What really happened in Howth?

MEDIA reports of violent clashes between large groups of teenagers in Howth over the recent bank holiday weekend appear to be at odds with the gardaí’s official version of events.

There was widespread condemnation of a public order incident at Howth Harbour on the afternoon of May 31 when a group of youths became involved in a drink-fuelled brawl on the pier.

The shameful anti-social activity occurred on one of the busiest days of the year so far at the popular tourist town due to the good weather and long weekend. Onlookers were said to be frightened and intimidated as hundreds of teenage revellers – many of them drunk – descended on the seaside village.

Shocking photographs seen by Northside People show a number of clearly intoxicated young teenage girls vomiting on Howth’s East Pier, which was the flashpoint for the most serious disturbance.

It’s believed that hoards of youngsters had arranged to gather in Howth through social networking sites. Some news websites reported that the gardaí confiscated large amounts of alcohol and had to disperse

“several hundred

? teenagers from the pier.

Following a request by gardaí, Irish Rail suspended northbound DART services from Sutton station for two hours to reduce the numbers of people arriving in Howth.

Reform Alliance TD for Dublin Bay North, Terence Flanagan, expressed serious concern at reports of the bank holiday weekend violence.

“I am absolutely appalled at reports of a mass brawl in Howth on Saturday [May 31] involving over 100 youths,

? he stated. “Large groups of people attend Dublin’s beaches in periods of hot weather and unfortunately this can cause prob­- lems with fights breaking out.

“I have substantial concerns about reports of people being injured because of the violence that occurred. It is also concerning that no arrests have been made and I urge the gardaí to continue their investigations and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

?

Deputy Flanagan added: “Howth is such a beautiful town and many locals and tourists alike visit the area to enjoy all it has to offer. Reports of incidents like this could put people off visiting the area in future and negatively impact local businesses.

“It is vitally important that in further periods of warm weather the gardaí increase their presence so that similar incidents cannot occur.

?

However, the reported numbers of those involved in the violence in Howth are not borne out by official Garda figures.

Northside People asked the Garda Press Office to confirm if arrests had been made or charges were pending in relation to the disturbances in Howth on the Saturday of the bank holiday weekend. We initially received the following one-line response:

“Gardai in Howth had no major incidents to report from May 31.

?

When we made further contact with the press office, a Garda spokesperson confirmed that a public order incident occurred on Howth’s East Pier at 4.30pm on Saturday, May 31, involving

“up to 20 intoxicated youths

?. He said this group was dispersed by gardaí and no arrests were made.

Separately that evening, a 17-year-old was arrested for a public order offence on Coast Road, Malahide, at 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, in Portmarnock, a number of youths boarded a bus and allegedly refused to pay their fare, forcing the driver to call the guards. One person was arrested during this incident and gardaí escorted the group off the bus.