NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > Plans for mass riot by teenagers scuppered by social network alerts

Plans for mass riot by teenagers scuppered by social network alerts

Police alerted to Facebook and Twitter postings

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, January 23, 2012, 8:03 AM

Updated Monday, January 23, 2012, 10:35 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

11 Comments

Planned brawl was thwarted by interception of messages

Photo by Google Images

Police have praised teenagers who used social networking sites to alert them to a planned brawl in a County Meath village.

Gangs of youths took to Facebook and Twitter to plan their row in Duleek at the weekend.

Up to 75 teenagers got a rude awakening when they arrived in the village to find police waiting for them before any trouble could kick-off.

The authorities were on hand after youngsters alerted them to the plans made public on the social network sites.

“Their actions prevented what had the potential to be a serious incident,” Superintendent Jim Cannon from the Laytown station told the Irish Times.

The paper reports that a third of the teenagers were from Drogheda and had taken a bus to Duleek, five miles away.

_____________

Irish Media Nation

Teenager pleads not guilty to Boston murder of Ciaran Conneely

Catholic teenager badly beaten in Belfast sectarian attack

_____________

Sources believe they were to meet a group of teenagers from Duleek and there was to be a ‘confrontation’.

Superintendent Cannon added: “Essentially the civic-mindedness and attention to what was happening in their locality prevented what might have been a serious incident. It certainly had the potential to be one.”

Local politician Dominic Hannigan, Labour deputy for Meath East, said the row had been ‘planned on Facebook’.

He said: “People need to be socially aware when using social network sites.

“Thankfully in this case that is what happened. There was no fight because civic-minded people who saw the notices on Facebook informed the police.”

Nster.com

E-mail

11 Comments

See all comments

gobdawpaddy | Jan 25, 2012, 08:13 PM EST

'Your constant belittling and moaning about a place you dont have to visit or ever be in again really does p1ss the natives off. Grow up and stay home'. Ah but Ciara I do have to visit, I employ quite a few Irish natives, spending a lot of money in the process. My observations are simply that many Irish people lack decorum, whether it's their constant use of the "f" word, or the "c" word, or the "bx" term etc. Their lack of respect for their own country is obvious evidenced by the litter, dog c***p etc. on every visit on your beautiful sidewalks. While on a visit to one small town down south last summer, I enquired as to why the fountain wasn't working, to be told that someone had thrown a bag of cement into it for a laugh. The Irish have no respect.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Jan 24, 2012, 12:50 PM EST

Bogsidebunny.I refuse to discuss your parents over an internet forum.Your attitude is everything that is wrong with NI.Six policemen dispensing 56 baton blows and six kicks and using a taser on an unarmed man is called using excessive force.That does not serve society.It can kill a person.There is something about you that disgusts me more on a deeper level in comparison to some of the other regular idiots here.Maybe it's the fact you are a hate filled woman judging by most of your comments on most articles.There is something consistently cold-blooded in all your comments like the one below.

Report abuse

ciaradexy | Jan 24, 2012, 08:37 AM EST

By the way, Gerry Ryan was an overpaid underworked self righteous drug user so the average Paddy wouldnt have had much respect for his constant preaching and his refusal to take a paycut when everyone else had to or were losing their jobs so maybe people take issue with a 'memorial bench' which I can completely understand. I dont condone what was done but its funny how the bench with the Patrick Kavanagh statue has been left alone and respected for years. One is a poet, the other a bloated representation of all that was bad about the boom years. Food for thought maybe? This website only ever tells the negative stories so Americans think they know exactly whats going on here. Maybe you should stratch the surface a bit and realise this is a real country with real social issues like most countries. Your constant belittling and moaning about a place you dont have to visit or ever be in again really does p1ss the natives off. Grow up and stay home.

Report abuse

ciaradexy | Jan 24, 2012, 08:32 AM EST

gobdawpaddy, as someone who volunteers with teens I can assure you that incidences like you have mentioned are carried out by the lowest common denominator and Im very proud of a huge majority of teens who show great civic pride. The Floozie was removed from O'Connell St in 2001 and is now in an area frequented by drug users and beggars. Im guessing by your email that you dont have any of either in the US? Would that be an accurate assumption? If you dont like Ireland, dont visit! Its not rocket science! I dont particularly like Germany so I dont visit there and the natives are probably better off for it. Stay in your little utopia there. We dont want you here as much as you dont like some teenagers here.

Report abuse

gobdawpaddy | Jan 24, 2012, 02:47 AM EST

One poster deems my early contribution to be 'racist'. I can't see where. I am simply making observations about the agggression and tension on the streets of Irish towns and cities. The 75 teens referred to were headed to cause trouble and were stopped when their intentions were communicated to the police by responsible teenagers. I mentioned the incident in Athea to emphasize my point. My contention is further evidenced by the disgraceful behavior by many fans at a GAA game over the weekend. Perhaps all this is just considered 'normal' in Ireland. Yes the young people were 'civic minded' in calling in to the police regarding this planned melee, but that is a trait in short supply in Ireland. Anyone who doubts me, simply take a look into the floosie in the jacuzzi in Dublin, or any other fountain, to see whats floating around in it. Walk along some of the wonderful urban boulevards that Ireland offers, but be careful to avoid all the dog excrement and try not to pay too much attention to the disgarded cigarette butts, crushed soda cans, candy wrappers etc. When in Ballsbridge stop by for a rest on the bench in Herbert Park dedicated to the late broadcaster Gerry Ryan. Ooops, forgot someone set fire to that 2 weeks ago. Yes indeed, Civic mindedness is very prevelant in Ireland.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Jan 23, 2012, 10:50 PM EST

Hey Gobshitepaddy at least in Ireland we have civic minded teenagers who helped police and prevented trouble.Not like the cops who caused riots by beating Rodney King to a pulp and then the cops were acquitted.The LA cops really sorted out the innocent black guy.Ye can keep yer cops.They don't look much good.Especially the American cop who shot himself in a classroom of kids while demonstrating the danger of guns on You Tube.haha

Report abuse

ConnieCobe | Jan 23, 2012, 07:44 PM EST

Bravo to the teens involved with alerting the authoriities! Proud of you.

Report abuse

CaliforniaShamrock | Jan 23, 2012, 05:15 PM EST

You can do both good and ill over social media - good example of responsible teens who alerted authorities -

Report abuse

johnny111 | Jan 23, 2012, 04:13 PM EST

MORE RACIST COMMENTS GOBSHITEPADDY YOU ARE GOOD AT THAT

Report abuse

gobdawpaddy | Jan 23, 2012, 11:18 AM EST

C'mon lads, deres gonna be a scrap in Duleek, till be mighty craic. This is similar to an incident in Athea, Co. Limerick last year when a gang of youths beat up a pensioner. Some of their 'parents' warned them not to say anything to the police/gardai. It is incidents like these that make me feel safer walking around Manhattan at night than Dublin, Limerick, Galway etc. Of course it's nearly impossible to see a garda on Irish streets. An Irish friend suggested that there be a career swap where 200 gardai from the Limerick division go to New York for 6 months and 200 of New York's finest head to Limerick. He reckoned Limerick's problems would be sorted out in that time frame and the gardai would have the brown stuff running down the inside of their trousers. From what I see on my frequent visits, I tend to agree.

Report abuse

Murph46 | Jan 23, 2012, 10:47 AM EST

Gor blimey I'm thinkin some blokes are going to tussel!

Report abuse