Scumbags on Quay St last night!

diverdriver

Oh grow up kiddies, the point I made was simple, sure you have a right to expect to be left alone to do as you please. But we are talking real world stuff here not fantasy internet crap. Sure you can walk around saying it's my right to do this and that. But the guy with with a knife or a bottle doesn't give a flying feck about your rights. You have a responsibility to yourself to avoid getting your throat cut by some junkie. Telling some psycho that he has no right to oppress you isn't going to stop him kneeing you in the bollix.

But you go ahead an assert your rights. I promise I'll visit you in UCHG or the graveyard.

Honest to God there are some idiots out there asking for it.:rolleyes:

sparklingdude

Couldn't agree more. Kind of like old feckers who like to walk the country roads without acknowedging that they're now more or less highways. They can assert their right to go for a stroll by being splattered across a mile of pavement.

The point of this thread is that Galway isn't a ****hole and we'd like to keep it that way.

cL0h

diverdriver wrote: »

Oh grow up kiddies,
...
we are talking real world stuff here not fantasy internet crap....
...
Honest to God there are some idiots out there asking for it.:rolleyes:

At this point I should stop as you have displayed your true colours but I will just clarify one thing. I am not advocating telling scumbags they are oppressing my rights, I am directly disputing your claim that the victim is in the wrong because they were minding their own business.

But "Honest to God" thanks for your advice. :pac:

Commiserations to the OP. Unwarranted violence is always a nasty thing to witness.

bigeasyeah

Yet more sensationalism and extreme propositions on how to deal with a problem thats blown out of all proportion.
Tougher policing will effect everyone not only undesirables.
Mandatory Army Service for said undesirables is an effective means to physically make them stronger,equip them with skills which are intended to cause harm and give them knowledge of how to effectively bear arms.
Vigilantism is a naive notion at best,at worst its unlawfull,capricious and unaccountable for its actions.
Perhaps we should help the Gardai and band together in a sense of communionity rather than become advocates of extreme justice and vigilantism the dangers of which are well documeneted.
If we are to live in the real world I would suggest solutions that adhere to the situations reality.

whineflu

Ye'd swear listenin to some of ye that knackers have some sort of right of the jungle to do what they want. They don't and that's why they hassle tourists and not locals. If ya know them and they know that you know them they are not as quick to hassle ya. The same goes for the weekend boggers hopped up on vodka red bull and fat frogs makin fools of themselves. I bet they'd be horrified if their neighbours or family knew what they were up to.
I agree vigilantiism doesn't work but community spirit does. It doesn't matter how big a town ya get to know people eventually. Who needs cameras if 20 people report the same name to the guards.

Mrs OBumble

sparklingdude wrote: »

No, but I've heard stuff like this before. Are you suggesting that it wasn't tough policing, but less teenagers about?

That's what I was told when visiting NY in 1999. No idea how true or otherwise it was.

It was interesting having two or three police at ever intersection: it made me think, "what's going on, it must be really bad if they need that many around".

WallyGUFC

It's an unfortunate incident but it can happen anywhere. There are scumbags everywhere and they don't give a flyin' f**k about anyone but themselves. They feel like they run the place, they can do whatever they want. BURN THEM ALL!

illdoit2morrow

sparklingdude wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. Kind of like old feckers who like to walk the country roads without acknowedging that they're now more or less highways. They can assert their right to go for a stroll by being splattered across a mile of pavement.

The point of this thread is that Galway isn't a ****hole and we'd like to keep it that way.

No, nothing bad never happens in Galway

jenno86

They should be put up agin a wall in the middle of a field!

Verbal_Kint

if there is a cctv camera footage of these ****ers mention to your garda friend to look for them in westside boxing club.

this club is very very good and they do a lot of good work but they get people showing up for 3 or 4 sessions who think they are rocky after hitting the bag and want to show off to their mates.

