Street fights were a popular pastime in Irish towns in the 18th century. It's getting a little like that again. In Dublin, the little Ascendancy pups known as the Pinking Dindies liked to "pink" working-class boys with their swords, shoulder them off the pavements, etc, often leading to mass brawls between "Town" (the working class boys) and "Gown" (the Trinity College boys). The Pinking Dindies had an advantage in carrying swords, which were not allowed to the working classes.