A Kilkenny pole-dancing club, which was at the centre of a media storm when it opened its doors earlier this year, has been granted a licence to continue trading.
Whispers pole-dancing club, received an annual licence to continue trading in their city centre location during the Kilkenny annual licensing court on Tuesday.
The court confirmed a certificate of transfer, from the previous owners of the premises, to Whispers Entertainments Ltd, owners of the current licence for the premises.
No formal objections to the licence were before the court in relation to the renewal.
The club opened in the former premises of the Widow McGrath’s pub on Parliament Street in Kilkenny, after it was granted an ad-interim licence to trade until September of this year.
The initial ad-interim licence was granted on January 22 this year, amidst a flurry of objections from the local authority and concerned residents, with former mayor Marie Fitzpatrick leading the charge.
At the time, Cllr Fitzpatrick warned that the nature of the club had the potential to fuel the sex-trade in the area and assist in the trafficking of young women.
The furore that greeted the pole-dancing club’s decision to open in the city, the first of its kind to do so, attracted national media attention and brought numerous protestors to the premises to vent their concerns, including a number of local politicians.
Although much of the hype has since died down, a small number of protestors continue to maintain a presence outside the club on weekend nights.
