Dublin beach cleared by gardaí after brawl involving group of teenagers

James Cox

Burrow Beach in Co Dublin was cleared by gardaí on Sunday evening after what witnesses labelled a 'mass brawl' involving a group of teenagers.

Uniformed gardaí from the Raheny district and the Public Order Unit attended the scene of what has been described as a "mass brawl" at the beach in Sutton.

Gardaí subsequently cleared the busy beach.

In a statement, An Garda Síóchána said: “Uniformed Gardaí from the Raheny District and the Public Order Unit attended the scene. A large number of people who were gathered on the beach have been dispersed from the area. No arrests have been made at this time. Enquiries are ongoing.

“Gardaí from the Raheny District are maintaining a presence in the area of Burrow Beach this evening, as part of ongoing high-visibility patrols under Operation Irene.

“Gardaí in Raheny are appealing to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them in Raheny Garda Station on 01-6664300, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.”

Local Labour Councillor Brian McDonagh said the current laws banning alcohol on public beaches do not go far enough.

He called for "aggressive seizure of alcohol on beaches".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr McDonagh said: "We have put it down to two main issues and they're overcrowding. So there's been instances where people have been blocked in and also having difficulties of access for emergency services.

"Anti-social behaviour is the second main one and that's pre-dominantly related to alcohol on the beaches. We have bylaws preventing alcohol, and I think what we need is aggressive seizure of alcohol on beaches."

He called for an increased policing presence with gardaí "proactively seizing alcohol".

Gardaí launched Operation Irene last year in a bid to combat underage consumption of alcohol in public places throughout the Dublin Metropolitan Region.