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PROTESTORS WERE RELATIVELY thin on the ground outside the Dáil this afternoon.
As Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin were announcing the details of Budget 2015, a small but vocal group had gathered outside Leinster House.
Unsurprisingly, the main issue people were protesting was water charges.
Nell Buggy from ‘Laois Says No’ said she was “absolutely” certain that water charges would be abolished following Saturday’s massive rally in Dublin.
“We have spoken, we have come out in our droves … We abolished the charge in 1996 and we are here to say that we are going to do it again.”
Elaine Robbins from Tallaght is also anti-water charges. She said that new TD Paul Murphy is “the only [politician] asking the right questions” about the charges.
“Even Sinn Féin dropped the ball when Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams said they were going to pay water charges … Cathal King lost [the Dublin South-West by-election] because of it.”
Joan Ward, a supporter of new Roscommon-South Leitrim TD Michael Fitzmaurice described the tax relief of about €100 per household on their water bill and other related subsidies announced in the Budget as “a token gesture after what happened over the weekend”.
Another Fitzmaurice supporter present was Dermot Moran from East Galway.
“Michael Fitzmaurice, just as Ming Flanagan was, will be a voice for turf cutters. Now that Ming has gone to Europe he will bring the voice our there as well. He’s ready to speak to preserve our cultures and our rights in rural Ireland – we’ve always been entitled to cut out turf.”
Darren Corrigan was outside the Dáil to support Paul Murphy. He is the branch secretary of the Socialist Workers Party in Clondalkin.
Corrigan said he was dressed like Che Guevara because it’s “time for a revolution”.
“I’m a very big supporter of anyone that’s from the left … I know there’s only a few of them in [the Dáil] but it’s going to grow bit by bit. Finally we’ll have a left Government in the country – and not Labour who are a wolf in sheep’s clothes.
“I want a wealth tax, I want a mansion tax, I want a luxury goods tax. I want any tax possible put on the wealthy in this country so that it’s more fair for the working class.”
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If I drank 12 pints tonight I’d just about recover for Christmas.
We’re not in our twenties anymore
I wouldn’t even be able for 12 pints my liver has done it’s duty in times past let the younger ones do exactly what we did. For me the 90′s great days
Time to pass on the baton and let them continue the fight. God Speed little doodle.
I tried the 12 pubs once, got as far as pub 4. Pubs were too crowded and loud. Decided to go home. Ended up watching late late show. That’s when you know you’re getting old
Light weights
Absolutely soft
If I drank 12 pints I probably wouldn’t live to see Christmas! Our course group did one last year; most people made it through 8 or 9 pubs, but then called it a night. A lot of people also went easy, maybe only having a drink in every other pub, or only the first few. I don’t think very many people are foolish enough to do all 12.
Nothing feckin worse than trying to enjoy a pint in a small pub at Christmas and the pub being invaded every 15 minutes by a group of obnoxious hammered halfwits in stupid outfits adhering to this made up ‘tradition’ which was unheard of five years ago.
Good summary.
Its a tradition from the same traditionalists who gave us Arthurs Day
Believe it or not it dates back to the 1800′s. Charles Dickens took part in the first 12 pubs pub crawl after which saying “the hole will be hanging off me in the morning, lol” may the tradition last a thousand generations. Drink up little ones…
At €6 a pint in Dublin it becomes an expensive night which you probably won’t remember anyway!
Good point – €72 each for a night outs drink + taxi, while you can get a tray of lager with 24 cans for €25, and invite friends over and have a good night. Dress up all you want at home, but keep it clean(ish).
Tesco doin 24cans 24e
The 12 Tesco Value Cans of Christmas doesn’t have quite the same festive ring to it.
Heading out later today with my mates for Christmas drinks. Difficult to get us all together these days with kids etc, but we manage it every December for our Christmas drinks. Our plan today is to avoid pubs with the ‘jumpers crowd’ in them.
Bah humbug! Very few manage the 12 pubs…majority just get on the Xmas jumper, get into the festive spirit and catch up with friends! There will always be the few who go too far…but isn’t that true for most things?! Merry Christmas!
That’s me all over. I usually slip in at around pub 7 or 8 and pretend I’ve been there the whole time, laughing at the thing I missed in the last pub. I’ll have a few aces up my sleeve this year for getting out of drinking.
Arriving in at pub 7-8 must be the most harrowing experience ever!
Pubs 5 through 6 are where the nightmares begin John. Never underestimate the power of the sixth!
12 pub wa@$&rs
You got no fans.
“PUBLICANS IN TOWNS and cities around the country”…The country of Dublin city is it? Unable to find any bar owners to interview from outside of this area? You do realise that most people live outside of Dublin, yeah? How about an interview with a pub owner in a regional town? Maybe you might get different responses, make the article more interesting.
Does anywhere outside Dublin have 12 pubs still in business?
You would have publicans enjoying every minute of it in regional towns. Small island, big differences.
We used to call it the stations of the cross
12 pubs starting top of Grafton street
You lads did 14 pubs then cos I had 14 stations bet into me if my memory serves me well. Whatever about 12 pints….
