CONCERNS HAVE BEEN raised again this year over the “intimidating” use of fireworks across Dublin in recent weeks, which have left some residents “terrified”.
The sale, possession and use of fireworks in the Republic of Ireland is illegal.
Nonetheless, it’s not unusual for fireworks to be heard across the capital in late September and October in the lead up to Halloween. However, last year there were reports of fireworks being let off in various areas of the city, north and south, as early as August.
The same appears to be the case this year.
A number of Dublin city councillors have expressed concern over what’s been described as a “worsening” situation with fireworks being let off “earlier and earlier each year”.
Fine Gael Councillor Colm O’Rourke for Cabra-Glasnevin said residents were in contact with him as early as the second week in August this year about the issue.
“I am also hearing fireworks being set off regularly,” O’Rourke told The Journal.
“The noise factor alone is a nuisance, but it’s not just that. Fireworks are being used to intimidate or attack people going about their daily business, and that is what is making many residents feel anxious,” he said.
“It’s distressing for many residents, our communities should not have to put up with this.”
Green Party Councillor Darcy Lonergan for Cabra-Glasnevin has also experienced issues in the area.
Lonergan said she walked passed “very young kids” earlier this week who were setting fireworks off.
“I’ll admit I was scared walking by. It’s the unknown of where the fireworks will land, and the type they have,” she said.
“We know the problems with fireworks, it seems to be the solutions we are lacking, and it’s getting worse as they seem to start earlier and earlier each year.”
It’s not just the Cabra-Glasnevin area experiencing reports of fireworks being let off.
A number of social media users have complained of such happening both north and south of the city.
14.25 August 23rd, the first fireworks of the season in Dublin 8.
— Gráinne Biddle (@grainnebiddle) August 23, 2021
Fireworks in Dublin 3 started #halloween2021
— Niamh Maher (@NiamhMaher) August 20, 2021
"setting off fireworks in broad daylight" season has arrived to dublin 8
— colm (@ColmFromHausu) August 22, 2021
Labour Party councillor Joe Costello for the North Inner City said he has heard fireworks being let off on three different occasions over the past week in the Stoneybatter area.
“Halloween is starting in August. The activity seems to get earlier each year,” Costello said.
Legality
With looser laws regarding the sale of fireworks in the North, they are often imported illegally across the border for use here.
This practice has been heavily criticised by a number of Dublin councillors, with some calling on gardaí to crackdown on the issue.
Joe Costello claimed that “most if not all the fireworks come from Northern Ireland where they are legally on sale”.
“I have always argued that the law in the Republic and Northern Ireland should be synchronised and firework sales and possession should be illegal in both jurisdictions,” Costello said.
With Halloween still over two months away, the full scale of the early use of fireworks is unknown. Following a query from TheJournal.ie, An Garda Síochána did not provide details as to whether it has received reports of fireworks being set off around Dublin.
As mentioned, the sale, possession and use of fireworks in the Republic of Ireland is illegal. Category F1 fireworks, such as Christmas crackers and party poppers, however, are exempt and are permitted.
It is also illegal to possess any fireworks (except those in Category F1) that may have been legally purchased outside the jurisdiction and brought into the State.
In a statement to The Journal last year, An Garda Síochána warned that “many of the illegal fireworks that are offered for sale illegally here have not passed any quality control tests and are possibly defective”.
An Garda Síochána can confiscate any fireworks (with the exemption of those in Category F1) found in a person’s possession and can take a prosecution against someone for having them.
In addition, there is a specific offence under law for throwing any ignited fireworks in public places.
While it is illegal to sell, possess or use fireworks in the Republic, the use of them in Northern Ireland is legal for those who have a licence, which is available from a website.
‘Communities held to ransom’
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan, chairperson of Dublin South Central Joint Policing Committee told The Journal that fireworks have been “terrifying local residents across Dublin, particuarly the old and the vulnerable”.
He added that there needs to be “a concerted effort by gardaí to tackle the importation and distribution of fireworks”.
“Last year, communities were held to ransom by fireworks. This year we need to avoid any repeat of this,” Doolan said.
“Gardaí need to respond far earlier and tackle the importation of fireworks from the north of Ireland. We know that they were imported illegally and stored in huge quantities in Dublin. This cannot be allowed to happen again,” he said.
Colm O’Rourke has called for a Garda operation to be put in place to “halt the sale and supply of fireworks and to ensure that residents and communities feel protected and safe”.
Gardaí last year ran Operation Tombola, a nationwide policing plan focused on the prevention and detection of the sale of fireworks and associated public order and anti-social behaviour issues during the Halloween period.
Up to 1 November 2020, gardaí seized fireworks with a value of €35,490 under the operation. This was an increase from 2019 when fireworks with an approximate value of €30,901 were seized for the full year.
O’Rourke said resources need to be provided to bring Operation Tombola forward to this year to tackle the problems in Dublin.
“If the resources are not in place to tackle this scourge, the lead up to Halloween this year will be wild,” he said.
Dublin City Council has warned of the dangers that come with using fireworks.
It said Dublin Fire Brigade’s emergency medical service encounters injuries caused by fireworks each year in the run up to Halloween and on the night itself.
These injuries can range from superficial burns, to partial amputations of fingers and serious eye injuries, it said.
“Bonfires go hand-in-hand with fireworks and we also see an increase in injuries from these. They can include burns as a result of falling in to the bonfire or from clothes catching fire,” the council said.
“We urge young people to stay away from fireworks and unsupervised bonfires, and parents and guardians to explain the dangers to them.
“We also ask that businesses ensure that their waste, such as pallets or tyres, are secured away and that members of the public report any suspected stockpiling of bonfire material to their local council.”
Anyone with information regarding the illegal sale of fireworks can contact their local garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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