Ashamed to be Irish!

Scruff101

Today is St. Patricks Day...a day which is supposedly meant to be used as a means of celebrating our nationality! After my experiences today I think 'St. Patricks Day' is an outdated concept that should be done away with! All it is is an excuse for people (mostly underage) to get well and truly off their faces and ruin the day for everyone else!

Walking up Grafton St. today I felt like i was in some different city or a parallel universe, almost everyone was drunk, people were drinking out of cans or bottles, people were either falling around the place or being held up by their friends and others were trying to pick fights with passers-by! Meanwhile the Guards stood by just waiting for something to happen...which it did a number of times! In the space of 3 hours I saw an ambulance on Grafton St. 4 times and I saw people being handcuffed by the Guards 5 or 6 times!
Myself and my friend decided to see if Temple Bar was as bad as Grafton St! We were Just crossing Dame St. over to the Bank of Ireland when we saw a group of 5 girls (no more than 17 years of age) getting into a fight with 2 other girls.....several men stood by cheering and another man was recording the whole thiing on his camera!! One of the girls was being kicked and when her friend tried to help her she was turned on by the group of 5 girls, punched in the face and thrown against the gates of the bank!
Eventually the 2 girls got away! At this stage we had gotten across the street(the lights had been red) and we were walking behind the 2 girls towards the Temple Bar area! Myself and my friend realised that neither of them were Irish! We stopped them to ask if they were ok,one of them was crying her eyes out and the other was in complete shock! They had been set upon by the 5 for NO reason! One of the thugs stuck a sticker on one of the girls backs and she took it off & threw it on the ground, when the group saw her throwing the sticker away they started to hit her!! This was the ONLY reason...the girls had just been walking along looking for somewhere to go for food!! We brought them into the toilets in the Bank bar to get them some ice for their badly beaten faces and to calm them down a bit! The 2 girls were Canadians in Ireland for the week specially for St. Patricks week! These girls will not be back! Im sure our attempts at telling them that this is not the norm fell on deaf ears! They are here until Monday and will not be back into town...they are going to stay around Clontarf (where their B&B is) for the next few days! We stayed with the girls for around an hour and got a taxi for them!

Today I have to say I am ashamed to be Irish...if this is what celebrating our Irishness is all about I give up! A Thousand Welcomes....yeah right!! The Fighting Irish now has a whole new meaning for me!


Rant over!

Plunky

This is a ridiculous but scarily very fair an true account of what happens in Dublin on a Daily basis. People have to realise that no longer are we the saints and scholars of old. We're a country of some thugs and ruffians now, and that small minority are what people see, and what they base their impression of Ireland on. Fortunately I'm in New Ross this Paddy's day, even though I live in Dublin, and I've been having a great day. We've had a civilised day, went back about 20 years in time at the parade. it was a real irish one, as opposed to one full of American marching bands. It even had tractors in it - so cool! But yeah, having experienced MY Patrick's day, I gotta say I'm proud to be irish, though I am aware that a bunch of horrible Irish people exist out there...

xeduCat

I agree. The morning I like, the afternoon I can handle, and the evening is one of the most obnoxious times to be in Dublin. So I hide.

WexCan

My trip home from work brought me from the Luas station at the Green to the number 7 bus stop at the bottom of Grafton Street. The streets were filthy, bottles were being smashed all around and apart from feeling so ashamed to be Irish, I felt scared walking the streets of Dublin in broad dayliight. At the bus stop, a drunk girl with a belt of a skirt was pushed up against the wall beside me:

Drunk Skanger Guy: "Whereya from? Kildare? Six euro ok?"

I swear he would have raped her right there on the street. I'm schocked and to be honest the whole in-town experience was sickening.

Chris

DrIndy

Its scary where these people appear from! They must be living normally in dublin most of the time and then when paddys day comes along they crawl out from under the stone and act the complete tit!

