Galway Mayor scared of city’s night boozers

A mayor has admitted that he is frightened to walk through his own city centre after dark.

Fine Gael councillor Liam Carroll, the Mayor of Galway, said he was shocked by what he had saw on Galway City’s streets at 1am.

Mr Carroll said he had visited the annual Irish Fest in Milwaukee last month, with no problems apparent. The event celebrates Irish culture and is one of the biggest annual ethnic festivals in the US.

“Over three days, more than 133,000 visitors came through the gates — most of them of Irish origin — but there was not one public order offence,” he said. “The bars were open from 11am to midnight, but there was not a sign of any trouble.”

When he returned to Ireland, Mr Carroll said, he read reports of 80 arrests at a recent concert in Slane.

He wanted to see for himself how bad the Irish drinking culture was and so, went into Galway city centre at 1am over the weekend.

“I went to Eyre Square after midnight on Saturday,” he said. “I just wanted to see for myself exactly what the situation was.

“It was frightening. Young people were drunk and falling all over the place. It was intimidating and frightening and I certainly would not bring my wife in there. There was a Garda presence in the area and I was glad to see that. They managed to keep a lid on things.”

Garda Chief Superintendent Tom Curley said liquor licensing laws were being successfully enforced in the city and local vintners had been proactive in meeting with gardaí.

“Unfortunately, the lack of cash and the recession has meant that young people are getting ‘tanked up’ at home and then going out,” Supt Curley said. “We have to pick up the pieces.”

Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday acknowledged that Mr Carroll had identified a key problem of modern drink culture in Ireland.

Its chief executive, Michael Coyle, was last night attending a meeting of the Chamber Council, at which Mr Carroll’s observations on drinking in Galway city centre were due to be discussed.

Mr Coyle said: “Unfortunately I think the mayor has identified a problem that is not just specific to Galway, but one which is a difficulty right across the country.

“I would reiterate Superintendent Curley’s views — that businesses in the hospitality sector have taken measures in regard to individual safety when it comes to drink. Of course the kernel of the problem is this culture of drinking at home and then going out.

“I was at a function recently dealing with crime and business and the hotel where we were meeting was also the venue for a debs night. Youngsters were arriving there clearly having consumed alcohol.

“There’s no obvious solution to the problem of drinking at home first and then going out to drink later. The problem is then exacerbated in the pubs and clubs.

“The hospitality sector has addressed the issue of underage drinking and, by and large, they have taken their responsibilities seriously, but the mayor has identified one of the key problems in the area of our drink culture — that’s the whole issue of drinking at home.”