Limerick students warned to heed Covid restrictions after gardaí break up house party

Gardaí broke up the house party near the University of Limerick (UL)

Gardaí confirmed they attended the house party at College Court at 1am on September 15 and spoke to residents. File Picture.

Senior officials at the University of Limerick (UL) have warned students to take responsibility in stopping the spread of Covid-19.

The warning comes after gardaí broke up a house party near UL in the early hours of Tuesday, as dozens gathered in a property at College Court.

The party, which was captured by one of the attendants on camera and shared on social media, comes in a wake of a spike in confirmed Covid cases in the region over the last number of weeks.

The video shows a large crowd in a house with no efforts seen to be made in the way of social distancing and no PPE.

Gardaí confirmed they attended the party in order to speak with the residents.

“Gardaí attended and spoke to the residents of a house in the College Court area at 1am on September 15. An Garda Síochána continues to respond to reports of gatherings and engage with communities with a view to implementing the guidelines issued by the Government and HSE in order to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on our community as a whole.

“In supporting the Covid-19 public health guidelines, An Garda Síochána has adopted a graduated policing response based on its tradition of policing by consent. This has seen Garda members engage, educate, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.” 

A spokesperson for the University of Limerick stated they do not comment on individual events, but UL President Professor Kerstin Mey stressed that students have a responsibility to their community.

“A huge amount of planning has gone into establishing a safe environment to ensure University of Limerick students can access campus as part of the coming academic year, starting on September 28.

“We are relying on the cooperation of our students to ensure this access to campus can remain. I would strongly urge all university students to understand their own individual roles in keeping our communities safe,” Professor Mey said.