I saw a lot of the Guards confiscating cans of beer from the yobs - and fair dues to their zero tolerance.......

Scruff101

It was completely bizzare...was meant to be going out tonight but Im glad I went out last night cos there is no way I want to take any part in this joke of a 'Holy' Day!! I'm happy enought sitting in my room in New Square away from that mess!
Today I went to the parade..it was the 1st time I was at the parade in Dublin and my friend and I were commenting on how much better the parade was in Dublin compared to the country towns we are from!
But now having witnessed the post-parade 'celebrating' I will happily spend every St.Patricks Day from now on looking at the tractors, trucks, and boy scouts that form the majority of the parade at home if it means I can do my post-celebrating in comfort!!

FX Meister

That's why I stay away from town of St. Patricks Day.

Pet

Yuck. It's absolutely shameful isn't it? I'm ashamed for the country when I see tourists walking around the "city" on even a good day. But on a day like today, I literally cringe with embarrassment.

nlgbbbblth

Plunky wrote:

Fortunately I'm in New Ross this Paddy's day, even though I live in Dublin, and I've been having a great day.

ah my hometown.
Richie's is a great place to drink on St Patrick's Day.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Went through Temple Bar for a bit - it is absolutely scary right now.

The Lord Mayor was right to try and ban drink sales until 6pm today.

Plunky

nlgbbbblth wrote:

ah my hometown.
Richie's is a great place to drink on St Patrick's Day.

Was in the Theatre Tavern earlier, now at my mate's house

I´m writing this from Barcelona - right now, I can´t but be proud to be irish. I´ve just come from a restaurant where 78 other engineers had food and drink, where we irish danced and sang. We didn´t puke all over the place, we literally made the place become alive. I was stopped today by a Galway man who literally started chatting to me - this is the friendliness irishness is built on. I´ve had an amazing day - usually I spend my day drinking in doyle´s with my mates at home, which I enjoy. But today is fantastic. Not just the weather is great, the entire atmosphere is fantastic. Its very hard to explain, but you only realise what it is to be irish once you go away.

moshpit77

what gets me is that its the same f.uckers that complain about drunks on paddys day that go to oxegen and get sh1t arsed off their face on E and say it's all the rock and roll lifestyle

if you don't get drunk on paddies day don't be jealous. get over it

uberpixie

There is a reason most taxi drivers try avoid working paddies day.

Talk to any driver and they will always say paddies day is the only day they would never try to work on.

nlgbbbblth

Plunky wrote:

Was in the Theatre Tavern earlier, now at my mate's house

Tavern is good for a late drink. Had better atmosphere about ten years ago. Good smoking facilities though. And it is better than that hellhole Mick Malone's (Spider's)

FX Meister

moshpit77 wrote:

what gets me is that its the same f.uckers that complain about drunks on paddys day that go to oxegen and get sh1t arsed off their face on E and say it's all the rock and roll lifestyle

if you don't get drunk on paddies day don't be jealous. get over it

You sound lika a spa.

Enii

I don't think it is just an irish thing on St. Paddy's day. i was in Australia for Anzac and Australia day and it was pretty much the same thing - a big excuse for a piss up..... The worst thing with us Irish is that it is every weekend.

Ilac

Wish I was in New Ross...
It's so...hilly.

Jammer

its shocking. went into town at about 7, and tried to go into mericantile on dame st, they said "cant let u in, ur full of gargle!"..was like...WHAT? i hadnt touched a drop all day, yet they said i was full of it? cos i look a bit young (i'm 18..) and im male, they assume ive been drinking all day i guess..saw a fight outside involving about 12 people, said **** this so went home. not worth the hassle.

