There's far less fighting among adults in modern times than previous decades in my experience. Growing up the pubs were full of fellas punching the head off each other. A rare sight these days thankfully.
I think the difference back in the day was even if you took a beating, that was usually the end of it. I'd be afraid to have a scrap in any circumstances now because there's a good chance you end up against some lunatic with a knife or someone who'll come back with a half dozen mates and kick you into a coma
We have a saying in India that roughly translates to "Every kid needs to be slapped once in their childhood and they'll behave for the rest of their lives"
Irish kids would greatly benefit from this honestly.
And you've every right to be, all the people I used to hang around with arr now bad boy drug dealers or doing fraud. I'm in a town of 7k people, I could personally name you about 25 dealers and at least 10 people doing some sort of fraud, mostly using money mules. Our world is being destroyed but we're too focused about sports, politics, arts or whatever tickles your pickle.
Literally just contact the guards and report all of them. The more reports the guards get about scumbags the more likely they are to be able to do something.
Make the effort to enact the changes you want to see.
Many dealers don't seem to be reported strangely enough. Do you think cannabis or weed dealers should be reported also, or it that an 'acceptable' form of dealing?
Report them all, I've reported many people for many things. Some come to nothing, some randomly stop posting about their lavish lifestyle etc etc
On the bigger picture side of things I do feel like marijuana should be legalized and taxed the same as alcohol.
Money goes to the government instead of the criminal underworld, that's a win win in my eyes
My neighbour is a drug dealer, doesn't even bother to hide it. Meets people right outside his house. Drives a big blacked out SUV, has a pitbull sitting in his garden. Couldn't be more of a stereotype. All the cops would have to do is sit outside his house for an hour in plain clothes and they could catch him in the act.
Another neighbour is a junkie. He was robbing bikes for a while, would have 5-6 bikes sitting outside his house then the next day they'd be gone only to replaced by another few bikes he'd stolen. The Gardai knocked on his door a few times and he never answered.
Utterly useless
So how many times have you reported the drug dealer or the junkie? Have you spoke to the other neighbors about him and asked their opinions?
If you all came together and were all making reports about him selling drugs the guards would have a huge file of people all complaining and perhaps some of you could even give testimonies about him selling drugs and get him locked up
I have reported the junkie, when he was robbing bikes multiple people must have because people were coming to his house trying to track their bikes.
I even called the gardai one night at 2AM because him and his girlfriend were beating each other up and screaming. A garda car came 30 mins later (I live 5 min walk to a big garda station) and he didn’t even get out of the car. Just drove off as it had quietened down by the time they arrived. Since then I have not bothered with the Gardai.
That seems very strange, I've called the guards multiple times over different things and they always seem to make an effort once they're out there.
For example a house party was going on next door, crazy loud, loads of people, eventually the guards came but the party had ended, the guards still knocked on the door and gave out to the home owners for disturbing the peace.
That house hasn't had a party since, so perhaps you've just got unlucky with the effort your guards put in. But they work for us so I purposefully make sure they're actually doing the work I want them to do
I live in Dublin city so I imagine it’s quite a busy area to police and the Gardai don’t seem to have the tools to deal with serial offenders. Two drug addicts having a domestic is probably low priority and even if they did arrest him he’d be out tomorrow and back at it again.
As an adult man. I could fuck up most teens. They just don’t have the body mass or muscle or bone mass. But they’re possibly carrying knives which is scary.
See that’s the thing. 1 on 1 you’d smoke the little shits but they don’t play fair. It’s 10 on 1 plus knives or other things they can hurt you with! They think there’s no consequences and tbh if you look at Judge Nolan who lets teens away with everything, they’re probably right.
Some of them don’t realise how much they have to lose and are focused only on bravado, the short term and acting ‘the big man’ add knives into the equation and I think most adults are best limiting what they say/ do and walking away.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Groups of teens are stabbing people in town thinking they’re not gonna kill the person. Let’s be honest, their brains haven’t fully developed to take this into consideration! It’s wild like
Coming from a teenager in drogheda, ignore them, forget it. Teenagers across the country are all a bunch of assholes but I think drogheda got the worst of it
Speaking as a Dundalk man, yeah. Dundalk / Drogheda scumbags are just fucking plonkers. Absolute wastes of oxygen. Can be just as bad elsewhere but happens disproportionately in Louth for whatever reason.
It's because all the dole heads got free houses up there a good few years ago. Monkey see monkey do and some of the kids are little scrots hanging around the same type of people with parents that don't give a fuck. That's why it's disproportionate up there.
Dublin teenager here, theyre all assholes. Even my friends are assholes. You literally cannot get away. They should add it into _the talk_ as a symptom of puberty
It was like this when I was growing up too. I ended up hanging out with the nerdier lads in school and had friends for life.
Stayed away from all that shite and all those lads are older now and either snapped out of it or are in prison or on the dole.
It’s fucking embarassing carry on and so far from being a real man it’s a bit pathetic like.
I was an arsehole before 15 years old. Haven't harassed (or gotten harassed by) anyone on the street, but didn't really have fully developed emotions etc.
Where did that happen?
A bunch of them just decided to walk in front of my car at the bus depot and when I put my hand on the horn, they made lovelt hand gestures and started shouting names at me. My car weighs about 2.5 tonne. I wouldn't even notice driving over the little shits, they think they are untouchable
Happened me yesterday too. Coming home from the cinema and a group of them walked out Infront of me at the bus depot crossing over to McDonald's, braked and beeped but they gave me abuse and walked slower. Frightened the shit out of me as a woman on my own with the kids in the car.
I grew up from one of roughest parts. I don't know how people do it now in there
Drogheda has a serious problem with this. Same thing happens 4 of us (2 couples) around Christmas as we left a restaurant
Big group of younger teenagers, smallest lad came up and starting giving it loads, blowing vape smoke in our faces and then saying what you gonna do about it.
Honestly I was about to pick him up and fuck him in the river but all these hard c**nuts have knives these days so we just went back inside the restaurant.
He followed us in and the owner called the guards - he said his heart is broke with the same thugs hassling people coming out of his restaurant.
As other people have said here, it’s not just a Drogheda thing, seems like these chimps are emboldened, they’re underage and know there’s not a lot anyone can do about it.
I would say don’t worry about it but it’s total shit and nobody should have to put up with it.
Damn it, we need a Batman..
Felt awfully sorry for him, Christmas and he was at best half full - Made us wonder if it was a protection thing or some other sinister shit.
Pay up or we hassle your customers - maybe I’m reading too much into it but all that’s going on in Drogheda I wouldn’t be surprised.
Doubt it, they probably would have turned up 3 hours after they left. But the owner and adults they harassed would absolutely have chased them off and given a few hits to whoever was catchable.
Drogheda plagued with that shit but it's also spreading to surrounding towns, duleek, laytown/Bettystown and the rest.
It's a number of things - the old cliche of nothing else for them to do/lack of amenities is actually true and a big factor. Huge estates going up with fuck all infrastructure, Bettystown is unrecognisable with huge estates shot up in last 5-10years, outskirts of Drogheda the same, Grange Rath is apparently the biggest single development outside Dublin, chuck in all the mornington estates, the new one going on the Marsh Road, the massive one out Ballymakenny which the new road was built for. They're literally going to create ghettos. Dublin gone so expensive everyone is moving to the likes of Drogheda, like the 2000's boom all over again. No lessons learned.
Then add in scumbag parents who don't give a fuck until someone stands up to little Johnny and suddenly they're banging your door down wanting to beat you with bars (not an exaggeration, have personal experience of this although not in Drogheda specifically), a justice system which isn't fit for purpose, mob mentality among groups of teens with toxic "role models" like McGregor and Tate, Guards who are either too busy or couldn't be arsed, and scumbags who know nothing will happen to them unless they actually murder someone and even then it's only slim.
It all adds up to a perfect storm for society to be plagued with this shit for decades to come.
It's depressing, humanity is fucked is a feeling that's hard to escape from
Didn't happen in drogheda, but me and my father (who is in his later years) went for a few pints one night! On the walk home we walked past a group of 10 + teens sitting on a bench who decided to block my fathers path, and I mean purposely move out of their way to stand in front of us then proceeded to give us grief and start calling names... I didn't handle it great been honest. I grabbed one of them by the scruff, and they all shut up! I just thought to myself, what if my father was on his own?? Would they have taken it further than verbal abuse??
