Man calls the Gardaí on his own flatmates having a house-party

The Gardaí have been working hard to break up house-parties and large gatherings, which are prohibited during this Level 5 lockdown, as a means to slow down the spread of Covid-19.

While many calls of complaint about illegal gatherings come from disgruntled neighbours, the Gardaí of Anglesea Street station in Co. Cork received a call from a tenant reporting his own housemates this past weekend.

On Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Brian O'Connell recalled speaking to a young man this weekend who had made a call to the Gardaí, reporting on his own housemates who were having a party.

The Gardaí responded to the call from an area where a lot of students live in the city. They then went on to intervene at the house party, which was the same residence where the caller lives.

“I called the guards tonight… on my housemates,” the caller explained, adding that these parties were happening “all the time. In the middle of a Level 5 lockdown especially, like it is a bit… there’s no masks, there’s no respect — and that’s my biggest issue with it.”

“There’s some expectation in a houseshare that there’s going to be some boundaries. Calling the Guards wasn’t my first [call of action]. I’ve come down the stairs and been like, ‘lads, it’s a Level 5 lockdown, cop on’, you know”.

“I work in a shop. I’m helping old ladies with their shopping. One night there were 20 people downstairs… I mean, the size of this place like. Pushing past people, coughing up on you and they’re all drunk.”

“What you got was, ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry. It won’t happen again, we understand’. The next night, another party again. The very next night,” the caller said.

The Gardaí then went on to explain that the girl in question had admitted that she did organise a house-party, and will be issued a €500 fine, and each person in attendance will be given a €150 fine.