Hole in the Wall Gangs Make Getting Cash Harder

So you need cash in Ireland? The easiest way, naturally, would be to head for the nearest "Hole in the Wall", the common Irish nickname for the "cash machine" or, more correctly, the ATM. Where upon insertion of your card you may draw some funds. Handy, easy, 24/7.

Erm ... not quite - the 24-hour-availability of these machines is currently under revision, especially in rural areas. This is due to the activities of certain "Hole in the Wall Gangs", that specialised in a very unique way of transaction: They drove heavy machinery up to the ATM, ripped the whole machine out, leaving future customers with a very real hole in the wall. A raid on a "Mother Hubbard's" transport café apparently netted these rough-and-ready opportunists more than a hundred thousand Euros. The digger they used was conveniently parked at an adjoining building site.

In an effort of prevention it has now been discussed that many ATMs will no longer be fully stocked with banknotes and others will be completely turned off - namely those at rural bank branches, which are planned to be active only when the branch is open. Which somehow defeats the idea of the cash machine ...

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