‘Shocking’ Halloween incident as Louth youths hurl stones and rocks at council staff

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

A Louth County Council engineer said she feared for her safety as “stones and rocks were hurled” at council workers and contractors as they attempted to remove tyres from an illegal bonfire in Drogheda.

Cllr. Pio Smith told the November meeting of Drogheda Borough District there had been serious issues with bonfires in a number of areas, including Rathmullen and Moneymore.

He outlined one frightening incident where “there had been up to thirty or forty young people challenging council workers, who were just simply trying to do their job,”

“It is probably going to cost the best part of a six figure sum to clean up after these people. We need to find a solution. It seems to be getting worse every year.”

He asked if this was an issue which could be referred to the new Local Community Safety Partnerships, that have replaced Joint Policing Committees.

Senior Executive Engineer, Irene McGahon, told councillors that gardai accompanied council staff in Rathmullen and Moneymore on Halloween morning.

"I was there myself, we were set upon and had to pull back. We had been trying to negotiate, and had been watching the whole thing for a while. But we didn’t like where we were from a safety point of view.”

The council had been monitoring the area for around six weeks, said Ms. McGahon. “We were aware of a phenomenal amount of tyres, and we made the decision that we would go in and remove them.”

She said the “plan of action” had been to wait for the removal of tyres into an open green area, “as otherwise we could have been subject to missiles being thrown over walls.”

But their efforts to make safe the bonfire had to be abandoned as workers came under fire from “stones and rocks being hurled at us” said Ms. McGahon.

She added they had followed the lead of gardai who tried to negotiate with the group, “and after a while we were told they would give us a few tyres and that they would put them into the teleporter bucket.”

"I agree we need to find a solution, as we are the last link in trying to remove these. But the safety of council workers, contractors, and myself was paramount that morning.”

Senior Engineer in Housing, Declan Grimes, added that in the week previous to Halloween council staff and gardai had also been attacked with fireworks in Moneymore as they worked to remove hundreds of pallets from the area.

Cllr. Smith praised council staff “for putting themselves on the line” during efforts to remove bonfire material.

Cllr. Anne Marie Forde said it was “shocking to hear” that children were involved in the attacks.

"I am shocked to hear what you have to tolerate when doing your job. I don’t think it is in any way acceptable. It really concerns me that the children were dictating how many tyres were being handed to gardai.”

"We as a council need to do something about this, but there is parental responsibility here in terms of where children are, how they are engaging with law enforcement,” said Cllr. Forde.

“As a town, we need to stand up to this. If anyone has to go to work and then be subjected to stones being thrown at them, it is absolutely unacceptable.”

Cllr. Declan Power called for debris from a bonfire on the beach at Clogherhead to be removed “before it becomes an environmental hazard.”

"Whether we like it or not Halloween bonfires are going to be lit every year, despite being illegal. People will want to keep that tradition going.”

He asked if “allowing a controlled bonfire, with dry clean wood” could be looked at as a solution.

"If we don’t do that it is going to be sofas, plastics, mattresses and all sorts of waste.”

He warned: “Unless there is consistent enforcement this will continue.”