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Irish hostel owner bans the Irish from his Australian business

Thomas Dunne slams drunken antics of Irish emigrants as he imposes ban

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, June 29, 2012, 7:22 AM

Updated Friday, June 29, 2012, 10:36 AM

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Owners Thomas & Audrey Dunne

Photo by oduinnsirishpub.com

A Dubliner has posted a ‘No Irish’ ruling at his Australian hostel after running out of patience with their drunken and loutish behaviour.

Thomas Dunne is the owner and manager of O’Duinn’s bar and hostel in the north Queensland town of Prosperpine.

He is the latest publican to take action against young Irish backpackers over their drunken antics.

The Irish Times reports that Dunne is fed up with the Irish visitors to his hotel near the famous Airlie Beach.

The paper says the latest incident saw two Irish men being arrested at the hostel after they allegedly caused damage by breaking chairs, windows and a table.

Dunne told the Irish Times: “We have security here from 11 o’clock at night because people are getting up at five for work on local farms and it’s usually the Irish ones who are causing all the problems.

“The security tell me they are getting the same from the Irish at pubs in Airlie Beach, giving them lots of lip.

“It used to be the English, now it’s the Irish.”

Dunne’s 55-bed hostel is regularly used by young people on working holiday visas who work on farms for three months in order to get a second-year visa.

He also told the Irish Times that some local farmers no longer want to hire Irish people because of their poor work.

Dunne added: “We’ve just been told by one farm a couple of days ago, ‘We’re not taking any more Irish or English, no Europeans at all. All we want is Koreans.'

“So we sent 40 Koreans out to that farm.”

Dunne confirmed to the paper that he no longer wants Irish people staying on his premises.

He said: “If Irish people ring up we say ‘Sorry, we’re full.'

“If they’re going to be here for three months working on a farm you don’t want all that trouble, that’s why we knock them back straight away.

“It’s distressing for my wife. She’s just gone to the police now because she can’t put up with it. And also my 17-year-old daughter, who is working here in the bar with us: she is all distressed about what’s happening.”

Dunne contrasted the behaviour of some Irish backpackers with that of asylum-seekers trying to get to Australia.

“Hundreds of poor boat people died last week trying to get into Australia,” he told the paper.

“And these guys who could not get a job in Ireland have been given the opportunity to work and the opportunity to extend their visa an extra year by working 12 weeks on a farm.

“Low-lifes who cause damage should be kept in Ireland to give the real refugees a chance,” he said.

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26 Comments

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seanomelb | Jul 03, 2012, 07:05 PM EDT

glass Briano just like your ceiling.

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BrianO | Jul 03, 2012, 06:28 PM EDT

Seano what kind of glasses are they pouring guinness in "Oz", it looks like it might be plastic, definitely not a true pint glass.

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seanomelb | Jul 02, 2012, 09:01 PM EDT

Some Irish feel it necessary to bash their own kind in Australia I think they try to ingratiate themselves to make some sort of statement.A quick example is a professional footballer (Touhy) who once played for Laois and now playing for Carlton (Aussie rules)in a newspaper article claimed his father was a warder in Portlaoise where IRA terrorists were incarcerated for blowing up schools and murdering children in the republic. This type of Irish person sets the clock back and only give succour to the pro British wasps in Australia.The Irish are sometime s our worst enemies with their blathering ill informed nonsense.

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Curitiba | Jul 02, 2012, 02:34 PM EDT

With respect, seanomelb, it's not me who's complaining about rowdy Irish workers, it's the fellow in the article. I'm just trying to offer some insight into why that might be and contrasting it with the experiences of the Irish emigrants in Britain in the 1960's. Good on you for making the Irish backpackers welcome, but it seems that the guy in the article doesn't shares you positive experience. However, he is wrong to big up the Koreans over the Irish. They are no stranger to a drink and a punch-up themselves. The difference is that they probably have one of their older countrymen bossing them about on the farms and keeping them in line. Mr Dunne should not run down his own people. I can't imagine a Korean hostel owner would say he would prefer to get Irish people jobs over his own countrymen.

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seanomelb | Jul 01, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

I'm surprised at your intellectual snobbery Curitiba,your statement is based on ignorance and class distinction.I am a member of the Celtic Club in Melbourne and we have no trouble with Irish backpackers in fact we welcome all to have a drink there and have a happy time.