Verbal_Kint

whineflu wrote: »

Ye'd swear listenin to some of ye that knackers have some sort of right of the jungle to do what they want. They don't and that's why they hassle tourists and not locals. If ya know them and they know that you know them they are not as quick to hassle ya. The same goes for the weekend boggers hopped up on vodka red bull and fat frogs makin fools of themselves. I bet they'd be horrified if their neighbours or family knew what they were up to.
I agree vigilantiism doesn't work but community spirit does. It doesn't matter how big a town ya get to know people eventually. Who needs cameras if 20 people report the same name to the guards.

i have to say this, although we all like to blame this type of thing on knackers the truth is they dont do the majority of this thing. sure they try to imtimidate people more than most but they are almost always just all talk and if you stay calm and either leave it as 'jesus im broke myself' or if they square up to you just calmly stare right back at them while saying nothing and if they cant make you break down and start acting afraid they will just walk off 99% of the time.

the american kid brought it on himself. he was very naive and he learned a good life lesson for the price of a couple of slaps.

the real danger that is faced by the average person on a night out as the person up above said is these people coming in from the country and who drink the vodka and red bull while having the few tequilas also. they are on the street drunk and stumbling into other people and in their drunken haze they think someone is starting a row with them and what makes them very dangerous is if they manage to knock the other lad to the ground they will follow up with a kick to the head.

you can spot them a mile away, big 16 stone dumb looking ****ers who you can hear shouting to their mates or shouting at the local farm girl. they are usually about 21-25 and come from very small areas where the measure of a man is how aggressive they are and how much they can drink.

ArraMusha

easy on the 'farm girl' references.
Plenty townie girls hanging out with drunk eejits..

Keep it country.

galvianlord

finally returning to the thread i began, cant believe the amount of debate it has generated. not going to comment apart from including the below link:

http://www.galwaynews.ie/8361-fifty-arrests-city-over-bank-holiday-weekend

this seems excessive by Galway's standards, particularly when you think that it doesnt seem to account for drunkeness, unless that's covered under public order? lots and lots of minor assaults though, which is either worrying or annoying depending on your point of view.

s_carnage

galvianlord wrote: »

finally returning to the thread i began, cant believe the amount of debate it has generated. not going to comment apart from including the below link:

http://www.galwaynews.ie/8361-fifty-arrests-city-over-bank-holiday-weekend

this seems excessive by Galway's standards, particularly when you think that it doesnt seem to account for drunkeness, unless that's covered under public order? lots and lots of minor assaults though, which is either worrying or annoying depending on your point of view.

Just heard the report on GBFM and they were saying how the police said it wasn't out of the ordinary for this time of year. Wonder how A&E numbers were this year though.

Shinto

Having lived abroad for many years, i can say Galway does have a scumbag problem.

I've never once even seen a Korean knacker in Seoul....they don't have a scumbag equivalent. ALL the kids are nerds who study until 2am in the morning.

If i spend a few nights out in Galway, some knacker will come up trying to intimidate me. Even during the day, i've witnessed knackers intimiating other people. I shouldn't even have to see these pieces of filth acting like they own the world. I haven't seen any **** like that in this city of 10 million (at any time of the day or night).

Maybe it's Korea's mandatory 2 yrs millitary service, or their STRICT no drugs policy that makes this place so safe (except for Kim Il Jung who is pointing his missiles at my house as we speak).

Don't blame alcohol, people here get pissed just as much as they do in Ireland yet there's no scumbags/thugs.

I for one do recommend getting aggressive with the knackers very early in the interaction. But i am a person who is quite willing to throw a punch so that's not an approach for everyone i suppose. If i slap the knacker in the face, i'm actually doing you all a great service as he's less likely to attack again.

I liked the Pat Shortt reference earlier ("up agin a wall in the middle of a field").

Mrs OBumble

Shinto wrote: »

I've never once even seen a Korean knacker in Seoul....they don't have a scumbag equivalent. ALL the kids are nerds who study until 2am in the morning.
......

Don't blame alcohol, people here get pissed just as much as they do in Ireland yet there's no scumbags/thugs.

