Gardai say there were 580 seizures of "controlled drugs" at Creamfields dance music festival in Punchestown on Saturday. "Proceedings will be taken against a number of these people in the near future," a spokesman said.
Lots of dilated pupils and teeth-grinding suggested plenty of drugs were in use at the event, which attracted 34,000 clubbers. However, the huge bar wasn't doing too badly either. Most punters bought two, three, sometimes four drinks at a time to avoid the long queues.
Despite this, there was little of the excessive drunkenness that characterised the Feile concerts of the 1990s. Instead, chilled clubbers strolled around the Punchestown site with their arms around each other.
Five circus-style marquees and a large main stage were set up to host big-name DJs. As midnight approached, enthusiastic clubbers cheered top UK dance act The Chemical Brothers in the Bugged Out arena, while Fat Boy Slim put in an appearance in the Big Beat Boutique tent.
"It's all good clean fun, I suppose," said one bemused garda.
Ms Carol Murphy, on cleaning-up duty, didn't agree. She was dismayed at some of the items she had to pick up, which included used condoms and sanitary products. "People are disgusting," she said.
Around 700 young people had themselves pierced by 6 p.m., piercing artist Shelley Jones said. Her equipment was only suitable for piercing ears and noses, but clubbers were asking for more. "They want eyebrows, tongues, lips, chins, but it's more than my life's worth," she said.
Popular clothing accessories included babies' dummies, devil horns, Tricolours worn as cloaks or sarongs, glo-sticks, washing-up gloves and even the odd Santa hat. Many girls wore home-made furry boot covers, while boys favoured boiler suits.
Beck, the acoustic guitar-playing American singer, seemed out of place in the predominantly dance music line-up.
Following a cover of David Bowie's Diamond Dogs, Beck pointed, with obvious irritation, to one of the dance tents. Thumping beats threatened to drown out his music throughout his set on the main stage.
But the oblivious clubbers in the tent danced on under an enormous sign that read "It's just a big disco".
