h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think it's interesting that fireworks don't feature strongly in the British Hallowe'en. Here in Ireland, despite being illegal, they have become an accepted and even expected feature in the last few years. In fact, bangers have recently started going off several weeks before Samhain, mush to the disgust of, well, everyone.

We were in Dublin on Millenium Eve and went down to the beach to watch the official fireworks across the bay and have the phots to prove it. What really amused us English blow-ins was the old fella letting off his own fireworks (including some that made really loud noises)on the public footpath three feet behind us

Are fireworks *really* illegal in the Republic? They've been illegal for years here in the north (unless you have a special permit), which I was always lead to believe was due to our brilliant ability to blow stuff up. I live about 30 miles from the boarder with Donegal and can always remember seeing loads of places just across the boarder selling fireworks. Figured that people went over, bought them legally, but set them off illegally here.

Now see, I've had the exact opposite experience. I used to regularly go to the North when I rowed, and my crewmates would always buy fireworks legally somewhere like Belfast and set them off illeglly here in Galway.

Bizarre!!!