Totally agree with the OP, today was my first St Paddys Day in Dublin and the whole thing was chaos. Saw loads of skanger girls getting into fights, ambulances and police being called, people off their faces with drink and I was only there the morning and afternoon. I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going out in the evening, can only imagine what it would be like. It's just embarrassing. I really wonder what the tourists think. I met some Spanish friends in the afternoon and they were just appalled. To be fair, the majority of people were there to have a good time and enjoy it but it's the thugs who set on people for no reason and want to cause trouble who ruin it for everyone.

DrIndy

Myth wrote:

I´m writing this from Barcelona - right now, I can´t but be proud to be irish. I´ve just come from a restaurant where 78 other engineers had food and drink, where we irish danced and sang. We didn´t puke all over the place, we literally made the place become alive. I was stopped today by a Galway man who literally started chatting to me - this is the friendliness irishness is built on. I´ve had an amazing day - usually I spend my day drinking in doyle´s with my mates at home, which I enjoy. But today is fantastic. Not just the weather is great, the entire atmosphere is fantastic. Its very hard to explain, but you only realise what it is to be irish once you go away.

Its true - I went to a pub in Drumcondra for a quiet few with some mates and it was grand - its the city centre is chaos as always.... we were dancing and got warned by the bar staff not to. Then we got a second warning. ah well... we reckon that McDowell must own the pub......

Talking of being Irish - whenever and wherever I am in the world and I don't know anyone else around and I want to go out, I just find the nearest Irish Pub - its guarranteed to have loads of irish and you instantly hit off with them all as we have the great thing in common of being in a foreign country. The time I went to the Irish pub in the Isle of Man (whilst visiting my sister) - I ended up going clubbing with a load of people I never met before..... it was sweet.

There is nothing better in the world than being Irish - shame St. Paddys day has ruined that for me.......

Scruff101

moshpit77 wrote:

what gets me is that its the same f.uckers that complain about drunks on paddys day that go to oxegen and get sh1t arsed off their face on E and say it's all the rock and roll lifestyle

if you don't get drunk on paddies day don't be jealous. get over it

I go to Oxegen...people there might get drunk but they are there to have a great time and act accordingly in their drunken state...they don't go around like yobs trying to start fights and wrecking the campsite!

As for the same thing happening in every country....I spent last year in Spain and went to several festivals...people got drunk and nothing like what I saw yesterday happened...people were drunk but 'nice drunk' if you know what I mean! The 2 Canadian girls we helped also said that nothing like this would happen in the city they are from!

It's shameful....and there will probably be more of the same tomorrow night at Skyfest though it probably wont be as obvious cos it'll be dark!!!

Nietzschean

moved.... better suited to here.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Moshpit77 wrote:

what gets me is that its the same f.uckers that complain about drunks on paddys day that go to oxegen and get sh1t arsed off their face on E and say it's all the rock and roll lifestyle

You bitter toward Oxegen or something? that was the weirdest post I've come across in a while

Moshpit77 wrote:

if you don't get drunk on paddies day don't be jealous. get over it

Just doesn't make sense, how could you be jeaslous of someone getting drunk when it's perfectly legal and easy to do so yourself?

Megatron

I was working yesteday so i missed all the "Fun" but i went out for a few pints (4) with some mates, now we went to a fairly rough pub but it's thier local so i dont' mind. I was outside having a smoke , and this guy comes charging up the road , he had a "Angry head" on him, so i finish up about 15 secs after he has gone into the pub. As i open the door he's inside just smacking random people around the pub trying to start a fight. the doormen see this go in take him about and then the fight begins ... i just went back to my mates and we ignored it , but i saw a good few fights on the way home .

I'm truly embarrased on days like this, what is to blame .. the drink ? no , for years we have always got langers on a paddy's day , but did we try and kick the b*ll*x out of people , nope ... it's lack of respect for anything but yourself attitude that is what the problem is.

I've been in a few different citys for paddy's day over the years and only in Dublin do you have to try and plan to avoid the city center.

RuggieBear

have to admit i avoided the city centre as well....just didn't want my (english) girlfriend witnessing the drunkness, puking, violence and on street sex that i've seen down thru the years....

