St. Patrick's Day and the demon drink

Fuinseog

I hear plans are afoot for the off-licences to open after 12 midday so they can sell less booze.

is this really a solution?

If the city organised some entertainment in the form of a funfair like Dublin does the young ones would go to that. I mean what is there for teenagers to do. watch the parade and then what-go home?
even the 1% in the square,if they are still there come Saturday, said they would organise fun activities.

how much a problem around the city is the boozing on our national day?

biko

If the weather is nice there'll be a lot of bushing down the Arch.
If it's p***ing down pretty much nothing will happen.

It's a bit unfair imo to compare a provincial town of 72.000 souls to the nation's capital of over a million souls.
Dublin will of course always have the biggest show and most activities. Limerick is the city closest in size, this is their day.

jkforde

Fuinseog wrote: »

how much a problem around the city is the boozing on our national day?

you serious? would suggest you go into town on Saturday evening and night and make up your own mind... we've a pathetic and insidious blind spot with alcohol and the 17th is the day where we proudly show off this stupidity to the rest of the world. /rant

the keen edge

biko wrote: »

If the weather is nice there'll be a lot of bushing down the Arch.
If it's p***ing down pretty much nothing will happen.

It's a bit unfair imo to compare a provisional town of 72.000 souls to the nation's capital of over a million souls.
Dublin will of course always have the biggest show and most activities. Limerick is the city closest in size, this is their day.

Galway is not a provisional town thank you very much................







it's a provisional City.:pac:

Fuinseog

biko wrote: »

If the weather is nice there'll be a lot of bushing down the Arch.
If it's p***ing down pretty much nothing will happen.

It's a bit unfair imo to compare a provisional town of 72.000 souls to the nation's capital of over a million souls.
Dublin will of course always have the biggest show and most activities. Limerick is the city closest in size, this is their day.

galway has had funfairs in the past. it would bring more people into the town. macnas sometimes does street entertainment after the parade. the point is that the local politician bitch that young people are drinking. I say provide them with alternatives. you could ban alcohol altogeter but it would not resolve anything.

Fuinseog

the keen edge wrote: »

Galway is not a provisional town thank you very much................







it's a provisional City.:pac:

I thought it was cosmopolitan. at least it has the veneer.

Fuinseog

jkforde wrote: »

you serious? would suggest you go into town on Saturday evening and night and make up your own mind... we've a pathetic and insidious blind spot with alcohol and the 17th is the day where we proudly show off this stupidity to the rest of the world. /rant

ever being to the Oktoberfest?
I started drinking at about 5pm last year and did a pub crawl. i saw nothing out of the ordinary.
is this not about kill joys and people who hate parties?

I believe the shops are actually open on the day, which is odd.

antoobrien

Will it stop/curb drinking - not likely. Does the ban on alcohol sale on good Friday stop people who want to have a drink/party from doing so - obviously not.

It's high time this country stopped trying to be a nanny state and treated people like adults, and make them take responsibility for their own actions.

If a shop/pub sells booze to somebody obviously drunk they should be prosecuted (this is illegal).

If somebody is drunk on the streets they should be charged with public order offenses (take your pick, drunk in public, breach of the peace etc). Make them do community service - street sweeping, area cleanups etc - it's not worth jail time.

edit - doesn't matter what time of the year it is, be it Lá Féile Pádraig, rag week or any day ending in 'y'

BhoscaCapall

Sad times when people will even whinge about drinking on St Patrick's Day.

Rob A. Bank

Fuinseog wrote: »

Is this not about kill joys and people who hate parties?

It is... the sad miserable abstemious puritans are always trying to ruin other people's fun.

I for one will be drowning shamrocks and wearing the green with pride, while singing...

O Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that's goin' round?
The shamrock is by law forbid to grow on Irish ground!
No more Saint Patrick's Day we'll keep, his color can't be seen
For there's a cruel law ag'in the Wearin' o' the Green."

I met with Napper Tandy, and he took me by the hand
And he said, "How's poor old Ireland, and how does she stand?"
"She's the most distressful country that ever yet was seen
For they're hanging men and women there for the Wearin' o' the Green."

"So if the color we must wear be England's cruel red
Let it remind us of the blood that Irishmen have shed
And pull the shamrock from your hat, and throw it on the sod
But never fear, 'twill take root there, though underfoot 'tis trod.

When laws can stop the blades of grass from growin' as they grow
And when the leaves in summer-time their color dare not show
Then I will change the color too I wear in my caubeen
But till that day, please God, I'll stick to the Wearin' o' the Green.

Doctor_Socks

This attitude towards alcohol in Galway is becoming ridiculous! People think not selling drink until after 12 will make a difference? Most young people aren't up until that stage anyway! I'm 23 and I struggle to be up before then on a Saturday, nevermind 15-17 year olds!

