Dublin beach evacuated by gardaí after mass brawl of teenagers

Dozens of gardaí clear Burrow Beach in Sutton, Co Dublin, after violent scenes were witnessed on the beach on Sunday afternoon. Photograph: Padraig O'Reillly

Gardaí cleared a busy beach on Sunday evening following a mass brawl which broke out between groups of teenagers.

Public order gardaí were called to Burrow Beach in Sutton, Dublin, at approximately 5pm following multiple reports of fighting. Bottles and punches were thrown, according to video footage that was released online.

Gardaí decided to clear the entire beach, resulting in excess of 1,000 people leaving in a short time.

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In a statement, An Garda Síochana said: “Uniformed Gardaí from the Raheny District and the Public Order Unit attended the scene. A large number of people who were gathered on the beach have been dispersed from the area. No arrests have been made at this time. Enquiries are ongoing.

“Gardaí from the Raheny District are maintaining a presence in the area of Burrow Beach this evening, as part of ongoing high-visibility patrols under Operation Irene.

“Gardaí in Raheny are appealing to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them in Raheny Garda Station on 01-6664300, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.”

Operation Irene was launched last year to deal with combat underage alcohol consumption and consumption of alcohol in public places throughout the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times