It's a pretty big city, I don't suppose that you simply don't go to the "thug" parts of town? Even Korea must have some kids who drop out of education etc.

williamlynch

Saying Galway is a violent town as opposed to Korea doesn't mean much. Its like going to Utah and then proclaiming the rest of the world alcoholic.

Anyway, I'm an ignorant American living here and I was just wondering: when you guys use the term "knackers" are you referring to the inbred caravan types, or the shell suit tucked into socks crowd?

Sure there are a few scumbags around, but in my experience, Galway seems to have it best.

Greaney

malice_ wrote: »

What would you have done in that situation rarnes1?

I saw came across a fight about to kick of on Quay Street two weeks ago, so I walked up to them with my phone out, told them (the truth) that my son had been beaten up in town the night before and I'd just spent 9 hours in casualty with my son covered in blood and a swollen eye, and that I was damned if I was going to let a fight kick off in front of my eyes!! I was calling the guards.

Maybe it's because I'm a woman in my late thirties, but they stopped.

I really wish someone had stepped in when my son was getting his head kicked in

inisboffin

williamlynch wrote: »

Saying Galway is a violent town as opposed to Korea doesn't mean much. Its like going to Utah and then proclaiming the rest of the world alcoholic.

Very true

williamlynch wrote: »

Anyway, I'm an ignorant American living here and I was just wondering: when you guys use the term "knackers" are you referring to the inbred caravan types, or the shell suit tucked into socks crowd?

Congratulations, you just fulfilled your ambition to sound like an ignorant American:mad:
"inbred caravan types"? WTF? It's our equivalent of a racial slur you did there mate!

But to answer what you were originally asking (I think) - yes sometimes this is referring in a derogatory way, to members of the travelling comunity, but more often I'd say, just to general low life - and yeah, often seen as being shell suited etc. But there are plenty of scum in suits as witnessed over race week to be sure, as most of us witnessed.

williamlynch

Well... they do live in caravans, and they are inbred. And if it were a racial slur, that would imply that they are of a different race than me. I've put up with non stop theft and other assorted BS from the infamous small minority of travelling folk so... I couldn't care less.

inisboffin

williamlynch wrote: »

Well... they do live in caravans, and they are inbred. And if it were a racial slur, that would imply that they are of a different race than me. I've put up with non stop theft and other assorted BS from the infamous small minority of travelling folk so... I couldn't care less.

Who's 'they' William?

And let's see..first name William, last name Lynch - you don't exactly have the best track record there my friend in terms of friendly ancestral faces of Galway. Look we could baby fight like trolls all night!~

I said it was the equivalent of a racial slur. I freely admit to taking issue with the word 'knacker'. While I don't like it, I accept that people use it ways other than to describe Travellers in a derogatory fashion - it is used to mean general scumbags, base behaviour, sexually exhausted etc! You however, singled out and generalised in your OWN post.
I make the analogy of race having lived in the States in areas where the word 'N*gger' is still bandied about freely along with neat-and-tidy-sum-up-a-group-of-people phrases like "I've put up with non stop theft and other assorted BS from the infamous small minority of *insert minority*
Is it the same? Of course not.
Are there similarities in the rhetoric? Hell yes! I certainly see it, whether or not you 'couldn't care less' as an non-Irish national.

There's been plenty of finger pointing as to whether the 'scumbags' in this this thread are 'culchies/jackeens/knackers/foreigners/norms...blah blah'

It seems pretty obvious to me that it takes all sorts.

BTW it says many things that you can type the K word and not the N word on the forum.

williamlynch

I suppose that's because Ireland only has white people in it. The N word seems to offend "anti-racists" more than it does blacks. You can follow my favourite/favorite black jewish blogger here if you're looking for a more sophisticated and nuanced worldview.

Also: the name's not Lynch (it's a disguise), and technically I am an Irish national. Probably inbred too.

inisboffin

williamlynch wrote: »

Also: the name's not Lynch (it's a disguise), and technically I am an Irish national. Probably inbred too.

