A Dubliner has posted a ‘No Irish’ ruling at his Australian hostel after running out of patience with their drunken and loutish behaviour.
Thomas Dunne is the owner and manager of O’Duinn’s bar and hostel in the north Queensland town of Prosperpine.
He is the latest publican to take action against young Irish backpackers over their drunken antics.
The Irish Times reports that Dunne is fed up with the Irish visitors to his hotel near the famous Airlie Beach.
The paper says the latest incident saw two Irish men being arrested at the hostel after they allegedly caused damage by breaking chairs, windows and a table.
Dunne told the Irish Times: “We have security here from 11 o’clock at night because people are getting up at five for work on local farms and it’s usually the Irish ones who are causing all the problems.
“The security tell me they are getting the same from the Irish at pubs in Airlie Beach, giving them lots of lip.
“It used to be the English, now it’s the Irish.”
Dunne’s 55-bed hostel is regularly used by young people on working holiday visas who work on farms for three months in order to get a second-year visa.
He also told the Irish Times that some local farmers no longer want to hire Irish people because of their poor work.
Dunne added: “We’ve just been told by one farm a couple of days ago, ‘We’re not taking any more Irish or English, no Europeans at all. All we want is Koreans.'
“So we sent 40 Koreans out to that farm.”
Dunne confirmed to the paper that he no longer wants Irish people staying on his premises.
He said: “If Irish people ring up we say ‘Sorry, we’re full.'
“If they’re going to be here for three months working on a farm you don’t want all that trouble, that’s why we knock them back straight away.
“It’s distressing for my wife. She’s just gone to the police now because she can’t put up with it. And also my 17-year-old daughter, who is working here in the bar with us: she is all distressed about what’s happening.”
Dunne contrasted the behaviour of some Irish backpackers with that of asylum-seekers trying to get to Australia.
“Hundreds of poor boat people died last week trying to get into Australia,” he told the paper.
“And these guys who could not get a job in Ireland have been given the opportunity to work and the opportunity to extend their visa an extra year by working 12 weeks on a farm.
“Low-lifes who cause damage should be kept in Ireland to give the real refugees a chance,” he said.
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