Glasgow Irish bar claims discrimination after 75 noise complaints in two years

All complaints against Connolly’s bar on Bell Street have come from the same ten people.

Bar owner Lindsey McIntyre said in a report to the licensing officer that there seemed to be a discriminatory aspect to the complaints made.

Police Scotland had the bar on their ‘monitored premises list’ but after 64 inspections at the bar, they have been removed from the list.

Council officers met with residents at the premises on a number of occasions over the past two years to find noise coming from the bar.

While tenants in the nearby housing said that the noise is having a negative impact on their wellbeing or health, bar owner, Lindsay McIntyre, said residents have “failed to meet her halfway.”

The issue was brought before the licensing board on Friday.

“The building has been a licensed premise since 1994 and became Connolly’s bar in 2019. Connolly’s was awarded the Best Irish Bar in Scotland title in 2019, 2020 and 2022,” the bar’s legal representative, Archie McIver, said.

“This was originally a commercial building until the upstairs flats were put in. The building was not designed for housing.”

“There has been a frosty relationship between the two parties. Noise is a side effect of living in a city centre. You're not going to wake up to the sound of sheep grazing outside. I am not saying people should live in misery but both parties need to be proportionate,” he continued.

“I would ask that this matter be continued so we can try and gain access to the neighbouring properties to measure the sound. It seems that the residents just do not want an Irish Bar there.”

Mr McIver added that the bar had reduced the number of live music events it held and the volume of the music.

During the meeting, it emerged that the bar had breached a notice which ensured music stopped at 11pm.

“There is no smoke without fire. We have had statutory notices issued which would not have happened if there was not some sort of problem,” Councillor Alex Wilson said.

We have issued a cut off at 11pm but music went on until 11.50pm - the applicant isn’t helping themselves here,” he continued.

“If the complainers are not willing to come to the table and there could be an ‘element’ causing this not to be resolved. I struggle with the fact that we will have to make a decision without a proper resolution.”