Ah, so it's internalised *insert xenophobia/racism/anyism*

Ok, grand so, you're one of us - test over. Carry on.:rolleyes:

inisboffin

williamlynch wrote: »

I suppose that's because Ireland only has white people in it.

...


By the way. It doesn't.


**tried to peep at blogn*gger site but link broken..

sells

i think hes just placing them in a catagory that we can all understand....but no knackers ever started on me in galway, thankfully, just try and say leave me alone and go, no point dying or whatever because some idiot wants a fight. that fight that was started by the knacker is just ridiculous, too many good people having to fight off these types of people, its a shame, hopefully it declines.

inisboffin

*sigh*
This is the problem with using the K word..
It's not clear whether you mean 'scumbags' in general, or are targeting a specific group of people for all violence.

[-0-]

Greaney wrote: »

I saw came across a fight about to kick of on Quay Street two weeks ago, so I walked up to them with my phone out, told them (the truth) that my son had been beaten up in town the night before and I'd just spent 9 hours in casualty with my son covered in blood and a swollen eye, and that I was damned if I was going to let a fight kick off in front of my eyes!! I was calling the guards.

Maybe it's because I'm a woman in my late thirties, but they stopped.

I really wish someone had stepped in when my son was getting his head kicked in

I'm very sorry to hear about your son. That's awful news.

I have been living in Galway for the last couple of years. I have lived in every other city this country has to offer and I can honestly say it is the safest of all the cities, although that means little to you given what you and your son have went through.

As has been said ad infinitum, you will also have a minority of trouble makers in every city. I am starting to notice an increase in Galway lately. Perhaps it's due to the recession, perhaps not. I had someone try to steal my digital camera out of my car a few months back, and I battered him.

Three lads tried to jump me a few weeks back on quay street and I was able to defend myself then too.

Please enroll your son in a self defense / martial arts course. The hiding he got should be more than enough encouragement, and he will be able to handle himself should this happen again. The townies haven't a clue how to fight and they roam around in packs. If you go for the biggest one and knock him down, the rest usually run off if they see you're psycho enough.

That has been my experience with them anyway.

Greaney

Thanks for your sympathy, actually, my son is unbeaten in the ring and does mixed marshal arts, he was sucker punched by someone he hardly knew, that is, the guy knew a "friend of a friend" kinda situation, started seriously slagging and physically poking my son for no good reason, my boy told him to back off and then yer man started on the "do you want a fight " bull. He seemed to calm down, he went to make up with my son and to shake his hand, that's when he punched him. One hit on the brow bone makes the flesh swell so fast that it splits so that's why all the blood and stitches.

No permenant damage done thank God.

My lad didn't want to follow it up at first, but after the 7th hour in casualty he said ok. We've got the guys name, and if only a couple of cops turn up at his door to warn him not to do it again (and speaking as a Mum, his'll be shamed), that'll at least show him that there's consequenses.

My lad knows half the tough guys in town and is well able to take care of himself, as he said himself he could have taken the guy but that's not the way it panned out.

inisboffin

Glad he's ok Greaney..

diverdriver

I am directly disputing your claim that the victim is in the wrong because they were minding their own business.

That's BS atypical internet response. I neither suggested it or implied it. You have of course the right to go anywhere you want without fear of attack. But in the real world and in parts of Galway and elsewhere in Ireland there are places to avoid at certain times. It's one thing to go there unaware but no one in their right mind deliberately places themselves in danger because they want to assert the rights or to show your macho side . If you are attacked asserting your rights, it is of course not your fault. You are a victim, nonetheless. But quite frankly the Garda, your friends, the nurses in hospital will all say 'What were you thinking?'

These are same reasons, I don't walk around town with a bundle of fifties hanging out of my pocket (if only). Why I lock my car and my house. Why I avoid walking down dark alleyways at night. It's called common sense. Something occasionally lacking in internet debates.