Twenty-six pubs may be prosecuted for breaches of the public health regulations and licensing laws following the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions last week.
Pubs that served food as well as restaurants were reopened when the restrictions were lifted. Most of the pubs were found not to be serving food along with alcohol.
Gardaí say they carried out 6,830 checks on almost 3,000 licensed premises all over the country last weekend, and the vast majority were found to be in compliance with the regulations.
However, some publicans had to be warned about breaches before complying. Files will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who will decide how many of the 26 cases are to be brought before the courts.