With the summer holidays coming to an end, Pamela Duncantook to the streets to find out what Irish teenagers have been up to over the break. Portraits by Cyril Byrne
DANIELLE BENSON (16) FROM BALLYMUN, DUBLIN
What have you been doing for the summer?Working. Babysitting my sister.
What was the highlight of your summer?Just going out with my fella, to dinner or to the pictures and all. There's nothing to do. You can go to the pictures and all but then there's nothing to do apart from that. There's no, like, facilities. There's not many youth clubs.
Are you looking forward to turning 18?Yeah 'cause at least then you can go out and have a laugh with mates. At least that way you have something to do. That's why people go out drinking because there's nothing to do.
MICHAEL FITZGERALD (16) FROM HILL STREET, DUBLIN
What have you been at this summer?I've just been out with friends on the street messing around, having a laugh all in town in Stephen's Green and all. There's nothing around here for 16-year-olds. It's more 18s and 21s. We went to the cinema and gigs but they were just one-offs.
Did you look for a summer job?Yeah, but I'm only just gone 16 so they're not really taking on now. I'm still waiting for my results back from school so they're not really taking people on without their results.
Did you go away anywhere this summer?I was over in Wales for a week with my family. It was alright.
RACHEL O’CONNOR (14) FROM CLONDALKIN, DUBLIN
What have you been up to this summer?I went to Dubai. My grandad paid for a holiday for my family so we went there. It was good – it was really warm. I got a tan. We were out there for a week but it was really dear.
Did you look for a part-time job for the summer?No, I just wanted to chill for the summer.
What did you spend your time doing in Ireland?I've been going out a lot in Clondalkin and in town. We go out to Stephen's Green and just talk and have fun. We'd go to Subway and the cinema and stuff. We need, like, a youth centre. If it's raining somewhere we could go and just chill.
ORLA O’HALLORAN (16) FROM STRANDHILL, CO SLIGO
Did you go away anywhere for the summer?I was in New York for around three weeks. Our family have friends over there so it was kind of like a holiday. We kind of travelled off on our own down to Jersey Shore, so it was good.
What did you get up to in Ireland?I've been surfing and playing a lot of sports with my teams because I play loads of sports: hockey, Gaelic, soccer, tennis – kind of everything.
What was the highlight of your summer?Oh, French college, definitely. I went on my own so I liked meeting people. It was an experience so it was really good. Friends for life.
What was the film/book/gig of the summer?The Hangover was the film of the summer, definitely.
LAUREN HOLLAND (16) FROM RATHFARNAM, DUBLIN
What have you been up to for the summer?I went to the Gaeltacht on Inisheer. It was great. I just went with one friend. I learned some Irish but we spoke a lot of English as well. I learned a good bit and it was good fun as well as a holiday.
What else did you do over there?We went to the céilís. I'd done Irish dancing beforehand so I knew the steps and all.
Did you work over the summer?Well I went to French college as well in Ennis. I was away for six weeks so I didn't have time really.
JADE WALSH (15) ORIGINALLY FROM BALLYFERMOT, DUBLIN, NOW LIVING IN BALLYBOFEY, CO DONEGAL
What have you been up to for the summer?Nothing really. I've just been down [in Dublin] going to see everyone I won't see when I move. I went to Clondalkin and Ballyfermot and all different places in Dublin, and I went down to Wexford for a birthday with five friends.
What was the film/book/gig of the summer?Metallica – it was an amazing concert. We had some laugh even during the shows. My friend Adam fell asleep during Alice in Chains and I was crushed behind some fat guy for most of it.
Do you think there are enough things for teenagers around the country to do?In the country, like in the country that's not Dublin, there's not much to do at all. Most of the time most of my mates just get drunk every night of the summer because there's nothing else to do.
JAMES McGARRY (17) FROM BLESSINGTON, CO WICKLOW
What have you been up to for the summer?I've been visiting other parts of the country with friends and went to friends' houses for parties, that sort of thing. Just to different parts of Ireland, nowhere abroad.
Were you working?Yeah, I was working part time-ish doing gardening, just for neighbours.
What was the highlight of your summer?Probably when I went to Achill Island in Mayo. I just went down with my girlfriend's family for about a week.
DAVID BARRY (16) FROM ARTANE, DUBLIN
What have you been doing this summer?Looking for a job but I can't get one. I tried to get a job in a piercing place but that didn't work out. Topman, River Island, Jack Jones . . . I've tried a few places . . . there's just no jobs. There's nothing going.
So what have you been doing instead?Just hanging out with my friends, usually just locally in Marino or town, in parks or, eh, on the streets. There's nothing to do and then they complain about teenagers drinking. Even sport – loads of people do sport but they give up around this age. There's no youth clubs in my area – I don't know where the youth club is. I'm part of my local Gaelic club but they split up for the summer so it's only back now.
What was the highlight of your summer?Getting my tongue pierced.
CORMAC KEANEY (16) FROM CASTLEKNOCK, DUBLIN
What did you get up to this summer?Not really much. Going on a summer holiday, that was basically it. I went to Frankfurt with my family. It was a lot cheaper than here and quite sunny. We just went to see what there is to see in Germany really, all the famous stuff.
And what did you do in Ireland?Just going into town and stuff like that. Basically look around the shops, basically hanging out at home or in town, in shopping centres and all. There's not much around our area.
Did you look for a part-time job?Not really, but there were none I heard of anyway.
DAVID DVYLAITIS (17) BORN IN LITHUANIA AND LIVING IN SANTRY, DUBLIN
What have you been doing for the summer?I worked for most of July in an Eastern European wholesaler. It was hard. It was work – what can I say, it was just work.
So what have you been doing in your spare time?Just hanging out with friends – getting in trouble and so on and so forth. Alcohol wasn't the smartest idea, especially a lot of it.
Do you think that if there was more for young people to do they would still go out drinking?Yeah, I'd say they would. Because, I don't know, it's just an Irish thing to do. It's a bit clichéd I guess.
What was the highlight of the summer?Going to Cork to see the Prodigy. It was amazing. It was probably the best night of my life.