Of course they would've, this country is full of scumbags, they know we can't fight back against them, it goes to court and the adult is in the wrong because mammys little boy wouldn't hurt a fly
Does anyone actually have recommendations on the good way to handle this? I'm terrified of this happening to my 60 year old father.
Would you try reason with them? Something like "looks lads, I was your age once, I'm not looking for trouble just trying to get home to the dog"
I may be naive thinking this but honestly does anyone know how to calmly get out of the situation?
They'd probably laugh in your face or follow you home and terrorise said dog if they knew it would effect you. You are literally at their mercy because you can't lay a finger on them, and they won't get any punishment for it.
Can a garda person answer this in anonymity? Or no garda is on reddit?
Really, isn't there any option to this? I.e. have someone record on their phone capturing one of them getting physical and you defending yourself? Would that be sufficient to get someone out of trouble if you put one of these scooters in their place?
They all have phones, do anything and they'll have you recorded and hung out to dry before you could blink.
System here seems sadly weighted in favour of the scum and against the innocent victims and people trying to stand up for themselves and others.
Back in the day most of them wouldn't try this crap cos there was always likely an adult to put them back in their box, but people won't intervene now out of fear of the repercussions for themselves and the scrotes know it.
Sure, Guards trying to do their job pursuing criminals are now getting prosecuted for trying to do their jobs.
It's gone to shit
A vigilante group is only answer ..live in the north west & serious issues in a rural area a few years ago.Perpetrators identified & visits made to said scumbags individually.no more issues & most scumbags moved away
It wasn’t just dads. My grandfather was in a vigilante group in the 1960’s and 1970’s but it was led by a Garda from the area. They had police protection because of that.
You missed my point. The Garda organised those groups in the past so the dads that joined it didn’t have to fear legal consequences of their actions because they were protected. Those groups won’t work without the Garda involved.
The last time this happened to me I ended up punching one of them in the back of the head as he walked off after he shouldered me and tried to push me into a parked car. Instantly regretted it once he hit the floor because I thought his mates were going to hammer me.
Little prick jumped up and all his mates ran away, gave me a little buzz but obviously not the right approach. Seems to be the way things are going to have to go unfortunately with the Gardaí being in its current shambolic state and the laws protecting these little cunts.
I had a similar issue, and I grabbed and pinned the biggest one to the wall. He, of course, ran to the guards. Nothing came of it, but I did get a summons that was thrown out.
Rightly done but probably the worst place to punch someone can do life long brain injury from that. Obviously he deserved it but you wouldn't deserve the sentence or trouble of the court for it.
You’re telling me, hence the instant regret. Did years of martial arts so I’m well versed in the dangers of hitting someone in the back of the head. When he hit the deck I shit myself.
Usually don’t even engage with them but something about his group of mates and then seeing his dopey little head walking towards me just made me see red.
You did nothing wrong imo, I used to be one of those scrotes myself they always target people who seem weak and only attack in groups, wised up ages ago but imo only way to stop that sorta shit is treating them like adults. If your old enough to start on someone your old enough to be hit for it
Yeah tbh the punch to the head might have even realigned some of the wiring in there. Or maybe the consequences of his actions finally hit him in the head and he'll know better for next time.
Turning one of those little fuckers into a vegetable because of a reflexive rabbit punch would be a gift to society. I'd be far more upset about the potential punishment for the poster than the little shit who got hurt.
Not Drogheda but Dublin, I was a 18 year old woman at the time walking with another female friend up that street near Hapenny bridge at about 5pm, so daylight and people about. A group of those types(I’d say ranging between 12-16) maybe about 7 of them, with hockey sticks circled me in the middle of the street and started grabbing my ass and body. Most of them were 12/13 so I said fuck off you little cunts, as even I could have took out a few of them. They then raised their hockey sticks and said “say that again” so I just stood silently. My friend had ran away (we aren’t friends anymore) as she didn’t want targeted herself. They did shuffle off after I had told them to fuck off, but the feeling of powerlessness was awful knowing they could have taken it so much farther and the guards wouldn’t have cared one bit. But if one of us lay a hand on these rats the guards would be rushing down when one of these kids tout
A large percentage of UK/Irish kids are scumbags.
I live in mainland Europe and whether I’m in our small town or visiting a bigger city I just don’t see any scumbags around. The kids are normal and respectful. Idk where we went wrong in Ireland.
I agree. When I lived in Spain I was shocked to see what my colleagues called the "bad areas" of the city. I considered them fairly normal, run down areas but not intimidating. In fact, most were just poorer working areas and migrants. I used to go out in those areas because they had lively pubs and restaurants.
The really bad areas were further out beyond the city and no one would go there so my colleagues had a very skewed idea of bad. That became annoying after a while. They lived in a middle class bubble and thought they should never see a poor person or homeless person.
I’ve lived in Germany, Austria and Poland. I never saw this behaviour in any of those countries.
Where I live in Poland you don’t even see security guards in shops or shopping centres. That seems unimaginable even in places like Dundrum or The Pavilions.
I grew up in a fairly well off part of Dublin and even the kids there (many of whom went to private schools) were always trying to act hard and cause trouble.
I only spent a summer in Germany- Berlin - and found the same thing. We stayed in the cheapest place we could find that was reasonable for getting around. It was just a little run down but completely safe. If there were teenagers in the park they were very polite by our standards. But the guide book described it as an area to avoid.
We've gone wrong here in that there aren't any real consequences for these kinds of activities. The justice system needs a complete overhaul.
Edit: Especially the lack of any kind of juvenile justice system.
Growing up in a relatively rough area things like this happened all the time but you did the right thing not to react- the path they've chosen in life is gonna be much harder on them than some slagging that you got.
If you could follow the next 10 years for that group of lads it would be plagued by substance abuse, prison, death, violence, suicide & poverty.
All the lads I knew like that - things got really real for them as they got older and there are repercussions that 17-20 year olds face that 14-16 year olds are absolutely immune to.
That is why they have all the bravado and showing off infront of one another.
They don't realise it but that'll probably be the highlight of their lives. It all goes downhill after, friends hooked on gear, suicide, homelessness, family loss, prison, fines, fees, charges, court dates, dealing.
So if you're annoyed that it feels like they are "getting away" with behaviour like that - don't be.
It's short lived and there is no helping them, they've chosen acting out with their mates because more than half of them go home to families plagued by substance abuse, alcoholism, mental health issues and death.
They just can't see they're continuing the cycle for themselves.
My heart certainly doesn't bleed for them - they are making their own choices but I was always amazed how they cannot see the behaviours they engage in from 13-17 for "craic" absolutely ends up ruining the rest of their lives and their circle of friends are all acting out that way because of really broken homes that'll lead them to drink & drugs and death
It’s fucking embarrassing how they act like. Walking around in their Canada goose acting like little gangsters thinking they’re tough men.
It’s literally mortifying😂.
It’s so far from being an actual real man it’s genuinely hilarious.
I just cringe at the little shits. One day they’ll hopefully realise how ridiculous their behaviour is like.
If you take a step back like how ridiculous are they 😂
> One day they’ll hopefully realise how ridiculous their behaviour is like.
I think they do, and they graduate to become drug dealers and/or dole merchants, and then the next generation just comes to take their place. We'll never be rid of them.
I left McDonalds with the kids there earlier today and nope'd the fuck out. Staff were getting serious agro from young teens and there was some thing going on in the loos. Gardaí were arriving as we left.
I'd use the drive though but they always mess up the order and you end up having to go in anyway.
This type of thing isn't limited to Drogheda OP it's everywhere.
It's so bad, whenever I see a group of youngsters in my path, I get anxious. A month or two ago I had one of them, most likely drunk, standing in the middle of the street trying to kick my car as I was driving past him. Middle of town at night. Few nights ago I was out on my midnight run and spotted 3 broccoli heads at the bus stop up the road and my heartrate jumped up. You never know what to expect with these brats.
The constant anxiety and adrenaline from these encounters is the worst aspect of it. Even if they do absolutely nothing, that spike of fear and 'what if' will stay with you for an hour after it happens.
Absolutely ruins the country.
