ONE OF the owners of the Dublin bar where patrons were filmed flouting Ireland’s Covid-19 rules was left "appalled, very unhappy and embarrassed" by the footage - but insists it was a "rogue incident".
Restaurateur Jay Bourke, who is one of several figures involved in the running of Berlin D2, told RTE News he was "absolutely mortified" by the scenes witnessed on social media.
He nevertheless insisted they came during an otherwise "pretty well controlled" event.
Over the weekend, footage emerged of a member of barman directly pouring shots into the mouths of several customers stood close to one another in an apparent disregard of Ireland’s strict social distancing guidelines.
Despite the damning footage, Bourke believes the videos circulated online represented “20 seconds of madness” rather than an accurate reflection of what went on.
“I have reviewed the CCTV footage and I am happy in general that what was going on was ok. There was a rogue incident, and I am not happy about that, and that is our responsibility,” he said.
He also condemned critics on social media for “trying to execute justice” online, adding that several members of staff had received death threats as a result of the online furore.
“I understand Covid, I’ve had it, it’s not fun, I wouldn’t want anyone to get it," he said.
“I’m extremely unhappy about this, that I’ve been hung out to dry.”
Bourke was in West Cork when the incident occurred. He returned to Dublin on Sunday to meet with Gardai and staff to discuss what went on.
He also reviewed all of the CCTV footage from the night before speaking to the media.
The restaurateur admitted that while the clips of the barman jumping on the bar looked bad, the event was “pretty well controlled.”
Though he was keen to stress he was making no excuses for what happened, he branded it “just a mad moment".
He did add that the current health guidelines make no mention of dancing or “jumping around from table to table.”
“He [the barman] was not doing what he should. He was naughty. He’s young and he got excited. It was a moment of exuberance,” Rourke said.
“This was an aberration rather than a normal occurrence. Young people need to have fun, our job is to provide it.”
He ultimately expressed regret at putting on the brunch event. Rourke also dismissed any suggestion of Berlin D2 losing its license, noting that the event did not break any laws.
