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TOURISM MINISTER MICHAEL Ring says people should “stay away” from St Patrick’s Day celebrations if they plan to get excessively drunk.
The junior minister officially launched the festival programme this week and in doing so argued for a drunkness-free celebration.
“I don’t like the way these people are coming along spoiling it for everyone,” he said. “When you look around people and communities put in a lot of effort.”
Drink is a fine thing when it’s taken in moderation but what we’re going to have to do is make it like it is with drink driving where excessive drinking is just not acceptable.
Ring argues that 140,000 people visited Ireland during the course of the St. Patrick’s Day festival last year and making sure they spread a positive message when they return is vital.
The minister disagrees that St Patrick’s day has become associated with drinking in other parts of the world, adding that celebrations in Ireland have been peaceful over the past few years.
“We’re very lucky that in every corner of the world people will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day,” he says. “It’s a lovely day, a family occasion and luckily enough in the past few years we’ve seen a mainly peaceful environment.”
The minister’s comments echo the ethos of drink-fee events that are being planned for Dublin and Limerick this St. Patrick’s Day.
Culture group Happenings are organising live music celebrations that they say will act as a “beerless bunker” in Temple bar’s Meeting House Square and the Milk Market in Limerick.
“This isn’t an anti-booze event,” says founder Peter O’Brien. “Paddy’s Day Unlocked is simply about providing a cultural space showcasing the best of Irish talent as an alternative to getting ‘locked’.”
People will be charged €5 to enter the square on the day with children under 12 being admitted free-of-charge.
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… and shut down the Dail bar as well!
My place of work doesn’t have a pub attached to it!
A fair few jobs do
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH Jacinta they couldn’t shut down the Dail bar as that is the only place the clowns work as they bend their elbow’s as they pat them selves on the back.
Like bar workers?
The Dail bar is we’re Gerry and Enda become all pally and forget all about the acting skills they need while in the Dail senate.
Michael ring, why don’t you stay in because your night will be ruined. Who do you think you are you as**ole
They run through their scripts for the next day .
Deer he’s the tourism minister, idiot
There’s always some idiot (usually drunk) whose version of ‘craic’ is to the annoyance of everyone else.
Damm the vast majority spoiling it for the sober few.
Hahaha..stay away from the dail when drunk please ministers…cop on
and all the Ministers who go on their Patrick’s Day Junkets should stay away too.
Don’t they leave the country staying away would have being easier
Just like the way the ministers stay away from Ireland on Patrick’s day but at least the working drunks don’t use tax payers money on trips and rest that go on
Ah come on Galway- I know that it’s hard to stomach these politicians swanning off on our tab but it really is important for business in this country that they do.
We should be asking “Why don’t they invite these business / companies back here to see this country instead from a video, picture or what ever they use to promote the country”.
Because the amateur drinkers fouling up the place would put them off investing
Gotta agree on the drunk front, I’ve seen people too piddled to stagger properly and that’s early afternoon.
I don’t myself or smoke so when I say this I say it with glee!
Michael-get-hand-outofyour-Ring if people want to drink they will drink. If they want to smoke they will smoke. Life is about choices not telling people to do something but having also the nerve to not follow your own advice. You little fat overpaid politician.
The hack of Temple Bar last year was unreal. I was walking through at one point and the amount of broken glass was disgraceful. It was the bloody cops! I watched them taking bottles from people and just smashing them on the ground.
Keep the pubs and off licenses shut till 5pm on Paddys Day is the best solution Id say. #ministryofnofun
The most annoying thing in this country is how much talk there is about drink. There is carnival in Germany where people are drunk and there jd children around and also there is of course some people too drunk. It’s not just happening here.. It’s happening all around the world. The only difference that I can see is that there is always a very high occurrence of anti social behaviour as soon as there is drink involved in Ireland…
What kind of a tourism minister would tell people visiting Ireland not to spend their money. If people want to go out and enjoy themselves then this is a good thing. It is up to the pubs to decide if they will serve a customer or not.
Ireland is going to become such a boring, lifeless country if this kind of nonsense continues.
The vast majority of people who “binge” drink can do so without kicking the shite out of each other. Yet again our politicians are looking for a way to penalise and punish the majority (to make a quick buck more than likely) in order to control the minority.
Ah Paddys day is a day for beerin!! Thats what makes it a famous event around the world. No need for the excess but few pints of green guinness after the parade is what its all about.
He’s talking about the excess
That’s exactly what he said all in moderation and such
Safe to say ring will be on a nice holiday..oops I mean a trade mission in some nice far flung destination at our expense drowning the shamrock….oops again trying to lure investment in…..
Junior ministers should stay away from politics with their stupid Ill thought out sound bites!!!
Government wasters
The exodus to all corners of the globe is simply reminiscent of the snakes leaving Ireland. Keeping them out? Now there’s the trick!!
With the price being charged for drinks in irish pubs there won’t be a lot of drunks
I’m really looking forward to paddys day…. I will be about a mile up in the air flying to Valencia to go enjoy their spring festival.
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