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connemaragirl | Jul 01, 2012, 12:55 AM EDT

Did they get drunk in his pub or some where else because if they got drunk in his bar he has no reason to complain ,being a Dublin man himself he should try and be their mentor but when have you ever seen a Dublin Jackeen help anyone except himself.

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timbobdennehy | Jun 30, 2012, 09:26 PM EDT

well it is'nt me.i could'nt afford to go to australia.you should not brush everyone with the same stick.the pubs are boring and empty now anyway,too expensive,why waste your money in dublin,when you could be in galway or cork.

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seamus60 | Jun 30, 2012, 05:35 PM EDT

At least he`s keeping the Irish out of Irish pubs in Australia. Was down in Templebar about 3 years ago. A wed night at around 9.30pm. Had heard a lot of good stuff about it. Couldn`t find any though as each time me and my brother (both middle aged and a bit more) were confronted with Doormens "Hows it going lads" ,,, aye great what about yourselfs. Sorry lads its a private function, try on down the street. Come 10.15 we still hadn`t gotten a first drink. What really made us feel more alienated was the fact that most the bars we were turned away from were full of coloured people. After all the rejection we decided to go back to the Greesham only to find out we were booked in on one of them cheepie pensioner nights and they had all gone to bed. Maybe them pubs just didn`t want the sterling. Anyhow now stay in Drogheda and couldn`t find better.

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bob40wil | Jun 30, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT

I see lots of denial in these posts.

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Curitiba | Jun 30, 2012, 05:30 AM EDT

It wasn't too bad when I was in backpacking in Australia years ago. That was because most of the backpackers, and especially the Irish, were generally university graduates, or young professional people. Ireland was booming at that time, so all the ruffians stayed at home binge drinking. Now, of course, the Irish have been turfed out of their homeland, there is no cultural support like there was years ago in England, just a load of sharks wanting to get as much beer down their necks as possible. A load of single blokes away from home, full of drink, that's a recipe for disaster. In England, there was plenty of construction work to keep them busy, well-meaning Irish people opened up dance halls for them, so they would have an opportunity to meet Irish women and settle down and become responsible adults. A lot of these guys probably don't have the social skills to meet women, so they get into this drunken male revelry instead. It's not like they are universally bad people, they need to be steered away from the drink. But since there are a lot of young men and no-one from their own community who has the clout to influence them positive way, this will continue.

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maireadinmelb | Jun 30, 2012, 03:11 AM EDT

Maybe the owner should look at the service of alcohol rules. His policy will more than likely find him on the wrong side of teh Racial Discrimination Act 1975.

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DanOLoingsigh | Jun 30, 2012, 02:46 AM EDT

An A&E doctor told me a few years ago that the effects of alcohol abuse coming down the line in 20 years time will overwhelm the health systems of both Ireland and the UK...health professionals have projected the trends...not just the direct health treatment costs of alcohol abusers, but the social cost of supporting many people unable to work, and controlling the mayhem on the streets...he said it's already too late to avoid this, and that society must teach responsible drinking as a life skill for there to be any hope...I think we could learn from the US on this, eg making it harder for young to obtain...less social acceptance of unacceptable behaviour...

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WoundedKnee | Jun 30, 2012, 01:40 AM EDT

TomSwinford: In your case the "genetic predisposition" is to writing self-hating racist nonsense.

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BrianO | Jun 30, 2012, 01:06 AM EDT

@TomSwinford, you left out an affection for fighting and potato eating.

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BrianO | Jun 29, 2012, 11:18 PM EDT

I remember vividly the smell of urine on entering an Irish pub or dancehall - Paddy, not quite making it to the toilet. I grew up with it in Ireland, I saw it it Irish dancehalls and pubs in London and Birmingham. I was disgusted and deeply ashamed. These were my people, mine, and I was ashamed of them. I saw the Paddy Wagons in Cricklewood - and they were there there for a reason. Sadly, some of us remain in perpetual denial (I believe) of a genetic predisposition we Irish have toward alcohol addiction. It is profoundly stupid to pretend this addiction doesn't exist - when all you have to do is look at the facts.

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