A large crowd said to be “partying” at a park in Dublin city were dispersed by gardaí on Thursday night.
The Irish Times reports that groups of people, allegedly carrying cans of beer and other alcoholic drinks, were seen gathering in Albert College Park in Whitehall.
The park is located close to Dublin City University (DCU), as well as student accommodation.
One local resident said the crowd started to gather at about 9.30pm, adding that singing and music playing loudly could be heard.
He said people “were seen hopping back and forth between the park and student resident blocks.”
Garda arrival
Gardaí arrived on the scene at about 11.45pm and the crowd was dispersed by midnight.
The local resident claimed there were about 150 people in the park and that gardaí had to call for back-up as the crowd was larger than initially believed.
He claimed the crowd, who he said were not wearing facemasks, ran back into DCU grounds carrying boxes of beer.
In a statement, the Garda Press Office said gardaí attended “an incident on the Ballymun Road” in Dublin 9 on Thursday at 11pm.
“A number of persons were gathered in the area. Gardaí engaged with those present and the crowd dispersed. Gardaí are conducting further enquiries into potential breaches of public health regulations. Enquiries are ongoing at this time,” the statement said.
DCU and DCU Students’ Union were contacted by The Irish Times for comment.