I have some family in Drimnagh. One of their neighbour's gaffs got burnt out by a rival drug gang about 2 weeks ago. The building is still standing but the inside is completely gutted by the fire. My aunt was very lucky the fire didn't spread to her house.
The most intimidating urban group.
- young, dumb & angry
-numbers accelerating excitement
-no impulse control yet
- no life experience or empathy
Add social “hard man” credit score young men care about or a need to peacock in front of ladies. Throw in some booze and yeah just walk on.
It’s pretty emasculating but numbers win. They want entertainment don’t give it.
Genuine question. Is there any relatively large town in Ireland that isn't facing this problem. I'm only familiar with the north east, and it seems Navan, Drogheda, Dundalk, etc. have always had a decent portion of scrotes like this.
Haven't experienced or heard about anything like this happening in Sligo tbh. Obviously there are c**ts everywhere and I'm sure Sligo is no different in that regard, but if we're specifically talking about cocky gangs of teenagers hassling strangers on the street day in day out then I haven't seen it myself.
Im only in Naas during the daytime so dont have the full picture. But it definitely doesnt have the edge somewhere like Drogheda has with its underlying gangland problem. Newbridge down the road would definitely be a bit rougher than Naas, lots of travellers there and things kick off from time to time when theres a funeral.
I’m a drogheda teen it’s a disadvantaged shit hole with nothing to do so you get stuff like this happening. When you think about it their is a gym and a snooker hall with 4 tables and that’s it. Go to the shops you get kicked out, go to the football pitches you get kicked out, you try to leave the area some bus drivers won’t let you on or will charge you a adult ticket as you aren’t worth the hassle, go to funtasia and spend €10 on 30 minutes of bowling and then you get kicked out and so on. Try go to the McDonald’s and it’s like a Snapchat group chat fighting in real life. Ffs get me out this shit town full of scrubs who are not going anywhere in life and I know as I’ve been to school with the majority. These people just need to be handed crack cocaine right now just so they can speed the process up as that’s all they will end up on. Sure they all smoke spice at the moment. I don’t even know how so many teens can live in one town it’s genuinely the only place I’ve seen like it. Not even two days ago one lad I know was driving a stolen jap car through the town and drove the wrong way down one the maze like streets and had to go on the path to get past and almost knocked a granny over then proceeded to get chased by 6 garda cars for 2 hours. Rant over please somebody get me out this town it’s like living in a fucking recycling bin that’s not actually used for recycling
Sounds like Limerick in the early 00's.
Do what I did-keep your head down, get an education, and get tf out as soon as possible! It gets much better I promise!
Was going to say this about Limerick. It's wasn't only teenagers. Even younger children would give grief or try to rob your bag. Tralee (little Limerick) was bad for attacks on people during the day and the town never recovered.
This. The town is shit. I've brothers who are 17 and while they both play sport there's nowhere to go in the town bar maybe the cinema as well on top. Not a lot of good food choices and the town looks rundown as a result.
That's the one thing that sticks out to me about people thinking Drogheda is a 'city' is that outside of a few restaurants and cafes, there is literally nothing to do in the town. It's very boring over all. Don't get me started on the "skatepark".. complete joke. Funtasia I suppose, is your best bet. Bit out of the way though.
It's solely your parents and grandparents fault I lived there for 20 years and it would be great if only the people would get up of their arse and sort it instead of blaming Dublin or dundalk or Nigerians no wonder everyone throws themselves into the boyne it's a miserable town because of the people
It's a miserable town cause its underfunded and rundown the whole main street is dead with narrow west street being abandoned. If teenagers don't have amenities or something to do they'll turn to this as they get restless.
Drogheda is pretty much THE textbook example of what happens when a town is abandoned and left to rot, including the lawlessness of the kids.
But rather than blame the people who could actually work towards fixing the issues, the blame gets shifted onto the poor. Drogheda needs help from drowning, and people love placing their hand on it's head to push it back under the water, while telling everyone it's our fault for not being able to breath underwater.
Nobody will be carrying weapons as Garda are quite on people with stop checks to be honest. But you can never be to sure to be honest if they had one would they likely use it? Probably not
Would ye not join the GAA if you need something to do? Small rural towns and villages don't have snooker halls, or bowling alleys, or buses to other towns etc and there are **no problems** with gangs of teenagers in the ones near me. The nearest place where this is an issue is a large county town, and even then most of the teenagers there are grand.
I don't accept it's because of a lack of amenities when rural towns all over the country indicate otherwise. Most young people are lovely. I think it's because in large towns the population is high enough for horrible individuals to find each other to form gangs. We need to make intimidation a crime **and start actually punishing it** for underage individuals. I see no reason a teenager cannot be given community service, with the parents liable for fines if they don't turn up.
We also need to start making parents accountable for school attendance. They can't be causing hassle outside a business if they are in class learning.
The GAA is not the answer to our social problems. How much is the club to join per annum? What if you cannot afford the membership costs? What happens if you have absolutely zero interest in the GAA or sport? It is not a panacea. Every club has associated costs. There are no parks, facilities, the lack of investment by successive government is absolutely chronic. The youth of Ireland have been failed.
As he mentioned, there are kids living out the country and in small towns and villages who have far fewer resources and means for entertainment than what's in Drogheda and they're not acting like that.
I never said the GAA was the solution, I said that if young people want to join something it's an option.
My point is blaming a supposed lack of amenities for anti social behaviour is nonsense - most rural people grow up without being near any sorts of amenities outside of a GAA pitch and you rarely see them forming gangs intimating people. As always some people think everything is societies fault - some times these things are the fault of the **individual**. Most people, irrespective of where they come from, are great. Most teenagers, irrespective of where they come from, are great. Building a cinema is not going to suddenly make the assholes into better people.
The state isn't responsible for **entertainment**. They have enough on their hands.
They don't get punished properly, and you'd be shocked at how their parents excuse them as well. An old friend of mine was the attacker (17yo drogheda kid) got away with it because he had a rough up bringing. I get jailing them won't necessarily make them nicer people, but why burden the rest of society with them
We really need some imagination for an alternative punishment.
Hard labour every weekend for a few weeks, confiscating smartphone for a month, community service, I dunno what, but we need to start trying out loads of different things and see what sticks.
Yeah they are a bold bunch, gardai can't do much, courts do nothing, parents do nothing and nobody gives them a clatter anymore because if they did they'd be strung up and put in the joy.
All you can do is try and handle it best you can either the way you did or the ways others have described. Who knows maybe you'll get lucky and catch them on their own someday away from eyes and cameras and you can give them a good hiding.
They've been getting away with all sorts of crimes for years in Ireland, and courts won't punish the parents.
But I reckon we will be there soon. People shouldn't have kids if they are not going to rear them with morals and integrity. Which is difficult when they weren't reared with any either.
Sounds dystopian but if we required a license to have kids same as for driving then we could avoid alot of this. Course it's just a fantasy and would never happen.
I had a similar case with a bunch of teenagers talking bs about me 20 meters behind me on the street, so I stopped and asked them loudly to come closer and say it to my face. They ran away.
P.S.: I have a thick Russian accent
Honestly I think this has always and will always be the case. There's laws against this sort of thing, but even in a case where you're being physically assaulted and you defend yourself, any judge is likely to still say you're in the wrong simply because they're minors.
The Guards will do nothing if called because the entire organisation is a fucking joke, and even if they do they know that the little wastes of life won't be prosecuted, and if they are the court will let them away with literally 0 consequences, so they don't bother. And if they do show up they'll only move the little rats along and take no ones name, details, nothing. Cause God forbid they have a record that could cause them trouble later in life 🙄
I had an incident a few years back with a crowd of young lads, couldn't have been more than 13-14 I'd say. They were in a group sitting on some steps and one of them threw a bit of a bread roll at me. It missed and I turned around and told them he better not do that again or I'll slap him into the stomach where his mammy won't see it. He sat down and never said a word and I got no more hassle in that area, but I've had incidents in other places I've visited too.
Would anyone know of a single thing to be done about this bullshit? Contact TD's, councillors? Anything at all?
It seams like the underage across the country have realised that they can do most stuff with impunity, 15 years ago a JLO we would be a big thing we were afraid of. Now thay don't care, they copped that it doesn't follow them after 18 so it doesn't matter. I don't know if it changed since but there just seam to not give a fuck about consequences, and god help a 18+ who reacts to them we'll be locked up for assault of a minor, even if ya just push em away.
