Men fined after ferry fracas

Six drunken revellers who caused a ruckus on the Swilly Ferry have been fined 1,000 euros each – and told to stay on dry land from now on. The Buncrana men – all in their early 20s – are “no longer welcome” on the Foyle Rambler ferry after they damaging the vessel following a drinking binge in Rathmullan. Emmett Burns, Hillcrest, John Cullen, Dun na Ri, Derek Doherty, Slieve Snacht, Gavin McDaid, Crana View, Cathal McLaughlin, Summerhill, and Kevin McGowan, Ardaravan Heights, all pleaded guilty to breaching the Martitime Safety Act. The group of friends, returning from Rathmullan after several hours drinking there on June 24 last year, behaved “outrageously” in the passenger seating area of the ferry, Garda Superintendent Jimmy Coen told Buncrana District Court. He told the court the men were “extremely boisterous and very intoxicated” as they entered the seating area, prompting the sole passenger already seated to move elsewhere. “They started banging on the walls and shouting,” Supt Coen continued, “and ignored the crew members’ requests to calm down.” Gardai were called after a light and a window was smashed, and the group was arrested as the ferry docked at Buncrana. The men’s defence solicitor, Ciaran MacLochlainn, said the young men were in a “celebratory mood” and that the wall banging was acting as a “drumbeat” to accompany the modern-style dance tunes they were singing. “They began to sing and entertain themselves,” he said, “and everybody was banging on the walls. Unfortunately, this caused the window to pop out and the light was broken. “But the damage wasn’t intentional, and but for the drink they would not be here at all.” Each man was fined 1,000 euros for breaching the Maritime Safety Act, while the criminal damage charges were taken into account.