The Phoenix Vol.38 No.13

THE PHOENIX JULY 3, 2020 29
MONEY H MONEY H MONEY H MONEY H MONEY H MONEY H MONEY H MONEY
out to be an interesting
chap by the name of Danny
Kenny, with an address in
Knocknacarra Park, Galway.
He has had his fair share of
adventures.
Midnight Entertainment
found itself in a spot of bother
in 2015, resulting in Kenny
being given a six-month
suspended sentence in Galway
District Court for operating
what Judge Mary Fahy
described as “a shebeen”. She
said the licensing laws were
being flouted and Kenny had
sought to justify his actions
by claiming that the 4 Aces
Casino was a private members
club.
Kenny
objected in court
to the claim that
he had wines,
beer, spirits and
cider for sale
without a licence
and said that
those who paid
€30 to enter the
premises were
members of a
private club,
which was not
subject to the
normal restrictions on serving
alcohol.
Fahy, however, observed
that “the most salubrious clubs
in Stephen’s Green don’t
charge that amount”. She
said a genuine casino would
have the appropriate licence,
noting, “It is outrageous that
this man could run a place like
this – a shebeen – and expect
the court, or any court, to
accept that he was running a
bona fide club.”
Gardaí raided the premises,
having had the 4 Aces under
observation for some time,
and removed three van loads
of alcohol. Enquiries with
the District Court revealed
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there were no registered
clubs at the address, although
Midnight Entertainment was
registered there, with Kenny
listed as a director and 100%
shareholder.
Judge Fahy sentenced
Kenny to six months, despite
it being a first offence, but
suspended it for two years.
In 2017, the company itself
was also charged with selling
alcohol without a licence
and, when the case came
before Judge Fahy, Midnight
Entertainment asked for the
judge to recuse herself on
the basis of comments made
in the previous hearing. Fahy
refused and the
matter ended up
in the High Court
in March last
year before Judge
Charles Meenan,
who quashed
Fahy’s decision not
to recuse herself.
Now, Midnight
Entertainment is
to be liquidated
as a result of
losses incurred
Judge Mary Fahy although, as
recently as the end
of last year, the accounts
for Midnight Entertainment
showed accumulated profits
of over €½m, with a profit
recorded in 2019 of more that
€120,000. Those remarkably
healthy-looking accounts were
signed off on March 11 this
year, immediately ahead of the
Covid-19 shutdown of pubs
and clubs.
The outing in Galway
District Court was not Kenny’s
first brush with the law. Some
10 years earlier, as part of the
nationwide Operation Quest,
Kenny found himself in the
same setting following a raid by
gardaí on a lap-dancing club
called Angels in Upper Salthill.
The company behind
Angels was Fat Chef Catering
Ltd, where the principal was
Dublin-based Patrick O’Keeffe,
while Danny Kenny was
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