The Mayor of Galway City Councillor Eddie Hoare has launched the National ‘Show Me I.D – Be Age OK’ Winter campaign, promoting Ireland’s largest responsible retail training platform to encourage enhanced vigilance among retailers, publicans, and hospitality staff over the busy Christmas and New Year period. The launch of the campaign took place at Freeney’s Pub in the Latin Quarter in Galway City.
The Show Me I.D campaign is urging retail and hospitality staff to play an essential part in protecting minors in local communities against the sale of age-restricted products, which include alcohol, lottery tickets plus various tobacco and vaping products. Coming into the busiest period of the year for the retail and hospitality sector, staff are encouraged to avail of the free training module to ensure they are best prepared to confidently handle potential incidents of non-compliance with the law.
The Show Me I.D training module is a useful online resource, which places users into hypothetical situations they are likely to encounter in a retail or hospitality environment, including what to do when a minor attempts to purchase any age-restricted product or when an unacceptable form of identification is provided.
Over the course of 2023, the Show Me I.D – Be Age OK training module has been completed by over 1,000 retail staff members across the country, highlighting the usefulness of the module in maintaining high standards of compliance with the law.
Alongside the launch of the Winter campaign, retail and hospitality staff can now enter a competition to win a €100 One4All voucher, which they can sign up for after they complete the training course. Show Me I.D is also encouraging the use of the hashtag #DontFallforFakes over the busy Christmas period to promote vigilance against fake or counterfeit I.Ds that may be used to bypass the strict laws around age-restricted products.
Over the course of 2023, the Show Me I.D campaign has received a wealth of support, from Minister of State for Law Reform, James Browne TD, President of the Vintners Federation of Ireland Councillor, John Clendennen, Deputy Mayor of Limerick City Councillor, Daniel McSweeney and County Councillor for South Dublin County, Emma Murphy.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Mayor of Galway City Councillor Eddie Hoare said, “I am delighted to be launching the Show Me I.D – Be Age OK Winter campaign here today at Freeney’s Pub on High Street. As we head into the busy Christmas and New Year period, it is important that retailers, publicans and hospitality staff across the country exercise vigilance and maintain high standards of compliance to ensure age-restricted products are not sold to minors. The sector should be aware that non-compliance with these laws can lead to the loss of one’s licences, along with significant fines.”
“The Show Me I.D training module is a brilliant online tool that staff can utilise to ensure they are confident and assured behind the till whenever they are confronted with situations in which a minor attempts to purchase an age-restricted product or presents an illegitimate form of identification. It is initiatives like Show Me I.D – Be Age OK that will help to protect our local communities from under-age gambling and the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and vaping products, so I would encourage staff across the country to avail of the training.”
For more information about the campaign and to access the free training module, please visit the Show Me ID website: www.showmeid.ie
