A judge has ruled that there need to be more taxis made available in the Kerry tourist village of Sneem, after an incident last autumn left the one and only taximan in the town overwhelmed. 

Gardaí in Kerry were called to Riney's Bar in Sneem, in the Ring of Kerry, on what was later revealed to be an incredibly busy night in the town, where they found 50-60 people at the bar after hours. As the Kenmare District Court heard, the pub's owner Daniel Riney was pleaded guilty to the charge of being open after hours, but his solicitor told the judge that he had difficulty clearing the premises due to the fact that there was only one taxi in the village. 

"There was a birthday party, a hen party and a golf outing at Parknasilla", Riney's solicitor said, adding that the poor taxi man was probably still going until about 5am on the night to try and get everyone back and forth to their destinations. Talk about having a monopoly...

In passing his judgement, Judge James O’Connor told Riney that he would need to make a donation of €800 to the court's poor box, and added that "the next time there are three parties in Sneem, make sure taxis are brought in from Kenmare in the east and Cahersiveen on the other side". 

Via The Irish Times