Gardaí made 53 arrests after large numbers of motorsport fans descended on Letterkenny at the weekend for what would have been the annual Donegal motor rally.
One of the biggest events in the Irish motorsport calendar, the annual rally was cancelled for a second time this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the fact that it did not go ahead, motorsport fans took over Letterkenny from Friday evening and through all day Saturday. There were reports of young men in modified cars 'diffing' (spinning vehicles in circles) throughout the day on the town centre’s Port Road as well as widespread drunkenness and public order issues.
People living in the town complained of high noise levels with cars being driven at speeds in excess of 100 mph. At one point, Gardaí had to close the town’s Port Road to restore order.
Gardaí reported 53 arrests by yesterday. Twenty-nine people were arrested for danger driving offences, eight for driving under the influence of drink or drugs, 14 for public order offences and two for outstanding arrest warrants.
Letterkenny councillor, Gerry McMonagle said the scenes witnessed in Letterkenny at the weekend had nothing to do with the Donegal rally. He said it was clear people had come to the town to be “drunk and disruptive”.
Mr McMonagle said: “Cars driving around late at night and the noise they were making and the drunkenness, it’s just not acceptable. We should not have to put up with that in Letterkenny.”
