Councillor wants a permanent peeler presence in Bucky Plaza

Sponge Bob

until it stops being hot, around October or so.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/13109-call-full-time-garda-presence-spanish-arch

Cllr Niall McNelis said that local businesses are suffering as the area is turned into a public toilet every weekend and underage drinking there is rife.
“The age of the kids who are drinking at the Spanish Arch is worrying and they gather there in large numbers,” he said. “There are also groups with bottles of Buckfast, which are effectively weapons, and can turn the nicest guy in the world into a complete idiot.”
He said that tourists had been shocked by the display of public disorder and chaos at the landmark over recent weeks and called for a permanent Garda presence to help eradicate the problems.
“The Gardaí are doing their best and whenever they have the mobile unit positioned in the Spanish Arch, the problem is solved. The solution to these problems is a permanent presence there, and at similar hotspots,” he said.
A Garda spokesperson said that there had been personnel detailed for duties at public order ‘hotspots’ such as Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch over recent weekends.

Hotwheels

Increase tax on Bucky, won't solve problem, but will help national debt..

Turn it into a tourist attraction...has to be a way to make money off this.

God I miss the epic wino battles in Eyre Sq in the 1970's...sitting with grandparents watching the melee..Yanks used to love it...:)

fernandovargas

was down there myself last sat, most people i seen were drinking cans, mcnelis would be more in line to sort out problems his constituents have in knocknacarra

banshee_bones

Its not just underage who drink down at buckfast plaza! Whenever the sun comes out the place is mobbed! The queues out of harvest are unreal!

Diabhal Beag

I love Bucky Plaza like the child I never had. Even when shades are there people are still drinking Bucky.

bigeasyeah

Gardai you mean.

brianthebard

Arch is a mess for about six months of the year, its pretty ****ing tacky. Everyone likes knacker drinking but most people/towns have the decency to be somewhat ashamed of it and do it out of sight.

milehip1

^ honestly, down by the river walk(newtownsmith) or at woodauay is far more refined i think.

Sponge Bob

Hotwheels wrote: »

Turn it into a tourist attraction...has to be a way to make money off this.

God I miss the epic wino battles in Eyre Sq in the 1970's...sitting with grandparents watching the melee..Yanks used to love it...:)

Exactly, roll with it is the answer. The Corrib will claim it's own in an elegantly Darwinian way and people will be able to say they were there and saw it.

skelliser

bucky plaza?

sorry, its called the arch or sparch

banshee_bones

skelliser wrote: »

bucky plaza?

sorry, its called the arch or sparch

and its also known as buckfast plaza.

effing hate "the sparch"

Drinking on the streets of Galway has been illegal since '98

I dislike the mess made and the trouble some make.

I also dislike the names applied to the area.

[/grumpiness]

A few sweeps through by the guards pouring drink into the river would be grand - I've seen them do similar later at night elsewhere in town.

Something I learned tonight:

In 1755, the arches were partially destroyed by the tsunami generated by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Starie1975

banshee_bones wrote: »

and its also known as buckfast plaza.

effing hate "the sparch"

+1

"ya like we're going down like to the sparch like"
"where are you from?"
"I'm from like Roscommon like"

I love heading down to The Spanish Arch for a few cans or in the past a bottle of B, But it's plain to see the mess left behind is shocking. If we get moved on from there we'll find another spot to loiter.

Dunjohn

Effectively weapons? This laptop I'm using is effectively a weapon. Though I do agree with him in principle, the Spanish Arch has some problems.

skelliser

banshee_bones wrote: »

and its also known as buckfast plaza.

effing hate "the sparch"

Give me a break! buckfast plaza! ffs!

its called the arch, end of, to a lesser extent some people call it the sparh or sparchin', which i kinda frown upon.

I prefer the arch, "are you goin down the arch for a few?"
"see you down the arch" etc.
Everybody knows exactly what you mean.

I rarely go down there anymore, there is other nicer spots around.

Eman Resu

Lads drinking bucky and causing grief might be less of an issue if the new social welfare bill comes into effect. And before anyone starts giving out, you have to realise that the lads who cause the trouble are more than likely as much employees of the state as the Guards who have to try and handle them.

KittyeeTrix

Dunjohn wrote: »

Effectively weapons? This laptop I'm using is effectively a weapon. Though I do agree with him in principle, the Spanish Arch has some problems.

Still laughing at this one!!!

The place has 2 names for me....depending on who I'm talking to-
Bucky Plaza to my mates and Spanish Arch to my parents or older generations!!

aido179

all it needs is a full time caretaker/groundskeeper to pick up the cans and empty the bins.

tonyhiggins

aido179 wrote: »

all it needs is a full time caretaker/groundskeeper to pick up the cans and empty the bins.

Or, people pick up their own bloody cans!!

bigeasyeah

Bucky plaza+The Sparch=

The Spaz

aido179

aido179 wrote: »

empty the bins.

?

jenno86

People need to cop the fcuk on down the Arch.

If you are going to drink down there clean up after yourself and don't leave a mess. You are just going to ruin it for everyone.

I actually can't believe some people, no way could I leave a mess behind me down there.

Sherifu

skelliser wrote: »

there is other nicer spots around.

Dunjohn

aido179 wrote: »

all it needs is a full time caretaker/groundskeeper to pick up the cans and empty the bins.

I thought about that, but then there's a certain class of person who'll be more inclined to litter if they reckon it's someone else's job to pick it up. Not to mention, it'd probably be the most humiliating job in the world on good days, wandering around between the gaggles of drunk eejits in your bright orange jacket humbly cleaning up anything they throw your way for a quick laugh.

fernandovargas

seen the pictures of the arch in the tribune, not 1 bottle of buckfast did i see amongst all the rubbish:D

KevR

I call it the Spanish Arch. All the other names are cringeworthy in my opinion.

aido179 wrote: »

all it needs is a full time caretaker/groundskeeper to pick up the cans and empty the bins.

Someone to empty the bins only (i.e. - check the bins every few hours to make sure they're not full or overflowing). Why the fuck should someone have to come along and pick up after people who are too lazy to put their rubbish in the bin?

It's unbelievably unpatriotic to go around littering in your own country. The same scumbags who go around dropping litter in Ireland probably think they're the most patriotic Irish people around.

bonzodog2

fernandovargas wrote: »

seen the pictures of the arch in the tribune, not 1 bottle of buckfast did i see amongst all the rubbish:D

So are you suggesting that the Bucky drinkers of Galway are among the civilised elite of the city and take their bottles home to recycle them, or is it declining in popularity ?

Elevator

I know Neil and I think he's generally a nice guy, the fact he owns a business near the location and knows all the business owners around the arch probably has a lot to do with this

I do have to laugh tho cos one of the tshirts he prints in one of his businesses says "I sparching"

fernandovargas

bonzodog2 wrote: »

So are you suggesting that the Bucky drinkers of Galway are among the civilised elite of the city and take their bottles home to recycle them, or is it declining in popularity ?

just kinda funny that he comes out with his anti buckfast views and then its shows spanish arch covered in cans and not 1 bottle of B in the pics:D maybe he should stop categorizing and step up his anti-bushing views on all alcohol thats drank down there.

tonyhiggins

fernandovargas wrote: »

just kinda funny that he comes out with his anti buckfast views and then its shows spanish arch covered in cans and not 1 bottle of B in the pics:D maybe he should stop categorizing and step up his anti-bushing views on all alcohol thats drank down there.

That's fair enough. But if you want pics, no problem. I can take some for you right now of the bottles bobbing outside my window, I live on the Long Walk..