FOLLOWING almost two hours of legal submissions, evidence and case law references, Judge Tom O’Donnell has reserved his ruling on the application made by 100 Limerick vintners to seek the court to allow them open and trade on Good Friday to coincide with the Magners league clash of Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park.
Judge O’Donnell told the court that he will deliver his judgement on Thursday next at 9.30 as there was a “substantial amount of case law to review.”
State solicitor, Michael Murray, objected to the application made by Gearoid McGann on behalf of the vintners group lead by Jerry O’Dea, Limerick Vintners chairman.
The packed courtroom heard submissions made by Mr McGann and counter objections on behalf of the state as to the importance and definition of a “special event”. The state solicitor, on behalf of the gardai, said that the match was not a special event and that the application made by the vintners wasn’t warranted on such a basis.
Should Judge O’Donnell grant the application, some 100 pubs in the Limerick District Court area could open and trade between the hours of 6pm and midnight and thus cash in on the projected €7 million windfall that the game could bring to the economy. 