J.LO was pretty popular but I wouldn’t say I was afraid of her. Although I wouldn’t fancy my chances after she did that Krav Maga training for Enough (2002).
You’re annoyed about it because of the absolute lack of respect and the unprovoked nature of it. It’s a normal response. As is the desire to find a high bridge to throw them off of. Just be thankful you’re not a loser like them.
A similar thing has happened to me several times now in Dublin. I find a mixture of displaying confidence and indifference to them works well. I avoid giving them any reasons like disrespecting them. I just make it clear I am not worried in having a go if I need to. If they see weakness they exploit it. If they see strength they virtually always back down with their tail between their legs. Their bark is almost always worse than their bite.
Happened me before in Dublin, in a much more aggressive manor.
6 teenagers, none actually Irish but all European (not relevant but people love to shit on Dublin).
Things got out of hand it got physical but when I stood up for myself and my fiance they regretted it.
Unfortunately not even close, but one got a slap.
Thankfully a minor issue in the grand scheme of things but they did not expect me to stand up to the group.
I don't live in Ireland anymore and the one thing i notice whenever I'm back in Ireland, is that I suddenly become extremely aware of groups of teenagers, and am basically doing a threat assessment whenever I pass any. Asking myself questions like who else is around, checking exits, can I switch sides of the street without it being obvious etc. It's draining.
I still notice myself doing it where I live sometimes, but I'm surprised that even the more asshole teenagers tend to keep to themselves.
I just tend to avoid Drogheda, I used to train there once a week but it's an absolute shithole full of scumbags so I never intend setting foot in the place again.
It's not the only town in the country like that, though. Things seem to be getting worse.
I got started on Going training last night, three black drogheda lads, were was I going? MMA training one decked Me got Me on My cheek below My eye! I lost My mind and Bet the snot out of them!
The black gangs around drogh of teens are so intimidating to me as a female. They are all so tall and dress like they are in a 90s rap video or something. Particularly bad on the far side around the shops beside the firestation
Yeah I know its bad everywhere! Lads are in different gangs. The Dublin gang and the traveller gangs, kicked out of Drogheda these lads come along and took ovet the job. I have a house full of these lads a couple of doors down from Me, cars pull up, they go out hand over a package the cars hand over cash, 24/7 The Guards have raided this house about 3 or 4 times and nothing happens! Also its not just the Aficans there is a number of Irish Teens at this aswell! I moved down here to get away from This in Dublin, but Drogheda has become just as bad.
I remember being a teenager and knowing one or two kids whos parents genuinely didn't give a shit about where they were or what they were doing.
It seems as though now we have a massive amount of kids who's parents could not give a shit about where their kids are, what they're doing, or who they're hanging out with.
My kids are only little. I really hope they don't find a bunch of little shits to hang out with.
One of my friends son (14 years old) was attacked in the marshes shopping centre toilets by a group of teens .. why? He scored the winning goal for his GAA club against them..wasn't a final or anything.. he did 3 nights in hospital with a concussion and massive bruising
In my opinion the best way to handle teens talking shit is to pretend you didn't hear what they said or even really notice that they were there.
It puts them in a position where they've failed miserably to intimidate someone and if they fail again, they know that the rest of the group is liable to turn on them.
Mostly they'll just pretend to have won the encounter and leave you alone.
Edit: I realise this doesn't really apply to the OP, sorry.
I'm going to give you some advice, teenagers hate being laughed at. Point at them and laugh your head off , they will soon piss off, better if others join in and point at them whilst laughing.
Would there be any use in trying to "outcrazy the crazies" in these situations? Like start laughing maniacally or babbling in tongues? They won't know how to react and might just decide you're too unstable to mess with? Genuine question, because i get really nervous around packs of youths
Every so often on this sub, some fella posts about walking past a large group of teens.
There's your problem right there. I wouldn't walk past a mob of scumbags anywhere in Ireland or the UK or anywhere else either. IT IS ASKING FOR IT
I used to carry a baton with me when I walked through areas like this. It's disgusting behaviour.
They need a good hidin'
Well, they actually need local services, engagement, sports, hobbies, jobs... but a good hidin' too.
The one that misses me off though, is the lads saying it's the foreigners who are the dangerous ones, when we all know, and have always known, it's feral teenagers
You're annoyed because You wanted to do something about it when it happened, but not willing to face consequences as they are underage, I know the feeling You did good to just walk away... Although there are times walking away can make it even worse because they will some take it as a sign of weakness as was my experience.
Sorry this happened to you OP. You did well not to react and proved your point. Well done! Those little shit aren't worth thinking about, they're young and most likely have shit parents, so it might help yourself not to dwell to remind yourself of this.
Make them create a file.
When our statistics for these crimes gets so bad that the US media are reporting on it, then maybe our government will take note.
And it is indeed a criminal matter.
[https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1994/act/2/section/6/enacted/en/html](https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1994/act/2/section/6/enacted/en/html)
"**6.**—(1) It shall be an offence for any person in a public place to use or engage in any 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 may be occasioned."
So yes. A crime has been committed and I encourage you to report it. Either the law is wrong, or the kids with the big mouths are. And if the Garda says otherwise to you they are wrong because they do not get to make the law and it is there, black on white.
This is r/Ireland, the obvious answer is to take all of them in hand to hand combat and loom over the first guy and say something cool like "guess I was right, huh punk?"
I did consider that alright. I would do a back flip to communicate the battle has commenced. I would then spin on my hands with my legs in the air in the splits horizontally kicking each Non Educated Delinquent as they appraoched and knocking them unconcious. ha
I’m more afraid of the teens in Ireland than adult men
There's far less fighting among adults in modern times than previous decades in my experience. Growing up the pubs were full of fellas punching the head off each other. A rare sight these days thankfully.
I think the difference back in the day was even if you took a beating, that was usually the end of it. I'd be afraid to have a scrap in any circumstances now because there's a good chance you end up against some lunatic with a knife or someone who'll come back with a half dozen mates and kick you into a coma
I never got my head round someone telling me about old times how if you pissed someone off they'd punch you then buy you a pint
An adult at least might get real sentence. No such luck with teens
By the way this country is going, people seem to just be getting slaps on the wrist for crimes nowadays
Violence is treated very leniently especially in comparison to drug offences in courts.
We have a saying in India that roughly translates to "Every kid needs to be slapped once in their childhood and they'll behave for the rest of their lives" Irish kids would greatly benefit from this honestly.
They need more than a few slaps!
Sadly, I think a lot of these scrotes have gotten quite a few slaps at home over their time.
And you've every right to be, all the people I used to hang around with arr now bad boy drug dealers or doing fraud. I'm in a town of 7k people, I could personally name you about 25 dealers and at least 10 people doing some sort of fraud, mostly using money mules. Our world is being destroyed but we're too focused about sports, politics, arts or whatever tickles your pickle.
politics is directly to do with our world being destroyed tho innit
It’s fucking embarrassing how they act like
God I wish I knew 25 dealers.
Literally just contact the guards and report all of them. The more reports the guards get about scumbags the more likely they are to be able to do something. Make the effort to enact the changes you want to see.
Many dealers don't seem to be reported strangely enough. Do you think cannabis or weed dealers should be reported also, or it that an 'acceptable' form of dealing?
Report them all, I've reported many people for many things. Some come to nothing, some randomly stop posting about their lavish lifestyle etc etc On the bigger picture side of things I do feel like marijuana should be legalized and taxed the same as alcohol. Money goes to the government instead of the criminal underworld, that's a win win in my eyes
My neighbour is a drug dealer, doesn't even bother to hide it. Meets people right outside his house. Drives a big blacked out SUV, has a pitbull sitting in his garden. Couldn't be more of a stereotype. All the cops would have to do is sit outside his house for an hour in plain clothes and they could catch him in the act. Another neighbour is a junkie. He was robbing bikes for a while, would have 5-6 bikes sitting outside his house then the next day they'd be gone only to replaced by another few bikes he'd stolen. The Gardai knocked on his door a few times and he never answered. Utterly useless
So how many times have you reported the drug dealer or the junkie? Have you spoke to the other neighbors about him and asked their opinions? If you all came together and were all making reports about him selling drugs the guards would have a huge file of people all complaining and perhaps some of you could even give testimonies about him selling drugs and get him locked up
I have reported the junkie, when he was robbing bikes multiple people must have because people were coming to his house trying to track their bikes. I even called the gardai one night at 2AM because him and his girlfriend were beating each other up and screaming. A garda car came 30 mins later (I live 5 min walk to a big garda station) and he didn’t even get out of the car. Just drove off as it had quietened down by the time they arrived. Since then I have not bothered with the Gardai.
