downturn in the construction industry.
Up to 40 Gardai from the Milford District including plain clothes officers were involved in the high powered operation which began around 7pm and lasted for at least three hours. The alcohol seized was taken into garda custody and is now being stored pending the outcome of proceedings.
Superintendent Gallagher confirmed a file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions for alleged breaches of the Intoxicating Liquor Act.
The premises had been closed for a few years before it re-opened last Friday night and a large crowd of people attended the venue again the following night. The proprietors had offered 23 complimentary en suite bedrooms to the first people who booked them last weekend as part of the re-opening. Meanwhile, Martin Sheehan, Savanne Ltd has been granted permission for the extension of duration of planning permission for the renovation, refurbishment and extension of the Carrig Rua Hotel in Dunfanaghy.
The application relates to permission previously granted for the provision of a new function room, 39 extra bedrooms and 22 additional self-catering apartments to serve the existing complex. The duration of the planning permission has been extended for another five years.
The raid in Dunfanaghy came over three months after Gardai raided The Golden Grill, Letterkenny in a similar high powered operation when almost ¤200,000 in stock and goods was seized.
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