Beach party sparks calls for teenagers to face curfew

APPEALS have been made for parents to enforce curfews on teenagers after a beach party led to public-order arrests and fears of a Covid-19 spike.

The party took place on Kilkee beach in Co Clare on Saturday night with some residents reporting it went on until 3am.

Fianna Fáil councillor Cillian Murphy called on parents to give their children curfews.

Clare County Council is set to block off the bandstand on the beach from 6pm, as a result of the party.

“This looked like the aftermath of Oxegen [music fes

tival] and parents should be looking now at a curfew for their children and young people to prevent this again,” he told the Irish Independent.

“There were lots of teenagers. At 6.30am I heard loud voices outside.

“The reality is these kids were out and their parents didn’t know where they were.

“If they did know, there was no responsibility taken for what happened. Really the parents need to know where their children and young people are, due to Covid-19.”

Gardaí in Kilrush made nine arrests for public order offences. Three men have been charged and are due to appear in court next month while two male youths will be dealt with through the Youth Diversion Programme.

Gardaí said two men and one woman were cautioned while one man was released without charge.

Residents and those living near the coastal town took to social media to vent their anger at the party.

One woman tweeted: “Do the rules apply to some and not others? Absolutely disgraceful to see the scenes on Kilkee beach tonight and this isn’t the first of it. It’s no wonder cases are on the rise again with this nonsense going on and it isn’t just at night either.”

Footage shared online showed a large number of young people socialising in very close proximity to one another, with rubbish being left behind in the area afterwards.

The council’s ground team cleaned the area yesterday morning.

Calls have been made for a stronger Garda presence to ensure further incidents are averted.

The youths partied under the bandstand on the seafront and photos appear to show some damage was caused.

“I am concerned about the fact you have 15- to 18-year-olds out very late at night, lots of alcohol involved and no social distancing whatsoever,” Mr Murphy said.

‘It’s no wonder cases are on the rise again with this sort of nonsense going on’