Travelling brawlers of Balbriggan

marcsignal

By the looks of the YouTube clips up, it was quite a show :pac:

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/columnists/gerry-ocarroll/shame-on-the-travelling-brawlers-of-balbriggan-1730086.html

IT WAS like a scene from an old Western when the cowboys, at the end of a long cattle drive, got drunk and broke up the saloon.

Only this wasn't Dodge City. It was picturesque and normally sedate Balbriggan on a Bank Holiday Monday.

After a gathering, a group of Travellers adjourned to a bar. Shortly afterwards Balbriggan witnessed a drink-fuelled orgy of violence and destruction.

Brawls at Traveller sessions are not new, but The Battle of Balbriggan has elevated things to a fresh level of violence.

One, when asked why he behaved the way he did, said: "We're only doing it out of spite."

MAYHEM

Another red letter day for the Travelling community, then.

Let me state here categorically -- I am no Traveller-basher.

Growing up in Listowel, I went to school with Traveller children. As a garda in Rathfarnham, I met many wonderful Traveller characters, and was proud to call them friends.

However, Monday's mayhem was a disgrace.

Some years ago we brought in laws to end to the practice of barring Travellers from pubs and hotels simply because they were Travellers. This legislation was right. It was needed, and it vindicated the civil rights of Travellers. But with rights come responsibilities. And they were thrown to the wind -- with pint pots and table legs -- on Monday.

Those scenes have put back the cause of decent Travellers who obey the law.

Let's put one myth to bed: Travellers are not a separate people who should be treated separately. They are citizens -- the same as you and I.

Certain politicians have pandered to these demands in the past, funding expensive PR campaigns in the 90s. In one, an earnest Traveller lady appealed to the nation to "respect our culture".

I do not believe Travellers have a culture that is any more important any other group.

WEALTHY

For many years, Traveller 'culture' was an unenviable one: low levels of schooling, shocking child mortality, and high levels of alcohol-related diseases. Thankfully, many grievances have been redressed and many Travellers have become wealthy businesspeople.

However, a growing minority is involved in serious criminal activity. I am not suggesting the Balbriggan rioters are involved in this, but the gangster element is thwarting the efforts of groups like Pavee Point to redress genuine grievances.

The Battle of Balbriggan will confirm existing fears of pub and hotel owners not to allow Travellers on their premises.

More significantly, it will confirm the view of settled society that many Travellers refuse to act like law-abiding citizens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_WNvNQUYAU

trout

Brawling Travellers ?

happyoutscan

trout wrote: »

Brawling Travellers ?

Never!:rolleyes:

My name is URL

"We're only doing it out of spite"

Best catchphrase ever

Insect Overlord

Cool videos.

If only we had a forum for those...

SoupyNorman

The cameraman sounds like he belongs in the van too.

Acacia

SoupyNorman wrote: »

The cameraman sounds like he belongs in the van too.

That's what i was thinkin'. Was it really necessary to shout ''pikey!" and 'scumbag!' at every guy they put in the van? Classy.

brianthebard

Let me state here categorically -- I am no Traveller-basher.

Sounds awfully like 'I'm not a racist, but...' Also this;

For many years, Traveller 'culture' was an unenviable one: low levels of schooling, shocking child mortality, and high levels of alcohol-related diseases. Thankfully, many grievances have been redressed and many Travellers have become wealthy businesspeople.

Is bullsh.it. Child mortality alcoholism and illiteracy are still disproportionally part of traveller's lives. He seems to think that just because people can't legally discriminate against travellers any more, suddenly everything's sorted. It doesn't work like that ffs.

stovelid

That's good news for the likes of the Irish Traveller Movement and Pavee Point. If travelers really are that fond of drinking like fish, acting the bollix, and fighting indiscriminately, their integration with mainstream Irish male culture is all but complete.

Mr Benevolent

And the settled community are so well behaved.

Get a grip people.

Mr.Lizard

What we need to do is give them all blankets covered with typhoid. It's worked before and it could work again.

Vain

Acacia wrote: »

That's what i was thinkin'. Was it really necessary to shout ''pikey!" and 'scumbag!' at every guy they put in the van? Classy.

Yes, yes it was.

magick

Confab wrote: »

And the settled community are so well behaved.

Get a grip people.

compared to that?!

yes.....yes we are

RoundyMooney

brianthebard wrote: »

Sounds awfully like 'I'm not a racist, but...'

