Thousands of teenagers were this morning waking up that most eulogised of Irish rites of passage - their first hangover - after the annual procession of underage drunkenness, fumbled libidinousness and intermittent public lewdness which is Junior Certificate results night had tottered down the streets of towns and cities across the State in typically bacchanalian fashion.
In Dublin, gardai reported a number of arrests for public drunkenness at an underage disco held at a city centre night club, citing the easy availability of alcohol from off-licences. "The organisers didn't expect that so many kids would turn up in such a drunken state," a garda said.
Most revellers were drawn to the Temple Bar-Dame Street area; the occasional appearance of a Garda van prompting many to scamper towards the dank patch of bushes at the rear of the Central Bank where they sipped tins of lager.
But the majority seemed confident that their numbers made them immune; they congregated in noisy gaggles along Temple Bar's principal thoroughfares. their presence provoking mirth and bemusement in equal quantities among the wandering tourists. Some fighting was reported and gardai say they were kept extremely busy.
However, no arrests were reported. A number of youths were detained but none held overnight.
Officers on duty said there appeared to be more teenagers on the streets than on previous years. "There are a lot of juveniles who have evidently taken an awful lot of drink. It got pretty bad for a while. There were just so many of them around."
Outside the pubs, youngsters attempted a variety of ruses - feverishly avoiding eye contact with doorman, zipping up their hoods to obscure acne and puppy fat - but, the promised land tantalisingly within reach, most were turned away.
"They've been trying to get in all night. They actually seem surprised when we tell them they're too young. It's much busier this year than last year. But it always seems to be that way," said the doorman at one Temple Bar premises.
There was less disruption in the suburbs. Tallaght gardai said at 1 a.m. that the number of incidents were well down on last year, attributing the fall-off to rainy conditions.
On the northside of the city it was equally quiet.
A similar scenario unfolded around the country. Gardai in Cork and Limerick reported large numbers of teenagers on the streets but said no arrests had been made.