The Covidiots who went coronaviral: Lockdown stupidity across Ireland
Just to kick things off if you didn't hear about it last night, gardaí arrested three people and issued 50 fines to people partying in the street in the Castletroy area of Limerick City.
If you weren't in Castletroy, Limerick last week getting down to the funky beat of Come On Eileen then you were missing out.
However, as the last chords of the Dexys Midnight Runners party classic fade into the March air and outraged voices take to the radio airwaves, it's a good idea to cast our minds back to other episodes of mind-numbingly stupid carry-on that all sections of Irish society have indulged in during this pandemic.
So without further ado, here are the s greatest Covid-19 hits.
Just to kick things off, if you didn't hear about it last night, gardaí arrested three people and issued 50 fines to people partying in the street in the Castletroy area of Limerick City.
Footage shared on social media showed fireworks being discharged on the street and a separate clip showed dozens of people singing and dancing, most without masks.
Public health officials have been battling an outbreak of Covid-19 clusters and the University of Limerick has conducted mass testing among the student population.
The social connections between the outbreaks have been repeatedly highlighted.
Just as the country was settling into the new 5km reality after Christmas, seven enterprising buccaneers from Cork City decamped to the picturesque town of Kinsale for a few cans.
Gardaí witnessed the seven men arrive into Kinsale in two taxis. They then went into a shop and purchased a large amount of alcohol.
Gardaí spoke to the group, who informed them they had travelled to Kinsale to rent out a property and have drinks.
Each of the seven men was fined and they returned to Cork City.
An Garda Síochána have faced unprecedented challenges in their policing roles during this pandemic but they can slip up just like the best of us.
Over Christmas, the reported on a pre-Christmas Garda drinks party that resulted in one member of the force failing a roadside alcohol breath test.
An internal investigation is underway because the gardaí involved may have breached regulations designed to stop the spread of Covid-19.
In a separate incident, it has been reported an internal investigation is underway in Tramore, Co Waterford, after gardaí gathered to celebrate the promotion of an officer during level 5 restrictions in November.
Waiting for a Covid-19 test result can be an anxious time for many but not for one officer who attended the media briefing on the murder of Jo Jo Dullard.
The garda subsequently received a positive result and everyone who attended the event was advised to restrict their movements.
A moment of madness from the RTÉ stars who gathered together at a colleague's retirement party and took photos that ended up on social media.
What followed was a very awkward afternoon's broadcasting as some of the country's best-paid journalists duly made their apologies for a "serious lapse of judgement".
A later health and safety review conducted by RTÉ into the retirement party that took place at the Donnybrook campus found five Covid-19 breaches occurred.
A Garda investigation into the incident ensued and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), however, no charges were recommended against the organiser of the event.
The pièce de résistance as revealed by the was the infamous Oireachtas Golf Society's dinner at the Station House Hotel in Clifden, Co Galway, last August.
The political fallout from this event was carnage, leading to the resignation of a Cabinet Minister, an EU Commissioner, and several Government senators losing the party whip.
Enormous, widespread public fury met the news as society tried to recover from the impact of the first lockdown on the country.
Gardaí have charged four people in connection with this political scandal that will feature on for decades to come.
A list of other incidents that would make you laugh if you didn't cry:
- Massive republican funerals including Bobby Storey's in Belfast
- A bottomless brunch getting very out of hand at Berlin Bar in Dublin
- Dozens of Irish holidaymakers hitting the beach in Tenerife
- GAA celebrations in Blackrock, Co Cork, after the local club won the county's senior hurling championship
During level 5 restrictions, social gatherings are banned and people are limited to 5km travel from their homes except for essential reasons.
It's very hard to live like this and most people are doing their best.
As the oft-quoted Seamus Heaney said: "If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere".
Chin up. And go for that extra weekend takeaway, you deserve it.
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