Mossy Monk

i noticed a huge increase in the amount of drunk scumbags roaming the streets of waterford last night. muppets they were. and what were the cops doing

sweet **** all

kenmc

yep - i avoided the whole thing yesterday. went for a walk in the country instead. weather was glorious, much nicer to be out and about doing something like that, especially after we've had such bad weather recently.
Was in barcelona for new years and had SUCH a great time. they sell alchohol openly on the streets there on that night. saw not a single fight. everyone was in great form. felt safer there than I ever did in dublin on new years, even wandering down little streets I didn't know.
we have really gone to the dogs. ppl actually boast about how out of it they were for weekends!!! I *hate* waking up hungover, cos you can do nothing for the whole bloody day. yet there's ppl who actually set out to get as drunk as they can, 2 nights in the weekend!!!! I love my beer, but at the end of the day you only get 2 days off work, so I try to make the most of them. Don't mind being hungover on work days so much though - least you get paid for that
(end of rant)

BobTheBeat

Most of us are super quick to slate the english yobbos, but the truth is we arent too far removed from them these days. It'll be inchicore uncovered soon

Jonny Arson

I would not go as far to say that I'm ashamed to be Irish but if there is any day during the year that makes me ashamed is St. Paddy's Day. I don't celebrate St. Paddys Day simply because it has turned into a complete joke of a day only about getting drunk. I never would dare to go into the city on Paddy's Day because I reckon the chances of me getting knifed would multiply by 100.

Ireland has a serious alcohol problem. These people who were getting pissed weren't celebrating Irishness or Irish culture, its just an excuse to get absolutely wasted for a day. On the other hand you could say that drinking yourself to death is a part of Irish culture.

We are a nation of alcoholics and its very sad. Where do we put the blame? I personally blame the parents who spend so much of their time drinking and not giving attention to their children thus when their kids grow up they will do the same. I also personally think alcohol advertising should be banned. Alcohol is glamourised through advertising and the media. This has got to stop.

We are an embarrasment as a nation and I for one hope St. Patricks Day is scrapped.

Kevin_rc_ie

i was walking around dublin city centre and unfortunetly i didnt see any street fights, street sex, or street vendors. however did see a lot of drunk girls that looked very young. which i think is terrible to see. i'm sick of this gender erosion why can't girls just start being girls again. i'm i the only one that thinks ladettes or whatever these stupid yobettes are thouroughly disgusting.
actually, come to think of it, saw some street urination and lot's of litter so that's not a very positive thing. for all the people that are suprised that dublin has a disproportionate amount of scum bags, WAKE UP, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. the only thing exceptional about paddy's day, that instead of the usual dublin dirt bags walking around, we get all the dirt bags from the areas around the cc too.
i was trying to count how many ambulances i saw on my run down to the nitelink. double digits. i'd say an nurses or doctors on here have a few horror stories too.

Tar.Aldarion

ah why go to dublin at least in galway or some where there is barely any of the knacks and ya can have fun! there was no trouble that i saw apart from like 10 knackers that tried to take my friends hat.there were too many underage drunk girls wearing feck all though.

LegacyUser

i feel real sorry for those canadian girls, unfortunatly they're just another statistic on paddy's day.

why didn't you call the cops? this all has to be caught on cc tv, especially around central bank.

i know the guards are stretched to their limit, but it really anoyes me when little fúckers get away with 5hit like this, especially when its unprovoked.

i hope they die screaming.

irish teens and those in their early 20's are mostly to blame.

yes i got pissed on paddy's with my mates at that age, but i didn't fall around in public at 3oclock, puking and abusing people walking by.

seems our young generation has turned into a bunch of classless fúcks.

pat yourselves on the backs, you know who you are.

