Tourists strolling through Dublin’s Temple Bar will no longer be able to enjoy some free street entertainment as Dublin City Council has moved to ban buskers from the popular city centre spot.
The local authority has put together a set of new by-laws that would see buskers banned completely from Temple Bar and forced to get an annual permit to play in other areas of the city centre.
According to The Irish Times, the Council issued the new rules in response to complaints of “loud continuous noise, obstruction of premises, disturbing city residents at night and intimidation by some performers seeking donations”.
Under the new by-laws, an annual permit will cost €30, while those wanting to use amplifiers will have to pay an additional €60. In addition to Temple Bar, busking will also be banned in front of the GPO on O’Connell Street.
In other areas, street performers will be permitted between 9am and 11pm, with an extension until 1am on Saturday and Sunday for those playing on Grafton Street. Buskers can only stay in one location for up to two hours and must move at least 250 metres away if they want to continue performing.
A vote on the new by-laws will take place next week.
