St Patrick's demon drink - 200 facing court
A St Patrick’s night of drunken revelry and riots today left at least 200 people on both sides of the Irish border facing court.
From Belfast to Dublin, Derry to Cork the drunks were sobering up and getting ready to hand over more money to the courts than they did to the licensed trade.
Students in Belfast were also facing disciplinary action by Queen’s University and the University of Ulster after disturbances in the Holyland area where many of them live.
In Derry drunken youngsters supplied with alcohol by adults added to the street violence.
A Police Service spokesman said: “It was definitely the demon drink – there was an awful lot consumed.”
In Derry 15 people were arrested after a drunken riot in the city centre during which police were attacked with stones and bottles.
A 15-year-old girl was was injured when she was hit on the head by a bottle and a policeman injured by a bottle while tending her. Another officer was injured nearby.
A police spokesman said five juveniles were among those arrested for public order offences, the youngest just 13 years old.
As planning for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations police in the city had discussions with off licences and said they were satisfied they did everything they could to stop the sale of alcohol to minors.
“Despite this a number of young people had drink taken and police believe adults were responsible for this by purchasing alcohol for under-age drinkers.
“Regrettably this contributed to incidents of disorder,” he said.
In Maghera, Co Derry, officers who tried to break up a mob fight in Main Street were attacked with pool balls and bottles. A police Land Rover was damaged but no officers injured.
A man was stabbed in the back during trouble outside bars in Downpatrick, co Down and two more injured during fighting in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
In the Holyland area of Belfast close to Queen’s University 18 people were arrested, most for disorderly behaviour, after students went on the rampage after drinking all night.
Residents of the area have become fed-up with the antics of the huge student population and demanded action.
Police said they visited a number of houses where boozy St Patrick’s night parties were taking place.
“Numerous persons were given advice and warnings by police while details of houses where disorderly behaviour took place will be passed on to the relevant university or college,” said a spokesman.
Queen’s pro-vice chancellor, Professor Gerry McCormac, who visited the area last night, said he suspected students were involved in the disturbances.
“I am disappointed that all the appeals we have made have fallen on deaf wears for some.
“All we can do is to continue to apply the disciplinary procedures that we have put in place,” said Prof McCormac.
Both Queen’s and the Ulster University recently wrote to all students living in the area urging them to behave over St Patrick’s Day and warning troublemakers they would “deal severely” with those who stepped out of line.
Expulsion is the ultimate sanction, fines the norm, although one student was recently suspended by Queen’s.
In Dublin up to 70 people were arrested in the city centre and ambulance crews dealt with two dozen assaults over a two-hour late night period.
Across country in Cork around 40 were detained for drunken disorderly behaviour, and in Limerick 52 were detained.
A Garda spokesman said the public order incidents were not as widespread as last year when there were more than 300 arrests across the country.