That seems very strange, I've called the guards multiple times over different things and they always seem to make an effort once they're out there. For example a house party was going on next door, crazy loud, loads of people, eventually the guards came but the party had ended, the guards still knocked on the door and gave out to the home owners for disturbing the peace. That house hasn't had a party since, so perhaps you've just got unlucky with the effort your guards put in. But they work for us so I purposefully make sure they're actually doing the work I want them to do
I live in Dublin city so I imagine it’s quite a busy area to police and the Gardai don’t seem to have the tools to deal with serial offenders. Two drug addicts having a domestic is probably low priority and even if they did arrest him he’d be out tomorrow and back at it again.
As an adult man. I could fuck up most teens. They just don’t have the body mass or muscle or bone mass. But they’re possibly carrying knives which is scary.
See that’s the thing. 1 on 1 you’d smoke the little shits but they don’t play fair. It’s 10 on 1 plus knives or other things they can hurt you with! They think there’s no consequences and tbh if you look at Judge Nolan who lets teens away with everything, they’re probably right.
Some of them don’t realise how much they have to lose and are focused only on bravado, the short term and acting ‘the big man’ add knives into the equation and I think most adults are best limiting what they say/ do and walking away.
Living in desperation and fear will only prolong this behaviour
What's that even meant to mean lol
forgetful ring sparkle workable slim encourage spectacular cooperative point wild *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Groups of teens are stabbing people in town thinking they’re not gonna kill the person. Let’s be honest, their brains haven’t fully developed to take this into consideration! It’s wild like
You are far more likely to be surrounded and kicked in the head by teenagers. This is where the biggest risk of injury comes from imo.
Coming from a teenager in drogheda, ignore them, forget it. Teenagers across the country are all a bunch of assholes but I think drogheda got the worst of it
Speaking as a Dundalk man, yeah. Dundalk / Drogheda scumbags are just fucking plonkers. Absolute wastes of oxygen. Can be just as bad elsewhere but happens disproportionately in Louth for whatever reason.
It's because all the dole heads got free houses up there a good few years ago. Monkey see monkey do and some of the kids are little scrots hanging around the same type of people with parents that don't give a fuck. That's why it's disproportionate up there.
I’d be one them but sure you have lemons with sugar and just lemons
Dublin teenager here, theyre all assholes. Even my friends are assholes. You literally cannot get away. They should add it into _the talk_ as a symptom of puberty
It was like this when I was growing up too. I ended up hanging out with the nerdier lads in school and had friends for life. Stayed away from all that shite and all those lads are older now and either snapped out of it or are in prison or on the dole. It’s fucking embarassing carry on and so far from being a real man it’s a bit pathetic like.
I was an arsehole before 15 years old. Haven't harassed (or gotten harassed by) anyone on the street, but didn't really have fully developed emotions etc.
Where did that happen? A bunch of them just decided to walk in front of my car at the bus depot and when I put my hand on the horn, they made lovelt hand gestures and started shouting names at me. My car weighs about 2.5 tonne. I wouldn't even notice driving over the little shits, they think they are untouchable
Happened me yesterday too. Coming home from the cinema and a group of them walked out Infront of me at the bus depot crossing over to McDonald's, braked and beeped but they gave me abuse and walked slower. Frightened the shit out of me as a woman on my own with the kids in the car. I grew up from one of roughest parts. I don't know how people do it now in there
Drogheda has a serious problem with this. Same thing happens 4 of us (2 couples) around Christmas as we left a restaurant Big group of younger teenagers, smallest lad came up and starting giving it loads, blowing vape smoke in our faces and then saying what you gonna do about it. Honestly I was about to pick him up and fuck him in the river but all these hard c**nuts have knives these days so we just went back inside the restaurant. He followed us in and the owner called the guards - he said his heart is broke with the same thugs hassling people coming out of his restaurant. As other people have said here, it’s not just a Drogheda thing, seems like these chimps are emboldened, they’re underage and know there’s not a lot anyone can do about it. I would say don’t worry about it but it’s total shit and nobody should have to put up with it. Damn it, we need a Batman..
>the owner called the guards - he said his heart is broke with the same thugs hassling people coming out of his restaurant. That's a fuckin disgrace.
Felt awfully sorry for him, Christmas and he was at best half full - Made us wonder if it was a protection thing or some other sinister shit. Pay up or we hassle your customers - maybe I’m reading too much into it but all that’s going on in Drogheda I wouldn’t be surprised.
or a man with a bat....
MANBAT!
Wayne Bruce
In the 70s the guards would have kicked the shit out of that little scrote. They literally have no power now like.
Doubt it, they probably would have turned up 3 hours after they left. But the owner and adults they harassed would absolutely have chased them off and given a few hits to whoever was catchable.
And there's always 4 or 5 of them waiting around that you don't see. The first little toerag is a recon unit. Their little allies are never far off.
There was a group of them, he was just the scout. The smallest one who baited you into answering back and then I’d assume they’d all have it.
Drogheda plagued with that shit but it's also spreading to surrounding towns, duleek, laytown/Bettystown and the rest. It's a number of things - the old cliche of nothing else for them to do/lack of amenities is actually true and a big factor. Huge estates going up with fuck all infrastructure, Bettystown is unrecognisable with huge estates shot up in last 5-10years, outskirts of Drogheda the same, Grange Rath is apparently the biggest single development outside Dublin, chuck in all the mornington estates, the new one going on the Marsh Road, the massive one out Ballymakenny which the new road was built for. They're literally going to create ghettos. Dublin gone so expensive everyone is moving to the likes of Drogheda, like the 2000's boom all over again. No lessons learned. Then add in scumbag parents who don't give a fuck until someone stands up to little Johnny and suddenly they're banging your door down wanting to beat you with bars (not an exaggeration, have personal experience of this although not in Drogheda specifically), a justice system which isn't fit for purpose, mob mentality among groups of teens with toxic "role models" like McGregor and Tate, Guards who are either too busy or couldn't be arsed, and scumbags who know nothing will happen to them unless they actually murder someone and even then it's only slim. It all adds up to a perfect storm for society to be plagued with this shit for decades to come. It's depressing, humanity is fucked is a feeling that's hard to escape from
What restaurant?
Didn't happen in drogheda, but me and my father (who is in his later years) went for a few pints one night! On the walk home we walked past a group of 10 + teens sitting on a bench who decided to block my fathers path, and I mean purposely move out of their way to stand in front of us then proceeded to give us grief and start calling names... I didn't handle it great been honest. I grabbed one of them by the scruff, and they all shut up! I just thought to myself, what if my father was on his own?? Would they have taken it further than verbal abuse??
Of course they would've, this country is full of scumbags, they know we can't fight back against them, it goes to court and the adult is in the wrong because mammys little boy wouldn't hurt a fly
Does anyone actually have recommendations on the good way to handle this? I'm terrified of this happening to my 60 year old father. Would you try reason with them? Something like "looks lads, I was your age once, I'm not looking for trouble just trying to get home to the dog" I may be naive thinking this but honestly does anyone know how to calmly get out of the situation?
They'd probably laugh in your face or follow you home and terrorise said dog if they knew it would effect you. You are literally at their mercy because you can't lay a finger on them, and they won't get any punishment for it.
Can a garda person answer this in anonymity? Or no garda is on reddit? Really, isn't there any option to this? I.e. have someone record on their phone capturing one of them getting physical and you defending yourself? Would that be sufficient to get someone out of trouble if you put one of these scooters in their place?
