Street 66 will retain its late-night music, singing and dancing licences after a judge dismissed an objection from a neighbour living above the venue. The LGBTQ+ bar, located on Dublin’s Parliament Street, has been subject to three years of litigation from a resident of the upstairs apartment, who claimed the noise kept him awake at night.

At a hearing on Wednesday, July 16, Judge Máire Conneely dismissed the action on several grounds, including the location and character of the area, which is known for providing entertainment. According to a report by Tom Tuite, she said “it is not reasonable to expect that music would be completely inaudible,” and ruled that Street 66 should be able to keep its licences.

As part of the legal proceedings, last year, the late Judge Marie Quirke ordered the venue to implement a 10-point drop in the music levels, which was undertaken. Speaking to the court on Wednesday, bar owner Siobhán Conmy emotionally confirmed that she had spent €58,000 on noise mitigation measures, saying, “I have always offered to do anything that people have asked. My heart is really in it.” According to The Irish Times, late-night licences account for 30% of her business, which she was fearful of losing.

However, Tommy Bergin, who moved into the upstairs apartment in 2019, claimed that the problem had not changed. He mentioned that while last year he used to hear songs from the likes of Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, now it was Florence and the Machine, Britney Spears or “clap along, stomp along” tracks.

Bergin noted that the venue had late-night licences for 130 days of the year, and said that noise was a particular problem on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Sundays on bank holiday weekends.

Making her decision, Judge Conneely stated that there were others within the building who had complained, but none came forward to give evidence in court. She mentioned that there are no Irish or EU standards that could be referenced in relation to noise breaches, and experts were divided on the issue.

The judge also said it was “strange” that over the course of Bergin’s complaint, he never tried to directly engage with the owner about the issue. She added that the fact that the premises had late-night licences for many years was a “relevant matter that the courts must take into consideration”, and ultimately, she dismissed the application.

Celebrating the outcome on social media, Conmy shared, “After three years of litigation over noise issues in Street 66, 3 years of stress, today the judge dismissed all in court so we can continue to try to be the best bar. Thank you to all who were there for us and who supported us in this stressful situation.”