The only way that underage drinking can be curtailed in this city is to punish the young people drinking! Community service rather then just ringing home to their parents.

howyanow

any one know which offys are opening later?do they expect offys in salthill/bearna/ballybane etc to close to even they are not near where parade will be held,that to me is extreme.its all voluntary for now.its still crazy that you can buy alcohol t 10.30 am and not 10.30 pm imo.

BhoscaCapall

Doctor_Socks wrote: »

This attitude towards alcohol in Galway is becoming ridiculous! People think not selling drink until after 12 will make a difference? Most young people aren't up until that stage anyway! I'm 23 and I struggle to be up before then on a Saturday, nevermind 15-17 year olds!

The only way that underage drinking can be curtailed in this city is to punish the young people drinking! Community service rather then just ringing home to their parents.

Your post was going so well until the second paragraph.

Fuinseog

howyanow wrote: »

any one know which offys are opening later?do they expect offys in salthill/bearna/ballybane etc to close to even they are not near where parade will be held,that to me is extreme.its all voluntary for now.its still crazy that you can buy alcohol t 10.30 am and not 10.30 pm imo.

its also something novel idea. Some dude from the Galway's labour party was on radio one about it yesterday.

I remember the ri ra when a match was on on a Sunday and pubs opened during the holy hour.

apparently the earlier closing times are there to discourage people hanging around too late around offis.

I find it gas that you can buy a bottle of wine at a petrol station but no beer.

RINO87

offies cant open till 12 on patricks day anyhoo, its the same as a sunday.

desaparecidos

Fuinseog wrote: »

...people who hate parties?

Jasus there's nothing more I hate than a bunch of **** having a "party". As if it's their god given right to disturb all those who live in proximity for hours on end.

hoody

http://www.galwaynews.ie/24746-earlier-parade-start-welcomed-retailers

7 of 17 city centre off licence retailers aren't opening until 2pm on Saturday, which is fair enough. People are people though, those that want to drink earlier than that will do so. Agree with the poster who said the existing laws should be upheld - if yer drunk and roaring on the street at 4 in the afternoon, that's a breach of the peace and you should be fined, for example.

Hopefully it'll be a good natured day like any other St Patrick's day I've spent in Galway.

BhoscaCapall

For anyone effect by this fascist bureaucracy, pop into Tesco this week 2 crates of Bulmers/Heineken/Coors Light for €30

Fuinseog

desaparecidos wrote: »

Jasus there's nothing more I hate than a bunch of **** having a "party". As if it's their god given right to disturb all those who live in proximity for hours on end.

make merry in town, sleep in the suburbs. I do not know why we celebrate it. Parick brought christianity and we have moved on to being post christian.

sad that shops are open as usual on our national day.

BhoscaCapall

Fuinseog wrote: »

make merry in town, sleep in the suburbs. I do not know why we celebrate it. Parick brought christianity and we have moved on to being post christian.

sad that shops are open as usual on our national day.

Are you having a laugh... this country has not moved on from being a Catholic state. Even England has only weak claims to being a secular nation, and Ireland is very far behind in that regard.

DRakE

everyone loves a whinge don't they

Doctor_Socks

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

Your post was going so well until the second paragraph.

I'll agree with ya on that, was more of a rant on the second paragraph! Just getting incredibly sick of some of the underage people drinkin in Galway. I don't mind young people drinkin as long as they do it indoors somewhere where they won't shout abuse at people walking past or vandalise things. My parents always let me have a few cans at home when I was younger, it didn't teach me not to abuse alcohol but it did teach me that you don't always have to get sh!tfaced to enjoy alcohol.

Most Friday nights when i'm walking home, not going to say where home is, I get abuse shouted at me from a bunch of young lads about having long hair. Never cared about it that much until two cans came flying towards me from them! Also had a girl try to spit on me at one stage walking to a friends house! Not much I can do about it except ring the guards and they do feck all about it.

On the subject of Paddys day, not much can be done to curtail underage drinking because they see everyone above the legal age tanked all day and of course they're going to replicate it! I was a big hurler when I was younger, never really drank to excess but when days like Paddys Day or Ladies day during the races came along I got hammered so extra community things didn't really help there!

BhoscaCapall

Doctor_Socks wrote: »

I'll agree with ya on that, was more of a rant on the second paragraph! Just getting incredibly sick of some of the underage people drinkin in Galway. I don't mind young people drinkin as long as they do it indoors somewhere where they won't shout abuse at people walking past or vandalise things.

From my experience, most people who do this tend to be "of age".

My parents always let me have a few cans at home when I was younger, it didn't teach me not to abuse alcohol but it did teach me that you don't always have to get sh!tfaced to enjoy alcohol.

