Rag Week ‘disgrace’ as 40 are arrested

Date Published: 26-Feb-2009

SENIOR Galway Gardaí have labelled as an “absolute disgrace” the drunken behaviour of up to 1,000 students who were “hell bent” on causing havoc on the city’s streets during GMIT and NUIG’S Rag Week, which commenced on Monday.
More than 40 students were arrested for public order offences and thousands of bottle and cans were confiscated by Gardaí on Monday and Tuesday alone while 18 drunk patients partaking in Rag Week events were treated at the Accident and Emergency Department of University Hospital Galway on the first two nights of this week.
ExtraGardaí had to be drafted in to the city to deal with young, drunken louts who, on Monday in particular, were involved in boisterous, intimidating, and in some cases, criminal behaviour – a Senior Garda said the additional resources almost amounted to having a riot unit on standby.
Gardaí are investigating a number of assaults and some criminal damage – in one case a car was turned upside down by drunk students while wing mirrors of a Garda patrol car were also damaged.