All major public gatherings including the Tidy Towns competition will not take place this summer.

The Government has confirmed that events with crowds of more than 5,000 will not be licenced up to the end of August.

A statement issued this evening said that local authorities have been advised by Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licences in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August.

This view endorsed by Cabinet today where Ministers were told that all major planned gatherings will have to be shelved until September at the earliest.

It means there will be no major sport events or concerts held in the country this summer.

It's a similar story for the Tidy Towns contest. The Tidy Towns Competition involves just under 1,000 communities and judging gets underway every June.

Community and Rural Development Minister Michael Ring said people would be encouraged to do some Tidy Towns work in their communities from September on. This would be with a view to next year's competition.

The Tidy Towns contest has been held annually for the last 62 years.

The Government has said that local authorities have been advised that events requiring licences in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August.

In a statement this evening, the Government said this issue will be kept under review in line with NPHET advice on mass gatherings

This would mean that the GAA championship may not be held until next autumn or winter with the chance that it could be scrapped altogether.

Another option would be to play games behind closed doors.