donnybrooks

Donnybrooks are rowdy brawls or heated public disputes, typically involving multiple participants and considerable chaos.

The word comes from Donnybrook Fair, an annual event held near Dublin that became notorious for its drunken fights.

A political debate that devolves into shouting matches might be called a donnybrook, as might an actual fistfight that breaks out at a bar.

The town hall meeting turned into a donnybrook when residents started arguing about the proposed development.