Local representatives 'shocked' after Virginia incident

Virginia Councillor TP O'Reilly (FG) said he is "shocked, dismayed and angry" after the public order incident in Virginia yesterday evening.

"It's not something that we see in Virginia so it is very out of character for the town."

He believes the people involved have come from "outside the area" and says they were "probably" attracted to the Virginia Lake amenity due to the good weather.

"There's buses from all over to Virginia. They are coming from everywhere and Virginia is a focal point."

"It is unfortunate that the incident happened," he said commending the gardaí on their "quick response" in apprehending suspects.

Meanwhile, Senator Sarah O'Reilly (Aú) described the scenes in Virginia as "disgraceful".

"That same carry on is happening in all our towns," she believes, describing how it could be more visible in summer due to the good weather.

Widening the discussion she said there have been "lots of incidents" where youths have become intoxicated at Bailieborough Lake and have been involved in altercations. These incidents, she said, have been carried out by youths who are "local".

"We have to call it all out; anti-social behaviour, drug taking, drinking, brawling.

"Every single person should feel safe in their communities," she said.

She believes gardaí do not have the resources to deal with "the amount of incidents" taking place, adding that she has witnessed two "brawls" on Bailieborough's Main Street in recent months.

"They [An Garda Síochána] are stretched," she believes.

"There needs to be more visibility of guards, there needs to be enforcement of bye-laws which prevents drinking around lakes, and parents need to know where their teenagers are and what they are doing. There needs to be responsibility from everybody."

She expressed her sympathies to those injured after yesterday's incident.