Ah jesus, don't start.

brianthebard wrote: »

Is bullsh.it. Child mortality alcoholism and illiteracy are still disproportionally part of traveller's lives. He seems to think that just because people can't legally discriminate against travellers any more, suddenly everything's sorted. It doesn't work like that ffs.

And who's flippin' fault is that? Are settled people collectively responsible for the hapless nature of traveller parenting (as well as that of our own homegrown welfare parasites)?

Are we supposed to keep throwing money at them to sustain a "culture" that only exists to support a lifestyle of mobile casual trading?

Are we supposed to tell that publican that he has no cause for grievance because the settled crowd are as bad?

Some of ye would put up with anything.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

SomeFool

Anyone else think that the Travelling brawlers of Balbriggan would be a great name for a trad group....

brianthebard

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Ah jesus, don't start.



And who's flippin' fault is that? Are settled people collectively responsible for the hapless nature of traveller parenting (as well as that of our own homegrown welfare parasites)?

Are we supposed to keep throwing money at them to sustain a "culture" that only exists to support a lifestyle of mobile casual trading?

Are we supposed to tell that publican that he has no cause for grievance because the settled crowd are as bad?

Some of ye would put up with anything.

You know before discrimination against travellers became a part of settled "culture" there actually wasn't anywhere near as many problems between the two communities. But of course you wouldn't know that because you're too busy making blanket statements and sustaining bigotry.

Lilyblue

Where is singing Bernie Walsh when you need her?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d46O1PHEiKI

RoundyMooney

SomeFool wrote: »

Anyone else think that the Travelling brawlers of Balbriggan would be a great name for a trad group....

Playing such hits as "The Dog Smoked All Me Fags", "The Hoor Among The Nettles Roarin'", "The Mangled Badger", and"The Stout That Ate Me Sandals".

Crann na Beatha

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easyeason3

It was picturesque??????

It's a normal street, nothing 'picturesque' about it. Anyway it happens everywhere at some stage whether people like it or not. I'm thinking that the news was a bit slow that day & photographers happened to be present.

Sharpshooter

I couldn't see how many travellers were actually there, but there sure was a posse of police.

RoundyMooney

Yes Brian, as someone who doesn't lie down and take sh1t from opportunistic sectors of our society (not just the ones who (used to) live in caravans, or who are the descendants of honest to god noble tinkers (in the old non derogatory meaning of the word), I'm obviously the reason those poor oppressed fellows decided to binge drink and tear someone's livelihood apart.

The PC pendulum is swinging the other way, flower, and it's about flippin' time.

Crann na Beatha

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Feelgood

This has had some knock on effect to the travelling community. There was about I'd say 15-20 travellers around Ardee today and no word of a lie every pub in the town closed their doors.

Wouldn't mind, but they only stopped at the chippers. Don't think its fair to tar them all with the same brush, even after this incident.

brianthebard

Iolar wrote: »

Let's create an Irish version of the Waffen SS to sort all our problems shall we?:rolleyes:

wtf?

Keith C

brianthebard wrote: »

You know before discrimination against travellers became a part of settled "culture" there actually wasn't anywhere near as many problems between the two communities. But of course you wouldn't know that because you're too busy making blanket statements and sustaining bigotry.

Presume that was before the internet, mobile phone recording etc.. where rumours of travelers deeds were just that but now it gets posted on websites/youtube for everyone to see.

Think you've "watched into the west" too many times they're not all like tayto & ossie!!

brianthebard

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Yes Brian, as someone who doesn't lie down and take sh1t from opportunistic sectors of our society (not just the ones who (used to) live in caravans, or who are the descendants of honest to god noble tinkers (in the old non derogatory meaning of the word), I'm obviously the reason those poor oppressed fellows decided to binge drink and tear someone's livelihood apart.

The PC pendulum is swinging the other way, flower, and it's about flippin' time.

Intolerance is cool now is it? Must get me some of that bigoted bandwagon so.

The_Minister

I can't believe Degsy isn't with us to see this thread.

Kintarō Hattori

I used to live in Balbriggan (for one year). Looks like it's gone to hell since I left. :pac:

FlutterinBantam

While not condoning what happened, that was some shower of lowlifes outside videoing events.

What a load of litterus..chavery at it's finest.