Irish hostel owner in Australia bans... the Irish
Stock photo, Whitsundays coast: Rex
A hostel-owner from Dublin who now lives in Queensland, Australia, has banned Irish backpackers from checking in.
Thomas Dunne said he made the decision after a number of drunken and disorderly incidents that caused "deliberate damage" to his property.
A number of Irish travellers chose to stay at the Main Street Backpackers hostel in Proserpine, a small town on the Whitsundays coast, while working locally in farms to secure a second working visa in Australia.
According to the BBC, Mr Dunne said: "Over the last three years the Irish backpacker has taken over the mantle (in behaviour) so we take less each year.
"The Irish are the only ones to have caused deliberate damage."
Mr Dunne, lives with his wife and three children, and has been running the adjoining O'Duinn's Bar since 2006.
He said there had been an increasing number of incidents but the "last straw" came when two men were arrested and charged for damage done to the accommodation.
According to the Irish Echo, the men were arrested shortly after the incident and have subsequently been charged with one count of wilful damage to the property.
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