Agreed, and same here. But demonising alcohol will only encourage parents to do the opposite of this, and to feck their kids out the house for the day.

My stand out memory of embarrassment for Galway during Paddy's Day was last year, when half the town stood gawping/laughing at a sizeable gang of young ladies from a certain 'community' or 'culture' prancing through town plastered in make-up and wearing what looked like Turkish belly-dancing attire. Most people agreed that with the number of tourists around, this was far more embarrassing than some lad puking his ring up in Eyre Square or whatever.

Most people seem to forget what St Patrick's Day means to most people around the world, Irish or otherwise. Or maybe they just want to forget. I don't think many tourists will visit Galway this weekend and return home saying "golly gosh, it was nice but oh my! The number of drunk people! It absolutely ruined my trip to Ireland for St Patrick's Day!"

mallachyrivers

Doctor_Socks wrote: »

I'll agree with ya on that, was more of a rant on the second paragraph! Just getting incredibly sick of some of the underage people drinkin in Galway. I don't mind young people drinkin as long as they do it indoors somewhere where they won't shout abuse at people walking past or vandalise things. My parents always let me have a few cans at home when I was younger, it didn't teach me not to abuse alcohol but it did teach me that you don't always have to get sh!tfaced to enjoy alcohol.

Most Friday nights when i'm walking home, not going to say where home is, I get abuse shouted at me from a bunch of young lads about having long hair. Never cared about it that much until two cans came flying towards me from them! Also had a girl try to spit on me at one stage walking to a friends house! Not much I can do about it except ring the guards and they do feck all about it.

On the subject of Paddys day, not much can be done to curtail underage drinking because they see everyone above the legal age tanked all day and of course they're going to replicate it! I was a big hurler when I was younger, never really drank to excess but when days like Paddys Day or Ladies day during the races came along I got hammered so extra community things didn't really help there!

Walk home on a different route and you think underage drinking is bad because it affected your hurling career! You gave in to peer pressure, your fault!

Diabhal Beag

Nothing good happens after 5 on shop street. The site of leaflets for some awful cause that were handed out in their thousands during the parade floating about the place like a ghost you have to shoot in Time Crisis. The last remnants of the secondary school students passed out beside ye olde Zhivago with still half a bottle of Buckfast left. The first of the college students (some of you may already be starting to type long posts out just at the thought of students drinking) who will be fighting each other outside Fibbers.

So yeah, enjoy Paddy's Day guys.

ben.schlomo

mallachyrivers wrote: »

Walk home on a different route and you think underage drinking is bad because it affected your hurling career! You gave in to peer pressure, your fault!

Why should he walk home a different way just because these 'junior scum' are out drinking and generally being skangers?

Parents should be held responsible if their little Mary or Johnny are out causing trouble while intoxicated while underage, simple as.

mallachyrivers

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Why should he walk home a different way just because these 'junior scum' are out drinking and generally being skangers?

Parents should be held responsible if their little Mary or Johnny are out causing trouble while intoxicated while underage, simple as.

Maybe he should stand up for himself!

zenno

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

Sad times when people will even whinge about drinking on St Patrick's Day.

The reason for this is because it always ends up with too many people stabbed or assaulted and it's true. paddy's day is just an excuse for people to let go and go mental on the drink, i've been through 30 of them and it's always the same.

mallachyrivers

zenno wrote: »

The reason for this is because it always ends up with too many people stabbed or assaulted and it's true. paddy's day is just an excuse for people to let go and go mental on the drink, i've been through 30 of them and it's always the same.

Whats the point of giving out about it if you have no opinion on how to tackle the 'issue', which i don't really think there is, not the prettiest side to our society, but it is, grow up and deal with it!

zenno

mallachyrivers wrote: »

Whats the point of giving out about it if you have no opinion on how to tackle the 'issue', which i don't really think there is, not the prettiest side to our society, but it is, grow up and deal with it!

lol, i'm grown up enough but my point was in my previous comment as a lot of people don't enjoy it when they see the braindead drunk arseholes stabbing and attacking people all in the so-called happiness of paddy's day.

I will be enjoying myself regardless but i won't be celebrating paddy's day because i think it's a pile of hemorrhoids.

the publicans love it and spew out the spiel to get paddy into the pub and paddy whacked, all really oblivious to what it's all about.

an excuse I did say....

Saint Patrick..

Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Christian church in Ireland. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest. lol and you are all celebrating this... good luck. A brainwashed nation in relation to a very old person that has no real meaning or helpfulness to Irish society and of which never did.

ben.schlomo

mallachyrivers wrote: »

Maybe he should stand up for himself!

So he should engage on his own with a bunch of young drunks who clearly as stated above are looking for trouble!!! Why shouldn't they just shag off and not bother regular joes?