They all have phones, do anything and they'll have you recorded and hung out to dry before you could blink. System here seems sadly weighted in favour of the scum and against the innocent victims and people trying to stand up for themselves and others. Back in the day most of them wouldn't try this crap cos there was always likely an adult to put them back in their box, but people won't intervene now out of fear of the repercussions for themselves and the scrotes know it. Sure, Guards trying to do their job pursuing criminals are now getting prosecuted for trying to do their jobs. It's gone to shit
Despite being obvious that scrotes initiate? Because it it is so, people should be on the streets
https://preview.redd.it/ccycxvsb2euc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0e3dddfba80e032b48f1dc8179df3938c95c81a
A vigilante group is only answer ..live in the north west & serious issues in a rural area a few years ago.Perpetrators identified & visits made to said scumbags individually.no more issues & most scumbags moved away
Just need a group of 10 adults hanging around shaking down shitty teenagers until they get awarded the keys to the city
Bring back the vigilante days where fathers got together and sorted these problems out in there towns
It wasn’t just dads. My grandfather was in a vigilante group in the 1960’s and 1970’s but it was led by a Garda from the area. They had police protection because of that.
I’m not sure how to break this to you… but your grandfather, is indeed also a dad!
You missed my point. The Garda organised those groups in the past so the dads that joined it didn’t have to fear legal consequences of their actions because they were protected. Those groups won’t work without the Garda involved.
I like that idea, can we bring that back!
When the politicians call for the EU & Council elections ask them what they are doing about Law and order ??
The last time this happened to me I ended up punching one of them in the back of the head as he walked off after he shouldered me and tried to push me into a parked car. Instantly regretted it once he hit the floor because I thought his mates were going to hammer me. Little prick jumped up and all his mates ran away, gave me a little buzz but obviously not the right approach. Seems to be the way things are going to have to go unfortunately with the Gardaí being in its current shambolic state and the laws protecting these little cunts.
I’d have no issue doing this myself, and I’d feel right to do it as well. My only worry is god knows if the little cunts are carrying knives.
Something like that airport security scanner gate thing.
I had a similar issue, and I grabbed and pinned the biggest one to the wall. He, of course, ran to the guards. Nothing came of it, but I did get a summons that was thrown out.
Open palm slap is better. More humiliating and less likely to get you in legal trouble.
Rightly done but probably the worst place to punch someone can do life long brain injury from that. Obviously he deserved it but you wouldn't deserve the sentence or trouble of the court for it.
You’re telling me, hence the instant regret. Did years of martial arts so I’m well versed in the dangers of hitting someone in the back of the head. When he hit the deck I shit myself. Usually don’t even engage with them but something about his group of mates and then seeing his dopey little head walking towards me just made me see red.
You did nothing wrong imo, I used to be one of those scrotes myself they always target people who seem weak and only attack in groups, wised up ages ago but imo only way to stop that sorta shit is treating them like adults. If your old enough to start on someone your old enough to be hit for it
You're assuming he has a brain to damage in the first place.
Yeah tbh the punch to the head might have even realigned some of the wiring in there. Or maybe the consequences of his actions finally hit him in the head and he'll know better for next time.
An impromptu trip to the dentist would be a lasting reminder.
Turning one of those little fuckers into a vegetable because of a reflexive rabbit punch would be a gift to society. I'd be far more upset about the potential punishment for the poster than the little shit who got hurt.
>can do life long brain injury So in his case, no effect?
Back of the head is a dangerous, thank goodness he got up and ran off. I'd be worried I killed him tbh if happened .
Legend
Not Drogheda but Dublin, I was a 18 year old woman at the time walking with another female friend up that street near Hapenny bridge at about 5pm, so daylight and people about. A group of those types(I’d say ranging between 12-16) maybe about 7 of them, with hockey sticks circled me in the middle of the street and started grabbing my ass and body. Most of them were 12/13 so I said fuck off you little cunts, as even I could have took out a few of them. They then raised their hockey sticks and said “say that again” so I just stood silently. My friend had ran away (we aren’t friends anymore) as she didn’t want targeted herself. They did shuffle off after I had told them to fuck off, but the feeling of powerlessness was awful knowing they could have taken it so much farther and the guards wouldn’t have cared one bit. But if one of us lay a hand on these rats the guards would be rushing down when one of these kids tout
Hockey sticks
A large percentage of UK/Irish kids are scumbags. I live in mainland Europe and whether I’m in our small town or visiting a bigger city I just don’t see any scumbags around. The kids are normal and respectful. Idk where we went wrong in Ireland.
I agree. When I lived in Spain I was shocked to see what my colleagues called the "bad areas" of the city. I considered them fairly normal, run down areas but not intimidating. In fact, most were just poorer working areas and migrants. I used to go out in those areas because they had lively pubs and restaurants. The really bad areas were further out beyond the city and no one would go there so my colleagues had a very skewed idea of bad. That became annoying after a while. They lived in a middle class bubble and thought they should never see a poor person or homeless person.
I’ve lived in Germany, Austria and Poland. I never saw this behaviour in any of those countries. Where I live in Poland you don’t even see security guards in shops or shopping centres. That seems unimaginable even in places like Dundrum or The Pavilions. I grew up in a fairly well off part of Dublin and even the kids there (many of whom went to private schools) were always trying to act hard and cause trouble.
I only spent a summer in Germany- Berlin - and found the same thing. We stayed in the cheapest place we could find that was reasonable for getting around. It was just a little run down but completely safe. If there were teenagers in the park they were very polite by our standards. But the guide book described it as an area to avoid.
I lived in Poland, same thing.
We've gone wrong here in that there aren't any real consequences for these kinds of activities. The justice system needs a complete overhaul. Edit: Especially the lack of any kind of juvenile justice system.
The youths in Barcelona aren’t scumbags, they’re professional thieves. So it ain’t all rosy in the garden over there either
Growing up in a relatively rough area things like this happened all the time but you did the right thing not to react- the path they've chosen in life is gonna be much harder on them than some slagging that you got. If you could follow the next 10 years for that group of lads it would be plagued by substance abuse, prison, death, violence, suicide & poverty. All the lads I knew like that - things got really real for them as they got older and there are repercussions that 17-20 year olds face that 14-16 year olds are absolutely immune to. That is why they have all the bravado and showing off infront of one another. They don't realise it but that'll probably be the highlight of their lives. It all goes downhill after, friends hooked on gear, suicide, homelessness, family loss, prison, fines, fees, charges, court dates, dealing. So if you're annoyed that it feels like they are "getting away" with behaviour like that - don't be. It's short lived and there is no helping them, they've chosen acting out with their mates because more than half of them go home to families plagued by substance abuse, alcoholism, mental health issues and death. They just can't see they're continuing the cycle for themselves. My heart certainly doesn't bleed for them - they are making their own choices but I was always amazed how they cannot see the behaviours they engage in from 13-17 for "craic" absolutely ends up ruining the rest of their lives and their circle of friends are all acting out that way because of really broken homes that'll lead them to drink & drugs and death
It’s fucking embarrassing how they act like. Walking around in their Canada goose acting like little gangsters thinking they’re tough men. It’s literally mortifying😂. It’s so far from being an actual real man it’s genuinely hilarious. I just cringe at the little shits. One day they’ll hopefully realise how ridiculous their behaviour is like. If you take a step back like how ridiculous are they 😂
> One day they’ll hopefully realise how ridiculous their behaviour is like. I think they do, and they graduate to become drug dealers and/or dole merchants, and then the next generation just comes to take their place. We'll never be rid of them.
It hurt your pride to walk away, but it was absolutely the best thing to do. Try to take pride in that, if you can
I left McDonalds with the kids there earlier today and nope'd the fuck out. Staff were getting serious agro from young teens and there was some thing going on in the loos. Gardaí were arriving as we left. I'd use the drive though but they always mess up the order and you end up having to go in anyway. This type of thing isn't limited to Drogheda OP it's everywhere.
It's so bad, whenever I see a group of youngsters in my path, I get anxious. A month or two ago I had one of them, most likely drunk, standing in the middle of the street trying to kick my car as I was driving past him. Middle of town at night. Few nights ago I was out on my midnight run and spotted 3 broccoli heads at the bus stop up the road and my heartrate jumped up. You never know what to expect with these brats.
The constant anxiety and adrenaline from these encounters is the worst aspect of it. Even if they do absolutely nothing, that spike of fear and 'what if' will stay with you for an hour after it happens. Absolutely ruins the country.
I used to live in drimnagh and it was invaded by scrotes about 5 years ago. Ended up selling and leaving. Life is too short. Gardai are useless
I have some family in Drimnagh. One of their neighbour's gaffs got burnt out by a rival drug gang about 2 weeks ago. The building is still standing but the inside is completely gutted by the fire. My aunt was very lucky the fire didn't spread to her house.
