Gardaí brace themselves for unofficial Rag Week

Gardaí have put an operational plan in place to cope with a series of unofficial RAG Week ‘booze events’ lined up for the coming week – the biggest of which is expected to be ‘Donegal Tuesday’ – when thousands of students are set to fill the city centre.

Although both the Students Unions’ at NUI Galway and GMIT have withdrawn totally from the event since 2011, RAG Week still survives mainly through the use of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

The biggest ‘gathering’ next week, based on social media contacts, seems certain to be on Tuesday when thousands of students from the city and other colleges too, will initially congregate outside the Hole in the Wall pub on Eyre Street that morning – many of them wearing Donegal GAA jerseys.

Information from social media sites this week also indicate that several hundred students will be bussed into the city early that morning from outside Galway to participate in what is now one of the biggest ‘drinking days’ in student pubs and clubs across the city centre.

The ‘Donegal Tuesday’ event shows no sign of diminishing in size this year – if anything based on social media interest over recent days it will be bigger than ever – and Gardaí have confirmed that they have an operational plan in place for that day and for next week.

“Our main concerns are in the areas of public safety and we already have an operational plan in place to deal with any situations that may arise.

“One of our main worries is the sheer numbers who gather in particular places – last year we ended up having to close down one particular venue and we are appealing to students to obey any instructions from the Gardaí,” said a Garda spokesman.

He also said that they would be cracking down on the consumption of alcohol on the streets, pointing that this was only allowed in specifically designated areas outside some bars and restaurants.

During last week’s unofficial RAG Week event, Gardaí moved to close down the Electric Garden and Theatre venue in Abbeygate Street on safety grounds because of the number of people outside trying to get in.

NUI Galway Students’ Union President, Declan Higgins, said that in 2011 their members had voted to end RAG Week – the Union engaged pro-actively with its own members, local residents, local representatives and the Gardaí.

“An agreement between ourselves and NUI Galway was entered into whereby the university and ourselves agreed that some things were, and are, so vital that they had to be protected – in return for an end to the former RAG week.

“For example, this included guaranteeing there would be no charge to see a doctor or nurse at our on-campus health centre, which supports some of our most vulnerable students.

“In my time in the Union, we’ve placed particular emphasis on mental health and on the need for people to access support services when they need to, and thus we will be honouring this agreement and pursuing its terms robustly.

“As far as we are concerned, it [RAG Week] is just a week like any other, and we have no interest whatsoever in resurrecting it – rather we look forward to continuing the work done since 2011 and honouring our side of the agreement.

“We are confident the university will do likewise as we support our students together,” said Mr Higgins in his statement.