Gardaí break up brawl at Sutton beach over the weekend

For many, the recent bank holiday weekend allowed for a relaxing break from a routine of work and other responsibilities. For some, however, this reprieve was interrupted by a brawl that broke out at a beach in Co. Dublin this past Sunday evening.

Circulating on Twitter, videos revealed the fight to be an altercation between a mass of youths as a large crowd of onlookers watched.

In the fight there can be seen pushing, punching, and objects being thrown by various people involved. Accounts from the day ascertain that some of the objects thrown were bottles.

Sunday's incident occurred around 5PM at Burrow Beach in Sutton, Dublin, and was quickly broken up by the Gardaí. Afterwards, the Gardaí evacuated the space and maintained a presence on the beach, something that proved crucial later.

It was the first of two incidents to be broken up at the beach over the weekend. The following evening, an incident deemed a "public order incident" also broke out.

In light of both events, the Gardaí have shared a public announcement.

“Uniformed Gardaí from the Raheny District and the Public Order Unit attended the scene. A large number of people who were gathered on the beach have been dispersed from the area. No arrests have been made at this time. Enquiries are ongoing," it began.

“Gardaí from the Raheny District are maintaining a presence in the area of Burrow Beach this evening, as part of ongoing high-visibility patrols under Operation Irene."

The announcement continued on to disclose that the Gardaí in Raheny were looking for information on the incident. Should anyone have any information, they ask that people contact the station either through the Raheny station's line at 01-6664300 or through the confidential line at 1800-666111.

Operation Irene is a campaign meant to deter underage drinking and alcohol consumption in public. Fearing that overcrowding and the consumption of alcohol at beaches contributed to any rowdiness that incited the fights, calls for "proactively seizing alcohol" to prevent future anti-social behaviour have been made by members of the public.

The Gardaí's presence in Burrow will extend beyond the initial Monday evening, hopefully helping to deter similar behaviour throughout the rest of the summer.

In related news, Howth Tidy Towns posted a short video to Twitter showing overflowing garbage bins at the beach, asking that people take home their trash after a day out if the bins are full. Otherwise, the litter left behind can negatively impact the local area.

"Our Karolina & Eoin are litterpicking along the tideline to save the sea from claiming the plastic, bottles, cans etc. Please, please never leave your rubbish on the beach. If the bin is full #takeyourrubbishhome."