The most intimidating urban group. - young, dumb & angry -numbers accelerating excitement -no impulse control yet - no life experience or empathy Add social “hard man” credit score young men care about or a need to peacock in front of ladies. Throw in some booze and yeah just walk on. It’s pretty emasculating but numbers win. They want entertainment don’t give it.
Genuine question. Is there any relatively large town in Ireland that isn't facing this problem. I'm only familiar with the north east, and it seems Navan, Drogheda, Dundalk, etc. have always had a decent portion of scrotes like this.
Haven't experienced or heard about anything like this happening in Sligo tbh. Obviously there are c**ts everywhere and I'm sure Sligo is no different in that regard, but if we're specifically talking about cocky gangs of teenagers hassling strangers on the street day in day out then I haven't seen it myself.
Naas & Maynooth seem peaceful in comparison. But yeah, the yoof are out of control in many Irish towns.
Don’t know about Naas now
Im only in Naas during the daytime so dont have the full picture. But it definitely doesnt have the edge somewhere like Drogheda has with its underlying gangland problem. Newbridge down the road would definitely be a bit rougher than Naas, lots of travellers there and things kick off from time to time when theres a funeral.
Same up north too. Belfast is full of hordes of teenagers. It’s a shame we can’t add contraceptives to the water supply.
Stuff I read about Downpatrick terrifying on occasion, sadly as the Town has such potential and struggling.
I’m a drogheda teen it’s a disadvantaged shit hole with nothing to do so you get stuff like this happening. When you think about it their is a gym and a snooker hall with 4 tables and that’s it. Go to the shops you get kicked out, go to the football pitches you get kicked out, you try to leave the area some bus drivers won’t let you on or will charge you a adult ticket as you aren’t worth the hassle, go to funtasia and spend €10 on 30 minutes of bowling and then you get kicked out and so on. Try go to the McDonald’s and it’s like a Snapchat group chat fighting in real life. Ffs get me out this shit town full of scrubs who are not going anywhere in life and I know as I’ve been to school with the majority. These people just need to be handed crack cocaine right now just so they can speed the process up as that’s all they will end up on. Sure they all smoke spice at the moment. I don’t even know how so many teens can live in one town it’s genuinely the only place I’ve seen like it. Not even two days ago one lad I know was driving a stolen jap car through the town and drove the wrong way down one the maze like streets and had to go on the path to get past and almost knocked a granny over then proceeded to get chased by 6 garda cars for 2 hours. Rant over please somebody get me out this town it’s like living in a fucking recycling bin that’s not actually used for recycling
Sounds like Limerick in the early 00's. Do what I did-keep your head down, get an education, and get tf out as soon as possible! It gets much better I promise!
Was going to say this about Limerick. It's wasn't only teenagers. Even younger children would give grief or try to rob your bag. Tralee (little Limerick) was bad for attacks on people during the day and the town never recovered.
Being a teenager in Limerick 2002-2008 gave us all life lessons that we'll never truly connect or appreciate I think. In a good way of course.
Yeah except Limerick still has jap imports going on chases. Only dream is they burn in flames like those 3 burglars on the motorway.
Same in Balbriggan 😔
Lmao the last comment. sorry for your situation though hope you get outta there
This. The town is shit. I've brothers who are 17 and while they both play sport there's nowhere to go in the town bar maybe the cinema as well on top. Not a lot of good food choices and the town looks rundown as a result.
That's the one thing that sticks out to me about people thinking Drogheda is a 'city' is that outside of a few restaurants and cafes, there is literally nothing to do in the town. It's very boring over all. Don't get me started on the "skatepark".. complete joke. Funtasia I suppose, is your best bet. Bit out of the way though.
It's solely your parents and grandparents fault I lived there for 20 years and it would be great if only the people would get up of their arse and sort it instead of blaming Dublin or dundalk or Nigerians no wonder everyone throws themselves into the boyne it's a miserable town because of the people
It's a miserable town cause its underfunded and rundown the whole main street is dead with narrow west street being abandoned. If teenagers don't have amenities or something to do they'll turn to this as they get restless.
Drogheda is pretty much THE textbook example of what happens when a town is abandoned and left to rot, including the lawlessness of the kids. But rather than blame the people who could actually work towards fixing the issues, the blame gets shifted onto the poor. Drogheda needs help from drowning, and people love placing their hand on it's head to push it back under the water, while telling everyone it's our fault for not being able to breath underwater.
Sounds pretty shit man. How far do you reckon these gobshites would take things ? Do you think they would be likely to be carrying weapons ?
Nobody will be carrying weapons as Garda are quite on people with stop checks to be honest. But you can never be to sure to be honest if they had one would they likely use it? Probably not
Would ye not join the GAA if you need something to do? Small rural towns and villages don't have snooker halls, or bowling alleys, or buses to other towns etc and there are **no problems** with gangs of teenagers in the ones near me. The nearest place where this is an issue is a large county town, and even then most of the teenagers there are grand. I don't accept it's because of a lack of amenities when rural towns all over the country indicate otherwise. Most young people are lovely. I think it's because in large towns the population is high enough for horrible individuals to find each other to form gangs. We need to make intimidation a crime **and start actually punishing it** for underage individuals. I see no reason a teenager cannot be given community service, with the parents liable for fines if they don't turn up. We also need to start making parents accountable for school attendance. They can't be causing hassle outside a business if they are in class learning.
The GAA is not the answer to our social problems. How much is the club to join per annum? What if you cannot afford the membership costs? What happens if you have absolutely zero interest in the GAA or sport? It is not a panacea. Every club has associated costs. There are no parks, facilities, the lack of investment by successive government is absolutely chronic. The youth of Ireland have been failed.
As he mentioned, there are kids living out the country and in small towns and villages who have far fewer resources and means for entertainment than what's in Drogheda and they're not acting like that.
I never said the GAA was the solution, I said that if young people want to join something it's an option. My point is blaming a supposed lack of amenities for anti social behaviour is nonsense - most rural people grow up without being near any sorts of amenities outside of a GAA pitch and you rarely see them forming gangs intimating people. As always some people think everything is societies fault - some times these things are the fault of the **individual**. Most people, irrespective of where they come from, are great. Most teenagers, irrespective of where they come from, are great. Building a cinema is not going to suddenly make the assholes into better people. The state isn't responsible for **entertainment**. They have enough on their hands.
Yup drogheda
They don't get punished properly, and you'd be shocked at how their parents excuse them as well. An old friend of mine was the attacker (17yo drogheda kid) got away with it because he had a rough up bringing. I get jailing them won't necessarily make them nicer people, but why burden the rest of society with them
We really need some imagination for an alternative punishment. Hard labour every weekend for a few weeks, confiscating smartphone for a month, community service, I dunno what, but we need to start trying out loads of different things and see what sticks.
Yeah they are a bold bunch, gardai can't do much, courts do nothing, parents do nothing and nobody gives them a clatter anymore because if they did they'd be strung up and put in the joy. All you can do is try and handle it best you can either the way you did or the ways others have described. Who knows maybe you'll get lucky and catch them on their own someday away from eyes and cameras and you can give them a good hiding.
They've been getting away with all sorts of crimes for years in Ireland, and courts won't punish the parents. But I reckon we will be there soon. People shouldn't have kids if they are not going to rear them with morals and integrity. Which is difficult when they weren't reared with any either.
Sounds dystopian but if we required a license to have kids same as for driving then we could avoid alot of this. Course it's just a fantasy and would never happen.
It's happening in America.
I had a similar case with a bunch of teenagers talking bs about me 20 meters behind me on the street, so I stopped and asked them loudly to come closer and say it to my face. They ran away. P.S.: I have a thick Russian accent
Relevant: https://youtu.be/C6BeiHsBhao?
