Party off-limits in naval rules of engagement

They’ve undergone some of the most brutal training regimes known to man, and steamed into warzones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, but it seems Dublin’s party hubs were too much for the US navy to handle.

Following their drubbing at the hands of Notre Dame in last weekend’s American football game, US navy personnel were no doubt looking forward to drowning their sorrows in the capital’s hotspots.

However, according to the official rules issued to personnel in Dublin and revealed on Twitter yesterday, while partying was allowed, it came with a couple of caveats.

Principal among these was a detailed set of “liberty areas” where they could socialise.

Bizarrely, perhaps the city’s most popular party area, Camden St, was listed in bold font as “off-limits”, as was Harcourt St, home to the infamous Copper Face Jacks nightclub.

“Approved liberty areas are within Dublin’s city center as defined west to east by Guinness Store-house to O2 arena and north to south from Henry Street to University College Dublin. Bars/pubs on Harcourt/Camden Street are off-limits,” said the rules issued to the naval personnel.

In fact, TDY (temporary duty) personnel were issued with six rules in total, all of which were punishable by “disciplinary action” if breached.

One stipulated that all US military personnel obey US and local laws and “must use the ‘buddy system’ of 2-8 (min-max) persons per group”.

Another said alcohol in “open containers, public drunkenness and ‘drinking games’ are prohibited”.

Navy personnel were even warned about topics of discussion that should remain off-limits when engaging with the locals.

“Maintain military bearing. Fighting strictly prohibited. Avoid confrontation and notify police of harassment. Avoid protest activity. Avoid politically motivated discussions,” said rule number six.

The only thing that seemed to be fully permitted was the use of Dublin’s public transport system. Nobody seems to have warned them about that.