The group behind an illegal rave that caused extensive damage to an Airbnb in Co Laois are organising a new event for New Year’s Eve on social media.
The Irish Times reports that videos from the rave held in Co Laois show more than 80 people dancing without facemasks and with no social distancing.
The rave took place in a rented property on December 12th without the knowledge of the owner. No organised indoor gatherings were permitted at the time under Level 3 restrictions.
Lisa Wilkinson, whose partner owns the house, said those renting the Airbnb said it was for a weekend hiking trip with work colleagues.
Ms Wilkinson said the property was “absolutely destroyed” after the rave, with empty beer cans and bottles, used nitrous oxide ‘laughing gas’ canisters and other rubbish covering the floor while the house smelled of “rancid beer”.
A number of mostly empty bags, which appeared to have been used to carry drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy pills, were also found after the event.
Ms Wilkinson said it took three days to clean the house, which involved “a skip full” of rubbish.
Fully stocked bar
The illegal Co Laois rave was organised through private social media accounts on Instagram and Snapchat.
The same group has since advertised tickets for a New Year’s Eve rave in Dublin, an event in apparent breach of current Covid-19 restrictions.
The group is currently using an Instagram page to sell tickets priced at €35 for a rave in a Dublin “warehouse” with DJs and a “fully stocked bar”.
People can only view the social media posts advertising the group’s event after being approved to follow the account.
People can then buy tickets through an online link and are added into a WhatsApp group chat after showing proof of purchase.
It is an offence to organise gatherings in breach of public health guidelines, with those who do so facing fines or six months in prison on conviction.
A spokesman for Airbnb said it had “zero tolerance for this type of behaviour, and have removed the guest from the platform”.