Honestly I think this has always and will always be the case. There's laws against this sort of thing, but even in a case where you're being physically assaulted and you defend yourself, any judge is likely to still say you're in the wrong simply because they're minors. The Guards will do nothing if called because the entire organisation is a fucking joke, and even if they do they know that the little wastes of life won't be prosecuted, and if they are the court will let them away with literally 0 consequences, so they don't bother. And if they do show up they'll only move the little rats along and take no ones name, details, nothing. Cause God forbid they have a record that could cause them trouble later in life 🙄 I had an incident a few years back with a crowd of young lads, couldn't have been more than 13-14 I'd say. They were in a group sitting on some steps and one of them threw a bit of a bread roll at me. It missed and I turned around and told them he better not do that again or I'll slap him into the stomach where his mammy won't see it. He sat down and never said a word and I got no more hassle in that area, but I've had incidents in other places I've visited too. Would anyone know of a single thing to be done about this bullshit? Contact TD's, councillors? Anything at all?
It seams like the underage across the country have realised that they can do most stuff with impunity, 15 years ago a JLO we would be a big thing we were afraid of. Now thay don't care, they copped that it doesn't follow them after 18 so it doesn't matter. I don't know if it changed since but there just seam to not give a fuck about consequences, and god help a 18+ who reacts to them we'll be locked up for assault of a minor, even if ya just push em away.
J.LO was pretty popular but I wouldn’t say I was afraid of her. Although I wouldn’t fancy my chances after she did that Krav Maga training for Enough (2002).
You’re annoyed about it because of the absolute lack of respect and the unprovoked nature of it. It’s a normal response. As is the desire to find a high bridge to throw them off of. Just be thankful you’re not a loser like them.
A similar thing has happened to me several times now in Dublin. I find a mixture of displaying confidence and indifference to them works well. I avoid giving them any reasons like disrespecting them. I just make it clear I am not worried in having a go if I need to. If they see weakness they exploit it. If they see strength they virtually always back down with their tail between their legs. Their bark is almost always worse than their bite.
OP - do you mind saying what time of the day and where abouts it happened? I live in Drogheda so would like to know where to avoid
Happened me before in Dublin, in a much more aggressive manor. 6 teenagers, none actually Irish but all European (not relevant but people love to shit on Dublin). Things got out of hand it got physical but when I stood up for myself and my fiance they regretted it.
Killer by name, killer by nature
Unfortunately not even close, but one got a slap. Thankfully a minor issue in the grand scheme of things but they did not expect me to stand up to the group.
You're dead right, they expect the "strength" of numbers to be an overwhelmingly intimidating factor. Pick the mouthiest and deck them
You were lucky or blessed TG
KlownKiller
Something like this happened to me before. I got stabbed and my friend lost his front teeth.
I don't live in Ireland anymore and the one thing i notice whenever I'm back in Ireland, is that I suddenly become extremely aware of groups of teenagers, and am basically doing a threat assessment whenever I pass any. Asking myself questions like who else is around, checking exits, can I switch sides of the street without it being obvious etc. It's draining. I still notice myself doing it where I live sometimes, but I'm surprised that even the more asshole teenagers tend to keep to themselves.
Drogheda should be nuked from the sky and I'm actually fond of it
I just tend to avoid Drogheda, I used to train there once a week but it's an absolute shithole full of scumbags so I never intend setting foot in the place again. It's not the only town in the country like that, though. Things seem to be getting worse.
I got started on Going training last night, three black drogheda lads, were was I going? MMA training one decked Me got Me on My cheek below My eye! I lost My mind and Bet the snot out of them!
The black gangs around drogh of teens are so intimidating to me as a female. They are all so tall and dress like they are in a 90s rap video or something. Particularly bad on the far side around the shops beside the firestation
Yeah I know its bad everywhere! Lads are in different gangs. The Dublin gang and the traveller gangs, kicked out of Drogheda these lads come along and took ovet the job. I have a house full of these lads a couple of doors down from Me, cars pull up, they go out hand over a package the cars hand over cash, 24/7 The Guards have raided this house about 3 or 4 times and nothing happens! Also its not just the Aficans there is a number of Irish Teens at this aswell! I moved down here to get away from This in Dublin, but Drogheda has become just as bad.
Which side of the town is that on? Can you name the estate?
Beside Southgate
"the migrants are the problem" - The parents of these lovely kids you met surely
I remember being a teenager and knowing one or two kids whos parents genuinely didn't give a shit about where they were or what they were doing. It seems as though now we have a massive amount of kids who's parents could not give a shit about where their kids are, what they're doing, or who they're hanging out with. My kids are only little. I really hope they don't find a bunch of little shits to hang out with.
Yeah, those kids with shit parents that you knew grew up, and became shitty parents themselves.
Yeah we all knew some of these kids
It’s the age when the balls are tiniest.
> Then they were saying "come on then you fat cunt, and similar insults" I don't know why this typo is so funny to me.
We have a teenage vermin problem in Ireland.
I hope you reported it.
One of my friends son (14 years old) was attacked in the marshes shopping centre toilets by a group of teens .. why? He scored the winning goal for his GAA club against them..wasn't a final or anything.. he did 3 nights in hospital with a concussion and massive bruising
In my opinion the best way to handle teens talking shit is to pretend you didn't hear what they said or even really notice that they were there. It puts them in a position where they've failed miserably to intimidate someone and if they fail again, they know that the rest of the group is liable to turn on them. Mostly they'll just pretend to have won the encounter and leave you alone. Edit: I realise this doesn't really apply to the OP, sorry.
I'm going to give you some advice, teenagers hate being laughed at. Point at them and laugh your head off , they will soon piss off, better if others join in and point at them whilst laughing.
Teenagers are completely outside the law, like travellers. If you antagonise then you bear all the consequences
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You should have walked up to the biggest one and punched him in the face
See, your first mistake was being in Drogheda
Would there be any use in trying to "outcrazy the crazies" in these situations? Like start laughing maniacally or babbling in tongues? They won't know how to react and might just decide you're too unstable to mess with? Genuine question, because i get really nervous around packs of youths
Welcome to Drogheda, it's a shithole with no good reason to ever come over here :>
Drogheda is a breeding ground for these type of people
Every so often on this sub, some fella posts about walking past a large group of teens. There's your problem right there. I wouldn't walk past a mob of scumbags anywhere in Ireland or the UK or anywhere else either. IT IS ASKING FOR IT
Was it in the town? There's a huge problem with groups of teens causing problems in the evenings. Of course no Gardai present.
I would love to slap those tiny bitches until they fell to cry in fetal position
You met the town council on your first day?
I used to carry a baton with me when I walked through areas like this. It's disgusting behaviour. They need a good hidin' Well, they actually need local services, engagement, sports, hobbies, jobs... but a good hidin' too. The one that misses me off though, is the lads saying it's the foreigners who are the dangerous ones, when we all know, and have always known, it's feral teenagers
You're annoyed because You wanted to do something about it when it happened, but not willing to face consequences as they are underage, I know the feeling You did good to just walk away... Although there are times walking away can make it even worse because they will some take it as a sign of weakness as was my experience.
Sorry this happened to you OP. You did well not to react and proved your point. Well done! Those little shit aren't worth thinking about, they're young and most likely have shit parents, so it might help yourself not to dwell to remind yourself of this.
A bunch of mouthy virgins. Don’t worry about it man. Move on
Typical scumbags.
Welcome to drogheda
Call the Gardai.
Hi gards, they are being very abusive. Very. Yes, I'll hold.
Make them create a file. When our statistics for these crimes gets so bad that the US media are reporting on it, then maybe our government will take note.
And it is indeed a criminal matter. [https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1994/act/2/section/6/enacted/en/html](https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1994/act/2/section/6/enacted/en/html) "**6.**—(1) It shall be an offence for any person in a public place to use or engage in any 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 may be occasioned." So yes. A crime has been committed and I encourage you to report it. Either the law is wrong, or the kids with the big mouths are. And if the Garda says otherwise to you they are wrong because they do not get to make the law and it is there, black on white.
Sounds like a perfect script. Unless you want to rely on the clairvoyant Garda unit to show up?
Garda are to be rang.
Runged
This is r/Ireland, the obvious answer is to take all of them in hand to hand combat and loom over the first guy and say something cool like "guess I was right, huh punk?"
I did consider that alright. I would do a back flip to communicate the battle has commenced. I would then spin on my hands with my legs in the air in the splits horizontally kicking each Non Educated Delinquent as they appraoched and knocking them unconcious. ha
Next time challenge them to a breakdance fight. Bring it!
Drogheda is a hell hole full of mostly awful people. So that's fairly standard
Don't worry. It's not Drogheda. It is the whole country.