SEVENTEEN young men appeared at a special sitting of Limerick District Court yesterday after a major riot in the city centre early yesterday morning.
Insp Seamus Gallagher told the court that the riot developed in O'Connell Street at 2.30 a.m. and basted for two hours. It started when people from Killaloe, Co Clare, were attacked by people from the city. Garda reinforcements were summoned from Bnorunff Newcastlewest and Shannon.
Insp Gallagher said people were coming out of discos in the city centre at the time. "What happened is that a small row developed into a riot situation."
During the hour long hearing, Garda Ronan McDonagh gave evidence that about 1,000 people were coming out of discos at the dime and were hanging around fast food restaurants. Gardai asked them to disperse, but they refused. They were jeering and hurling stones at 15 gardai who were trying to bring the situation under control.
Garda Padraig Molloy told the court that the riot was "one of the most frightening experiences I have had in Limerick city".
After remanding the defendants to Wednesday's sitting of the court, Judge Michael Reilly complimented the gardai for bringing the riot under control. "This is a very serious matter," he said, and when the annual licensing court comes up in two weeks time, he would be dealing with the renewal of public licences and restaurant certificates.
"It seems to me that this riot was in great measure due to the fact that up to 1,000 people were on the streets of Limerick at the time. Some people seemed to take the view that the forces of law and order were people to be ridiculed and attacked with stones and bottles.
"It seems to me I will have to take a strong look at whether or not I will grant licences to particular discos in the city and if I do grant them, I will have to look critically at the hours for which I grant them and the numbers of people who attend these discos.
"It also seems to me that the people who were on the streets, most of them had drink taken and behaved in a most anti social way towards the gardai.
"With all the resources available in Limerick, there were not sufficient to enable the gardai handle a very dangerous situation. It is a pity that a city with such a proud and good tradition as this should be subjected to a riot and the streets littered with debris", the judge said.
Sixteen defendants were charged that at O'Connell Street on September 8th, they were intoxicated to such an extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that they might endanger themselves of any other person in their vicinity, contrary to Section Four of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994.
They were also charged that they used or engaged in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, with intent to provoke a breach of the peace, or being reckless as to whether a breach of the peace might have been occasioned, contrary to Section 6 of, the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994.
The defendants were: Mr David Moran (18), St Senan's Street, St Mary's Park; Mr Leslie Carrier (20), Park Avenue, Jamesboro; Mr Michael Crawford (19), Pineview Gardens, Moyross; Mr John Doyle (19), Newport, Co Tipperary; Mr Paul McMahon (20), The Paddocks, Westbury, Corbally; Mr Anthony Grace (18), Monabraher Road, Ballynanty Beg; Mr Owen O'Halloran (20), Glenview Gardens, Farranshone; Mr Michael Moran (23), O'Malley Park, Southill; Mr Darren Rosney (22), Killaloe, Co Clare; Mr Christy Rosney (21), Creevoe, Killaloe; Mr John Reddan (20), Sycamore Avenue, Rathbane; Mr Brian Garvey (20) Richmond Park, Corbally; Mr Cathal O'Connell (18), Ashbrook Gardens, Ennis Road; Mr Daniel McNamara (17), Rathuard, Ballysheedy; Mr Gregory Dowling (20), Mungret Court, Watergate; and Mr Patrick Phelan (19), Raheen Square, Ballinacurra Weston.
A 16 year old Limerick youth was similarly charged. He faces an additional charge of having a knife.
Fourteen defendants were remanded in custody with consent to bail and three were given bail.