LegacyUser

except for the stabbing of course

http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0318/stabbing.html

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

ah why go to dublin at least in galway or some where there is barely any of the knacks and ya can have fun! there was no trouble that i saw apart from like 10 knackers that tried to take my friends hat.there were too many underage drunk girls wearing feck all though.

Tar.Aldarion

i dont really know the story there but if ya hang out with your friends there wouldnt be that trouble i guess....for all ya know that 17 yr old started it.
but anyway if a guy was stabbed in galway and thats all that happened its a little better than an average day in dublin.

LegacyUser

how can you compare galway to dublin!!??

there's more pubs on dame street than galway city!

also, its not just dublin folk that live in dublin ye know.

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

i dont really know the story there but if ya hang out with your friends there wouldnt be that trouble i guess....for all ya know that 17 yr old started it.
but anyway if a guy was stabbed in galway and thats all that happened its a little better than an average day in dublin.

pat kenny

Out of interest why is St.Paddy's day are national holiday.
Usually an independance day or something is the national holliday.
When was Paddys day picked as the national holiday and by whom I asume it is a relativly recent thing ie. 100 years

Tar.Aldarion

i am refering to my original case of why would any sane person go to the centre of dublin on paddys day when they can go somewhere with less knacks(you go to the centre of dublin and complain you saw violence?what you expect).i am not saying galway=dublin or anything.why does it matter how many pubs there are? are you saying that 10s of thousands of drunk galway ppl are not a threat if they wanted to be? i just meant that there are a lot more bastards in dub,not that every1 is of course,just a high knack population.

"also, its not just dublin folk that live in dublin ye know." what are you talkin bout when did i say that.of course thats true.its just that a lot of ppl are from there and some of those are not so nice

simu

pat kenny wrote:

Out of interest why is St.Paddy's day are national holiday.
Usually an independance day or something is the national holliday.
When was Paddys day picked as the national holiday and by whom I asume it is a relativly recent thing ie. 100 years

Picking a more political date would probably be controversial in Ireland although it would make more sense.

Tar.Aldarion

pat kenny wrote:

Out of interest why is St.Paddy's day are national holiday.
Usually an independance day or something is the national holliday.
When was Paddys day picked as the national holiday and by whom I asume it is a relativly recent thing ie. 100 years

its just cos thats wen we became christian and what not?(the new ireland) or maybe cos we love having no more snakes

LegacyUser

The reality of the underage drinking culture in Ireland is never more apparent then on St Patricks Day. The Lord Mayor was absolutely right to try and get the off-licences to stay shut until 6pm. I went into the city for a few pints at 5pm and the top of Grafton St/Stephens Green corner was a f-ing zoo. There were plenty of Gardai there, and I didnt see and handbags, but the amount of underage teenagers out of their heads on Drink and whatever else was sick.

It's about time the bullshi*ters out there stopped talking about binge-drinking etc. and realise that the problem is with the f-ing parents. If I came home having drank at all when I was under-18 I would have been in the ****! These "Celtic-Tiger Cubs" have no f-ing respect for authority, fellow citizens and visitors to this land, and most of all the Gardai. And who's to blame!! The parents of these yobbos that let their kids run riot in the city centre on March 17 (and probably every Fri & Sat as well!). My old dear told me today that in my old secondary school in Dublin 12 had over 200 students absent today out of 700. Why the fu*k werent they in school? Cause they're probably hung-over from the over-exuberence of yesterday.

Unfortunately the incident involving the Canadian girls is the a fact, but I'd still say that the majority of people had a great day yesterday, and I'm certainly proud to be Irish! And I had a good few pints and all, and I'm still working today!!

Tennis

bruachain wrote:

Unfortunately the incident involving the Canadian girls is the a fact, but I'd still say that the majority of people had a great day yesterday, and I'm certainly proud to be Irish! And I had a good few pints and all, and I'm still working today!!

