A VIDEO SHARED on Facebook claims that local residents in Dublin held a “street party” in part of the capital on 1 May.

The post by TheLiberal.ie said footage of the party was different to a similar looking video it shared weeks previously, which it said also showed a street party taking place in Dublin.

The video has received thousands of views, and despite claims from commenters underneath it that it is not new footage, the page’s moderator has insisted that it is new.

However, the video is the exact same as footage that went viral at the beginning of April.

Further, while it is described in the post as a street party, organisers say the event was supervised by gardaí and social distancing was observed throughout. 

The Claim

On 2 May, TheLiberal.ie shared a 15-second video on Facebook – taken from the TikTok account @Laurenshorttx – showing a street party in Dublin.

In the video, the camera pans across a street and shows DJs playing Maniac 2000 while standing beside smoke machines and flashing lights in a driveway.

A number of people can also be seen dancing on the street, and at the end of the video, a garda car passes along the street without stopping. The video is captioned “Lockdown Dublin style”.

TikTok / Facebook TikTok / Facebook / Facebook

In a post accompanying the video, TheLiberal.ie wrote:

Please note – this is a [different] party than the one we posted two weeks ago. This was recorded on 1/5/20.

It all kicked off again in Dublin last night with gardaí even driving through a “street party” which are taking place in many areas. What’s your thoughts? Harmless or inappropriate social distancing?

A number of commenters under the video pointed out that it looked similar to footage shared a number of weeks ago, but the page’s moderator insisted that the footage was new.

“This was last night, there was a similar party two weeks ago,” a comment by the moderator said.

Older footage

However, the video is the exact same as footage taken on Galtymore Road in Drimnagh in early April and subsequently shared on the same TikTok account.

A number of outlets reported on the footage at the time, including Dublin Live and 98FM, after it went viral on social media.

One local who DJ’d at the party told the Big Breakfast on 98FM on 7 April that the idea to hold the party came about “because of the Thursday for frontline workers”, when people across the country participated in a moment’s applause for healthcare workers at 8pm on 26 March.

“It was the first time that everybody came out to their doors and we’d seen each other in quite a while,” the local resident told the station.

“I just came up with the idea that it would be nice to have a singalong on Saturday.”

He explained that parties were held on two subsequent weeks, and that gardaí supervised on both nights and were satisfied that the residents were socially distancing.

Given that the video was recorded on a date before the interview was given on 7 April, TheLiberal.ie’s claim that it shows a party taking place on 1 May is false.

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There is a lot of false news and scaremongering being spread in Ireland at the moment about coronavirus. Here are some practical ways for you to assess whether the messages that you’re seeing – especially on WhatsApp – are true or not. 

STOP, THINK AND CHECK 

Look at where it’s coming from. Is it someone you know? Do they have a source for the information (e.g. the HSE website) or are they just saying that the information comes from someone they know? A lot of the false news being spread right now is from people claiming that messages from ‘a friend’ of theirs. Have a look yourself – do a quick Google search and see if the information is being reported elsewhere. 

Secondly, get the whole story, not just a headline. A lot of these messages have got vague information (“all the doctors at this hospital are panicking”) and don’t mention specific details. This is often – but not always a sign – that it may not be accurate. 

Finally, see how you feel after reading it. A lot of these false messages are designed to make people feel panicked. They’re deliberately manipulating your feelings to make you more likely to share it. If you feel panicked after reading something, check it out and see if it really is true.

TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here

Have you gotten a message on WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter about coronavirus that you’re not sure about and want us to check it out? Message or mail us and we’ll look into debunking it. WhatsApp: 085 221 4696 or Email: answers@thejournal.ie.