While many are looking forward to the second long-weekend in a row with anticipation and excitement, many others are already dreading the violence, abuse, carnage and heartache that the weekend will bring with it.

St Patrick’s weekend was not only about festivals, parades and wetting the Shamrock but, for many it was about trying to control the violent outbreaks in cities across the country.

In one incident in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day 17 people were arrested during a spate of events where cars were stolen and torched. In a second incident a tourist visiting the country of a thousand welcomes on the feast day of our patron saint had his finger ripped from his hand and in another incident a girl was assaulted in Dublin while on her way home.

While it seemed that such violent acts were centered in Dublin at the weekend, you can be sure that Gardaí , ambulance personal, doctors, nurses, publicans, fast-food outlets, bouncers, taxi-drivers and even the public themselves in Cork had to deal with their own fair share of trouble at the weekend and will be facing another tough bank-holiday this week.

The events of last weekend have led to much anger, debate and comment over the past few days with many critical that much of the violence around the country was fuelled by over-indulgence in alcohol or was drug related.

As we approach the next bank holiday, many are already no doubt ‘battening down the hatches’ for what could afterall be a repeat of the weekend gone by, while others are hoping and praying that this Easter really will be a break, a celebration and a holiday rather than the nightmare they’re just recovered from.

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