Changemakers: Give Us The Night, Protecting Irish Nightlife
Nightlife in Ireland is in decline; there were 500 active nightclubs in the year 2000 and now there are less than 100*. Dancing, music and the arts are integral to Irish culture. Changing licensing laws, Covid, and economic forces have all collided to challenge a once vibrant sector.
Give Us the Night is a volunteer group that has set out to revitalise Irish nightlife. The group campaigns for change through revised licensing laws, later opening hours, and regulation reform. Co-founded by Sunil Sharpe and Ciara Power, the group was created in response to the proposed change in venue closing times in 2004 and continues to make crucial progress for dance spaces and the people that fill them.
Recently, the new Hoxton Hotel on Exchequer Street faced backlash, resulting in two protests, after it sought an injunction against its neighbouring restaurant and late-bar, Yamamori Izakaya. A squeeze on nightlife and cultural spaces has restricted those seeking a place of freedom and connection to a handful of buildings. Following the recent closure of The Complex, now more than ever, there is a need to protect our cultural spaces and nightclubs
Give Us The Night has suggested providing more multi-use spaces that merge art, culture and hospitality, while also facilitating dancing. Adapting already existing organisations could prove to be a vital way of keeping the dance fire burning.
A significant change is needed to maintain a culture that can not only survive but thrive. Give Us The Night is at the forefront of this change.
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