At the adjourned Petty Sessions held on Saturday, Messrs J. French and A. Hall presided over a series of cases involving city publicans. The charges ranged from selling drinks to minors to breaches of the Sunday Closing Act.

Johanna O’Dwyer, a publican on Roxboro’ Road, was prosecuted for selling alcohol to a child named Ryan on the 14th of last month. Constable Elvin, providing evidence, confirmed the offence, which was not contested. A fine of 5 shillings was levied against O’Dwyer. The boy’s mother, held responsible for sending him to purchase the drink, was fined 10 shillings.

O’Dwyer faced another charge under the Sunday Closing Act for a breach on the same date. Constable Elvin testified that he found around 20 men on the premises at 8:30 PM, most of whom were from the city. When questioned, O’Dwyer could not account for their presence. Constable O’Donnell supported the evidence and noted that some men had escaped through a front window when Constable Elvin entered from the back. Mr Gaffney, representing O’Dwyer, acknowledged the offence and highlighted her inexperience in the business. The chairman criticized the severity of the case, but noted O’Dwyer’s candid approach. The prosecution was met with a fine of £5 without endorsing the conviction. Men found on the premises were each fined 10 shillings.

Another case involved Mary Anne Conway, a publican on Upper Gerald Griffin Street, charged with a similar offence on the 3rd of this month. Two men were found on her premises at 10 o’clock, with claims that they were lodgers. This excuse was proven inaccurate, as the men lived nearby. Mr Hall voiced his opposition to publicans keeping lodgers due to potential dangers, and vowed to oppose the renewal of licenses for such cases. Conway was fined 40 shillings, and the men found on her premises were fined 10 shillings each.

Limerick Echo – Tuesday 12 December 1905