Limerick restaurateur in court for selling wine without a valid licence
La Piccola Italia in Limerick city centre has since closed and is no longer trading
A POPULAR restaurant in Limerick city centre, which closed suddenly earlier this year, did not have a valid licence to sell alcohol for at least three-and-a-half years, a court has been told.
Restaurateur Stefano Coppola was prosecuted before Limerick District Court arising from a Revenue detection at La Piccola Italia, O’Connell Street on February 24, 2025.
Prosecuting solicitor Aileen Mee said Revenue inspectors called to the premises on the date in question and observed a glass of wine being sold to a customer.
The premises did not have a valid licence to sell alcohol at the time and Ms Mee told Judge John King the defendant was spoken to and “took responsibility” for what happened.
The court was told the previous licence had expired in September 2021 and that Mr Coppola had applied for a renewal but was unable to do because of difficulties securing a tax clearance certificate.
Judge King was told the business has since closed, is no longer trading and that agreement has been reached to sell the premises.
A solicitor representing Mr Coppola, who now works as a chef, said the difficulties arose because of “legacy debts” which were incurred prior to his client taking over the family-owned business.
The court was told it was “not possible” for the defendant to regularise matters but that the sale of the premises will allow the debts to be cleared. The proceeds from the sale will also be used to fund redundancy payments for staff who lost their jobs.
When Judge King asked how long the premises had been operating without a licence, he was reminded the prosecution before the court related to a single offence on a specific date.
In the circumstances, the judge indicated he will apply the Probation Act if €1,000 is paid to the Court Poor Box by early January.
If the money is not paid, a formal conviction will be recorded.