I feel very sorry for those Canadians but I totally agree, we must never allow the actions of a minority to spoil the enjoyment of the majority.

humanji

pat kenny wrote:

Out of interest why is St.Paddy's day are national holiday.
Usually an independance day or something is the national holliday.
When was Paddys day picked as the national holiday and by whom I asume it is a relativly recent thing ie. 100 years

It's because St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Most countries have a day off on their patron saint days (persumably they thought we'd go to church instead of out on the rip and causing trouble!)

Fudger

From breakingnews.ie:

"Figures compiled today by gardai show that officers made 407 arrests in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day.

Of these, 250 were for public order offences while the remainder related to other incidents like vandalism, drink-driving and domestic violence."

Happy St Paddys day !!!!!!!!!!

Deadwing

Its always best to avoid the city centre on paddys day, i learned that a good few years ago. Town is always full of drunken morons, pissing all over the streets, puking, fighting for no reason etc etc. I just went for a walk with my sister, had a couple of bottles of beer at home and avoided the madness. Judging by the way the knackers carry on in town on paddys day i think it should be renamed from 'st. patricks day' to 'the last days of sodom & gomorrah'. Its a cringe inducing day, and whats worse is its a day we should all be celebrating together and enjoying, not beating the piss out of each other for 'a deaaadly buzz' & drinking til you choke on your own liver :rolleyes: I feel so sorry for those canadian girls, the friendly irish..my bollocks :rolleyes:

WizZard

tbh, I think it has a alot to do with the parents, as bruachain said. If I came home drunk during the day when I was 16-17 I would have been belted around the house.
It is a cliche, but these kids don't have any respect for anyone, least of all themselves.
I hope those girls are ok, but that's Ireland spoiled for them, and for whoever they tell about this situation.

MisterAnarchy

The Irish loved the world over.
Everything in this country revolves around drink.
Its a sad reflection on our society that the pub is the centrepiece of most peoples lives.
St Patricks day has been hijacked by Guinness and a bit of the black stuff.
Being drunk is an accepted part of our culture .
Its sad ,very sad.
I stayed in yesterday as I am sick of going out meeting people who get rat arsed drunk and make idiots of themselves and waste my time.
Why cant they just drink responsibly.

Pinapples

Drinking in Ireland is out of control, not just Paddys day, but any night. It's a bloody free for all :mad:

I have a Swiss friend who lived here for a year. She liked it well enough, but the main reason she left was because of the behavior of drinkers here, espessially towards women. I must admit, I feel ashamed, and it's really made me think about my own life and habits.

When we go out we get trashed, and we think that's OK. Most people here have absolutely no other social ageda apart from headin down the pub or into town to get locked. The worst thing is the example we're giving to our younger country men & women, they just do the same thing as soon as they can pronounce 'alcohol'. We seriously need to re-educate ourselves, and rediscover life outside the bottle.

I know I sound like a square, I'm not! I like a drink as much as the next guy, but I'm just getting a bit tired of seeing what goes on in Dublin at night.

sleepwalker

i went out on wednesday night got hammered spent all thursday happily in my house recovering watching dvds and eating chinese takeaways

when i ventured out to xtra vision the village where i lived seemed to be full of 13-15 year olds looking like they were all prepared to be impregnated that night while the blokes were swinging out of their bottles of coke and vodka and generally looking like nasty little bastards. also some drunk bloke roaring abuse at everybody and just generally looking for a fight and this was 4 in the afternoon. im fairly sure that if i had walked instead of driving i would have ended up being dragged into some sorta trouble

needless to say i couldnt be arsed with paddys day, my birthday is the day after so ill leave my celebrations for that. leave paddys day for the kids and the people who actually think its something to get all patriotic about

pickarooney

Happy Birthday sleepwalker.

Kernel

RuggieBear wrote:

have to admit i avoided the city centre as well....just didn't want my (english) girlfriend witnessing the drunkness, puking, violence and on street sex that i've seen down thru the years....

You were right not to bring her our Ruggie, sure she only would have gotten homesick.