It’s not often that the Gardai are caught on Youtube, or so I thought …
Reclaim the streets – Gardai take a heavy handed approach to clearing the streets.
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Crazy driving in the fog
The last 36 hours have been a fog filled void in most of Ireland and even in the UK too. Radio broadcasters have urged caution on the roads as visibility dropped down to a few yards in places.
It was into this mess that I drove this morning. Thick fog, the sun just peeping over the hills and visibility down to less than 10 yards. My drive from Blarney this morning was along a very straight country road that follows the contours of the surrounding hills up and down, blocking the view of oncoming traffic until the hill rises at the end of the straight stretch. It’s also a 60km/h road.
In deep fog I’m driving carefully and I spot headlights getting bigger and bigger in my mirror until the car behind is tailgating me at no more than a few feet. I could sense the frustration of the driver behind but hey, it’s foggy, I’m driving at the speed limit. There’s no way I’ll be bullied into driving faster in those conditions. Eventually he overtook me of course but we caught up with him at the junction sitting on the top of the hill, so here you go. To the driver of 98-D-455, “You’re a crazy driver! Was it worth risking all our lives to be ahead of me at the junction?”
Update! Driving along the same road back to Blarney this afternoon a Garda (Irish police force) car appeared and drove at speed until it was right behind me. It overtook me later in the 50km/h part of the road and sped off. Meanwhile a few seconds later another Garda car passed the other way speeding too. Why the hell do I stick to the speed limit if the police force don’t?
Clashes in Dublin over loyalist march – burning cars, missiles thrown, vandalism and looting.
Yesterday a group of Unionists/Loyalists marched through Dublin in memory of all the victims of Republican violence. The Government hoped it would happen peacefully but I don’t think anyone really believed that.
I’m glad the Unionists didn’t march through Cork, it probably would have been worse.
If you recognise anyone in the footage or pictures, call Garda HQ on 01 6660000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 250025. Thanks ElBlogador for those numbers.
This is covered in much more detail with pictures: 
- Indymedia, photo essay of the day (via)
- Dublin Riots on Flickr
- A picture tells a thousand words
- footage of rioters
- Dublin samples a Bite of Northern Ireland Troubles
- Three of those arrested aren’t Irish
- Todays Dublin Riots links to Dublin Riots Flickr pool
- I predict a riot (I’ve never voted for Sinn Fein anyway, this riot guarantees I won’t)
- Dublin Riot Photos
- Never been in a riot
- RTE reporter attacked and called “Orange Bastard”
- Video of a group of young men destroying a car. One wears the Irish flag over his shoulders as he smashes the side windows with a metal pipe. Very patriotic.
- The Dublin riots from a PR perspective
- Finally, a call for the return of the march to Dublin. See the comments there for a taste of how divided our nation is. I liked this bit: “an aesehole is still an arsehole, it doesn’t matter where he goes to church.”
A sad, sad day for Ireland.
The Sunday Times has coverage of the background and riots:
- Who let the mob run free?
- Under siege from ‘madmen’
- Torn and bleeding, Bird makes the news again – Charlie Bird, RTE journalist, was attacked by nationalist rioters and called, “Charlie Bird, you’re an Orange bastard”.
- Loyalists forced to retreat as riots halt Ulster love march
- Republicans told: ‘Do all in your power to stop it’ – “The text messages were sent out to republicans and sympathisers early yesterday: get to the GPO at 10am, they said. Between 150 and 200 people responded to the call, but they did not congregate so as to avoid coming to the attention of gardai.”
- Outcry over action of ‘thugs’
Here’s a video of rioters overturning a car and smashing it. Citizen reporting is alive and well. (via)
(links via Irish Blogs)
