A protest has been planned against The Hoxton Dublin after the hotel sought an injunction against its neighbour, nightlife venue Yamamori Izakaya, over alleged noise levels. The protest is set to take place on South Great George’s Street at 6pm on Tuesday, February 17

The demonstration was announced by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, a musician and member of People Before Profit, who posted a call to action on Instagram.

“Izakaya is an integral part of Dublin’s nightlife culture. Its loss would be yet another blow to the cultural life of the city. No to the injunction! Join the protest!” he wrote.

The Hoxton, formerly the Central Hotel on Exchequer Street, reopened in November following extensive refurbishment works. The hotel sits next to Yamamori Izakaya, a restaurant and bar that hosts live music five nights a week and has long been part of the capital’s late-night scene.

 

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A post shared by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin (@eoghanoceannabhain)

Ó Ceannabháin told Newstalk that the protest is taking place “because people are sick of the loss of cultural space venues in the city”. He also pointed to the Dublin City Council development plan. “It says that all applications for short or longer-term residential proposals, including hotels, that seek permission adjacent to established late-night users, such as nightclubs, shall be required to demonstrate in their application that they have ensured their development will not cause negative impacts on the adjoining uses in the future.”

Supporters of the venue argue that established cultural spaces are increasingly under pressure from new developments in the city centre. On its own Instagram account, Yamamori Izakaya thanked those who have shown it support but added it would not be commenting further.

In a statement on Friday evening, a spokesperson for Trinity Hospitality, the building leaseholder who filed the proceedings, said: “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.”

In a statement, Yamamori has said it “utterly rejects”  the comments of Trinity Hospitality as reported in The Journal and elsewhere.

The statement read: “The previous operators of the Central Hotel deployed the area over our premises as a function room. The current owners chose to convert this area into bedrooms despite our concerns which were known to them.

“During the construction phase we commissioned an expert report (2023) to measure sound levels, and this was provided to the Company to assist them in installing necessary sound attenuation measures. It should be noted that the sound levels recorded are considerably lower than typical late-night venues and in addition we have since installed a sound limiter [17/12/25] to ensure these levels are not exceeded.

“When the Company raised the matter in late November 2025, we immediately agreed to meet to discuss the issue and requested information about the sound attenuation measures that were installed. Initially the Company agreed to provide this information however we only received the requested information this morning [17/2/26]. It is the opinion of our expert that this information was and still is essential to progress matters. Rather than provide this information in a timely manner the Company sought an injunction. It chose not to provide the requested information which would have facilitated a meeting between the respective experts.

“It is extremely difficult to accept the claims by the Company that it is not seeking to curtail cultural or nightlife activity, and that it would like to see us thrive. Its actions are inconsistent with these sentiments. It is also hard to accept the Company’s claim that it had no choice but to seek the injunction, it chose not to provide the requested information which would have facilitated a meeting between the respective experts immediately.

“The Company’s claim that we have not engaged and have acted unreasonably is incorrect and should not have been made. The agreed testing on 14/15th of February 2026 was of limited use save that it highlighted several issues that the Company will have to clarify. We are now analysing the technical data that we had originally asked for in November last year.

“Despite the legal move, both sides have agreed to work on sound testing together in an effort to reach a solution, raising hopes that a compromise can be found before the dispute escalates further into a legal case. However, demonstrators note that the move by the hotel reflects a broader issue as Dublin’s nightlife and arts culture continues to be under threat.”

The Hoxton, Dublin has said it does not want to see “Yamamori Izakaya close, nor do we want to see nightlife venues curtailed”.

A statement from the hotel read: “Yamamori Izakaya has been an important part of Dublin’s nightlife and cultural fabric for years, one of the many independent businesses that give this part of town its buzz. As a brand, The Hoxton has a track record of actively supporting creative communities and neighbouring businesses for the past 20 years, in each of the cities we call home. Our plan for Dublin is no different. It is central to who we are.

“All of us at The Hoxton Dublin sincerely hope that in the coming weeks, Trinity Hospitality and Yamamori Izakaya can continue to collaborate directly and explore constructive solutions. It is our understanding that Trinity Hospitality has offered mediation as a route forward and is open to contributing financially towards the works required. The Hoxton welcomes any steps that support a positive outcome for both parties.

“At The Hoxton, we have a responsibility to the guests who stay with us. Our hope, therefore, is that through collaboration and goodwill on all sides, a balanced way forward can be agreed upon – one that allows nightlife, hospitality, and community to thrive together, as they should.”