Irish Pub Flag Case Goes to Court

By Sean O’Driscoll

A CONNECTICUT judge is expected to rule this week on whether a city planning commission has the right to ban a pub from flying the Irish flag. 

The planning commission in Guilford allows businesses to fly the U.S. flag, but requires planning permission for all others. 

The owner of Ceili’s Irish pub, Geoff Pothin, has taken a case on freedom of expression grounds, arguing he has as much right to fly to the Irish flag as the American, which is also flies outside the pub. 

Pothin has already won a case before the local zoning appeals board, but Guilford town planners have now gone before the Connecticut Superior Court to keep the 3’x5’ flag from flying outside the front door.

The planning commission admits that the flag is within size regulations but says that the pub must get planning permission. However, a city official confirmed that no action had been taken against the pub for displaying a U.S. 82nd Airborne Division flag outside the pub. 

Pothin said that he was astonished that the city was appealing the case at taxpayers’ expense. 

“I have TV and radio stations phoning all the time from New York, Connecticut and all over. It’s publicity I just couldn’t afford. The city should know when to quit, it’s making them look ridiculous,” he said. 

Locals at the pub are strongly backing Pothin’s case. Some weeks ago, someone hung an Irish Tricolor from a flagpole outside the local planning commission’s offices and sent photographs to Pothin and local media organizations. 

The dispute began in August 2002 when zoning enforcement officer Regina J. Reid sent a letter to Pothin in which she warned that he was in violation of “Section 273-60 E” of local zoning regulations. 

“There is an Irish flag posted on the front of your establishment, which is not in conformance with the Guilford zoning regulations. A search of our records reveals that there is no authorization from the Planning and Zoning Commission to display the flag, nor has a variance been sought to increase signage,” the letter states. 

Pothin said that he has no bitterness towards Reid or the planning commission. “We have agreed to disagree,” he said. “It’s only a very modest flag. All we’re trying to do is recognize the Irish state,” he said. 

Guilford planning manager, George Kral, said that the Irish flag was an advertisement and was under the control of commercial restrictions. 

Kral agreed that the city had not taken any action against Ceili’s for displaying an 82nd Airborne Division flag outside the pub, even though it was also not permitted within city regulations.