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Breaking stories
Over the hills and far away Teletubbies come to... drink
By Sean O’Riordan
Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, and Po are getting a bit Dipsy — or should we say Tispy — on Teletubbie Hill.
Underage drinkers — some apparently nearly young enough to watch the television characters — have been congregating at a place in Mahon, Cork City, known as Teletubbie Hill for boozing sessions.The issue was highlighted by Cllr Des Cahill (FG) who said Cork City Council had cleared shrubs from Teletubbie Hill, near the CSO, to make it easier to spot the drinking sessions.
He said gardaí from Blackrock had also cracked down on the drinkers. “The bad weather has helped to an extent as well. But I’m concerned that with schools breaking up and with improved weather this will become more prevalent again,” he said.
Mr Cahill said he was also concerned about another nearby area also used for drinking parties by older teenagers.
Mr Cahill said Kingschair, adjacent to Ferney Close, was so popular that youths even have Facebook pages about activities there and were bringing “slabs of drink” to the site on a regular basis.
Mr Cahill said parents should try to ensure their children weren’t involved in such activities.
He made his comments following a meeting of the Cork City joint policing committee, which heard a number of councillors complain about so-called “bushing” — slang for teenage drinking parties in open spaces.
Under bylaws created in 2001, it is an offence to drink in public anywhere in the city.
Gardaí said that, from Jan 1 to May 31, they had issued 99 on-the-spot €50 fines to people who had broken the bylaw. Of those, 63 have been paid. People who refuse to pay will appear before the courts.
Cllr Henry Cremin (SF) said a lot of youngsters were having drinking parties in estates around the city and this was causing upset, especially to elderly people.
“Having 99 fines over a five-month period seems very small to me,” Mr Cremin said.
Supt Barry McPolin said that gardaí had cracked down on the large number of youths who had been congregating. in the city centre on Saturday evenings.
Complaints had been made by businesses, especially in the Paul St area, that said many of the underage teenagers were drunk.
Supt McPolin said gardaí had engaged with the teenagers and were “looking at finding alternative activities for them”.
He said that only a small minority of them had caused trouble.