Protest planned as Dublin venue Yamamori Izakaya faces noise dispute

Nightlife advocates are coming together in Dublin this week as one of the city’s beloved late-night spots fights back against noise complaints that could threaten its future. 

Basement bar and club Yamamori Izakaya has become a go-to for music fans and DJs alike, known for championing local talent and bringing cutting-edge nights to the Irish capital. But when the leaseholder of the neighbouring hotel, The Hoxton, took legal action over noise issues and sought an injunction, the community didn’t sit quietly.

The dispute began after noise complaints prompted the hotel to cite “repeated and serious noise nuisance” as justification for seeking legal action, upon the nightclub within Yamamori being moved from the basement to the ground floor. The venue have offered solutions - including sound-limiting equipment and an offer to work with the building's leaseholder, Trinity Hospitality - but the issue has spiralled into a wider conversation about how cities balance development with the cultural heartbeat provided by bars, clubs and late-night spaces.

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The Dublin dance contingent now plan to protest in support of the venue, with people due to gather on Tuesday 17th February, meeting at 6 pm on South Great George's Street in the city centre, to make it clear that nightlife spaces matter. 

A statement from Trinity Hospitality regarding the noise dispute reads:

"The proceedings filed last week are not seeking to close the Yamamori Izakaya restaurant or nightclub; rather, it seeks to advance a testing and resolution process to reduce noise transfer into the hotel.

"Yamamori Izakaya has long hosted its "Izakaya Basement" late-night events, and in tandem, the building has operated as a hotel since 1887. However, since the hotel closed for refurbishment, the late-night DJ events moved from the basement to the ground-floor restaurant, which lacks the appropriate structural-acoustic measures for nightclub events.

"We’re pleased that joint testing occurred over the weekend, as it will hopefully allow us to move forward and find a collaborative solution that enables both businesses to continue to thrive.”

Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.

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Header image credit: Valentin Bolder