‘Invasion’ youths tried to trash boats in Crookhaven

During a weekend of drink-fuelled chaos which rocked a scenic coastal village, a fire extinguisher was thrown into a caravan where two children with special needs were sleeping.

There were also claims that some of the almost 200 teenagers in Crookhaven in West Cork on Friday night and Saturday night tried to trash boats and yachts moored in the harbour. The details emerged yesterday after the Irish Examiner first reported local anger about the weekend rampage.

The teens, aged between 15 and 18, began arriving in Crookhaven on Friday afternoon, laden with bags of alcohol, before setting up camp at Galley Cove.

Locals described it as an “invasion” and said the behaviour of those involved was disgraceful. The teens partied until dawn on Saturday and gardaí were called in to restore control.

The situation was repeated on Saturday when more gardaí were drafted in.

A man from Co Meath, who has been holidaying in nearby Barleycove caravan park every year for 24 years, said he had never seen anything like it.

He said a fire extinguisher was forced through the window of his caravan, where two of his children — one of whom has Down syndrome and the other who is on the autistic spectrum — were sleeping.

“Them boys who did this didn’t give a shit who was inside that window,” he said.

Blackout blinds inside prevented the extinguisher from doing any damage. But he said caravan awnings and lights were damaged, and bikes were dumped into the caravan park’s toilet block.

“Barleycove is a great, safe, unspoiled place and is a great place for children. People come here for one reason — to relax and chill out. But these thugs and toe-rags, on a cocktail of drink and drugs, came out to cause trouble and damage,” the man said.

Pubs were forced to close their doors at the height of the trouble on Saturday. Local publican, Dermot O’Sullivan, branded those involved as a disgrace to teenagers, their schools and their families, and said steps will be taken to ensure there is never a repeat of this kind of incident.

Cllr Michael Collins said holiday makers were intimidated and scared. He praised gardaí for their restraint in dealing with the situation.

Locals who mounted a huge clean-up on Sunday said the area was like a “bomb site”. They cleared up to 30 abandoned tents; dozens of sleeping bags; and hundreds of beer cans and bottles of spirits which filled up to 30 large rubbish bags.