More than 700 are arrested in trouble at festivities

Widespread disorder and drunkenness lead politicians to call for measures to tackle culture of drinking

More than 700 people were arrested around the State for public order offences on St Patrick's Day - a doubling of the number of arrests on last year.

The Garda Press Office said that 407 people were arrested in the Dublin region on St Patrick's Day, with 252 of these arrests for public order offences. Offences included being drunk and disorderly, not moving on when requested, drinking on the street and trespassing.

A Garda spokesman said some of the other 155 offences might or might not have involved St Patrick's Day revellers. The vast majority of these people would be appearing in court at some stage, he said.

Extra Garda patrols have been planned for this weekend, but the Garda spokesman said these were planned before Thursday's events, to cater for some St Patrick's Festival happenings.

On Thursday, gardaí were searching people entering St Stephen's Green to ensure that alcohol was not taken into the park but callers to RTÉ's Liveline said the Green was like "an open air pub" as people had smuggled in drink. The Green was closed early to avoid trouble breaking out.

Iarnród Éireann staff, and three trains, came under attack from passengers on St Patrick's Day and a number of people were arrested. At least four people smashed 25 windows on a Dart train near Howth Junction train station on Thursday evening.

Clíodhna Ní Fhátharta, Iarnród Éireann spokeswoman, said the CCTV footage had some very clear pictures of the culprits and it was hoped that they would be caught. Gardaí at Clontarf have sought the public's assistance in the incident. The Clontarf Community Policing Unit can be contacted on 01 6664800.

The 7.18pm Dart travelling from Howth to Greystones that evening had two windows broken and was taken out of service midway through its journey.

Two Iarnród Éireann staff were assaulted at Bray station at about 8pm by three people who were being pursued by an inspector for their fares. Both the inspector and the train driver were assaulted and gardaí arrested three people.

A fight broke out between passengers on the 8.30pm Dart from Howth to Bray. Iarnród Éireann's private security team were on the ground and gardaí later arrested one person.

There was also a stabbing and a shooting in Dublin on St Patrick's Day. A 17-year-old youth was shot in the leg late on the night of St Patrick's Day, at a house in Edenmore, Coolock. At 2am yesterday, a 26-year-old man was stabbed in the head at Ballyfermot Road. He was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital but gardaí said his injuries were not life threatening.

In Artane, two people were hospitalised following a knife attack. One of the injured required surgery in Beaumont Hospital.

The Rutland Centre, which treats people with alcohol and other addictions, said the excess drinking and associated violence displayed on St Patrick's Day had become "a sign of the times".

Gerry Cooney, treatment co-ordinator, said alcohol abuse had become "a very significant problem" and it would not be dealt until society accepted the scale of the problem. He said the issue was not confined to teenage drinking, as every major occasion in this State centred on excess alcohol consumption.

Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle said a culture of persistent binge drinking had taken hold in this and other EU states. Ms Doyle called on the EU council of health ministers to tackle the issue.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Michael Conaghan, and the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association had called for the closure of off-licences on St Patrick's Day.

PTAA chairman Fr Micheál Mac Gréil said excess drinking on a feast day was "an ugly spectacle" for families and tourists.

However, Alderman Conaghan said he believed things were not as bad as last year.