They usually give out about not having enough custom. Are they doing so well now, they can afford to turn it away?!
I have never participated in 12 pubs. Never will. I’m at that 1-2-3-floor age. But why shouldn’t people have some festive Craic, so long as they aren’t out of hand.
It’s the publicity these crappy little pubs are after, same every year
Booze and out of hand go together.
Well holy god… It seems that people can’t go out and have a bit of craic anymore. Where is the harm once everyone behaves? The publicans should be glad of the business because from what I can see it’s the same old lazy effort that most of them are making. It’s no wonder people prefer to drink at home.
It’s just a laugh killjoys and you don’t actually have to drink pints.
How and were i spend my hard earned cash is up to me not publicans if my friends and I wish to go out and have the craic as long as we behave how can anyone have the right to refuse us entry? Refuse the trouble makers! But leave everyone else alone we work hard all year let us put our hair down
Thank god there are heroes like Barbara and her friends who are willing to stand up to the bullies who want them to go and have their craic somewhere else other than their private property.
You dont have to be a bona fide trouble-maker to be annoying. As one of the bar-managers interviewed has said food is 40% of his business, imagine having some large loud mob come in, jamming the pub and having someones ass right beside your face when trying to eat.
I’m with you on this Barbara. If they want to refuse people entry because of generalizations they gotta change the law or break it.
I’m not sure how it works with other groups but I know where I live we have had our annual 12 pubs the past few years and no troubles been caused. Aside from one or two who are worse for wear at the end of the night there’s been no problems. And we’ve raised thousands for charity by donating money each time a ‘rule’ is broken in each pub. So I don’t think every group should be painted with the same brush, sometimes it’s for a good cause.
Is the security to prevent drinkers leaving and going to other pubs ? Don’t know of any pubs that put the welfare of customers above its profits.
There are pubs though that put the comfort of their regulars ahead of a load of idiots who can’t handle 3 or 4 pints never mind 12.
5 pints and the game is over for me hangovers no thanks not worth it.
If you find yourself participating in one of these idiotic things do yourself a favour, slap yourself in the back of the head and piss off home with yourself you annoying git.
This is what stopped me going to town for drinks at christmas time, head in early and head home before all the fools in christmas jumpers appear
Not to mention when ye couldn’t get a taxi even if you were flashing a bar of gold bullion!
People who participate in 12 pubs of Christmas are usually culchies and or vermin.
And I take it that you’re the latter of the two ,Loo .
You mean people who parade with orange uniform and get confused about what country there in. I think that’s who you mean.
Is a troll at Christmas called a grinch?
RULE BRITANNIA
Dick
Your nights out are probably as dry as a Protestants funeral
Orange Order Loyal browsing thejournal.IE! hmmm…
irish society still stuck on stupid
I rarely go out in Dublin anymore, rather head down the country for better value and less violence.
Ba humbug….deck the halls and all that stuff….Let’s lush till we can’t lush no mores.
It’s a tradition for rich kid students who shouldn’t be let near a pub in the first place
Aaaaah, do let the drunken ignorant louts enjoy themselves by falling over and lying in their own and other people’s vomit; it is Christmas after all!
Is it legal to refuse service like this?
If they are rat arsed of course but otherwise i am dubious.maybe bring a traveller friend to make sure you get your round?
Am passed it now – sitting in car park waiting with the kids napping in the back of the car. But they are PUBLIC houses are they not?
I am going to the twelve pubs next weekend great fun out with friends no harm done to anyone, a lot of people here seem to have a problem with other people arriving into a Bar interrupting their precious “quiet” pint .. They should not be let in… I am sure if you search you can find some suitable dank hole where a bit of life and craic won’t bother you
They’re should 12 pubs friendly pubs and non-12 pubs pubs. Keep everyone happy
?
Like if there was a list of official ’12 pubs’ bars. People doing the pub crawl go to them, every other pub could be business as usual
Baaaaaaaaa.
I love craic, and I love jumpers, and I’m brilliant at pints. But it’s these young ones coming over here in their short santa skirts and high boots ruinin’ it for the rest of us. Let us have our pints, jumpers and craic in peace.
What Will the drinks crowd come up with next in the name of getting stupidly out of the head with drink with lots of drunks been a danger to others and to themselves ?
Of course you can legally refuse them. As an owner you reserve the right to refuse service. It’s only when you’re discriminating against someone it becomes a legal matter. Refusing a pub crawl is in absolutely no way discrimination.
Regular punters having their nights ruined- Now we can’t have that can we! Who is giving the permission, the owner or the customer!!
Id be great doing the 12 pubs with my glass of water!!! They wouldnt want to let me in I’d make no money for them,come to think of it couldn’t I get the tea, yeay I could have the 12 cups of Christmas, but no then I’d end up driving everyone home,nah I’d say I’m better off at home!!! Lol
God help me been roped in to doing it tomorrow night but kinda told my friend I was sick with a bug all week so mite not do the whole 12 pubs drinking… don’t give a crap how stupid it may sound to my friends who want to get shitfaced (excuse the language) but its not my idea of fun getting off ur face drunk & waking up on your last day off before Monday starts again and feeling horribly ill all day..
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