Disgusted - Australian tourist (my mother) accosted on Talbot Street middle of day.

catlovesmike

Hi guys: Rant to follow -

I have to :mad:express my anger and disgust over a recent incident that happened to my mother while visiting me here in Dublin on Holiday. Walking towards the bust stop on Talbot Street around 2pm, a young drug affected male took a swing at my mother trying to punch her as he walked towards her. She had to jump and almost fall to be missed, he then proceeded to accost a group of girls the same way directly behind her. She is now too scared to go into the city by herself and I am horrified that this kind of behavior from people with these issues is so accepted in that particular part of town. It is unacceptable that there is a central bus depot and tourist route in the middle of an area that the Garda refuse to go down, there are people openly doing deals on the street or drinking, and the average person like my mum gets attacked by a member of society that clearly has ownership over that area. Not only is that bad enough but she was directly in front of two Dublin Bus male drivers at the time who simply shook their heads at her and shrugged their shoulders not once asking if she was alright! The only person to actually help her (shaking and distressed) was a African man walking behind her who saw the whole thing and was horrified. He actually apologized on behalf of the person who did it!
I have lived here the past four years (I am Australian) with my Irish husband and it upsets me that this is the experience people can have simply by walking to the bus stop in our capital city, in the main thorough-fare. And the worst bit? That nobody seems to care and, like the bus drivers, shake their heads and accept that this is OK. Its not.

Any idea who I can take this issue to as I really want to bring this to the attention of Dublin people. Surely I am not the only person annoyed by this.

Cavehill Red

Sadly this sort of thuggery happens everywhere nowadays:

http://www.news.com.au/national/irish-tourist-georoid-walsh-dies-after-attack-at-coogee/story-e6frfkvr-1225792695729

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/arrest-made-over-bashing-of-irish-tourist-david-keohane/story-e6freuy9-1111117639087

Hope your mum's ok.

mikemac

I wouldn't say the Gardai refuse to go down that area, I often see two person patrols.
They stop and question the gangs of people hanging around but don't exactly move them on. Sure move them to where? They have nowhere to go

Go to Store Street garda station, try to get a senior garda and ask what can be done.

Realy, this isn't just a Dublin thing, I've seen the homeless people in Galway cause far more trouble and assaults by the train station then I see in Talbot St, Dublin.
Probably much the same in any Australian city too, only thing is Dublin city centre is so small then everything is concentrated in a small area.

If you wanted get a journalist in the Evening Herald to do a story? Well everyone knows the issue (tourists don't ) so there might be extra foot patrols

catlovesmike

I know but thats what angers me! That its just so accepted! I know we cant "move them anywhere" but why not? Its not exactly legal to do what they do (the deals and on-street drinking I mean), it threatens people, and looks pretty damn bad from a tourism point of view! Im a Youth worker by profession so Im not exactly not understanding but if that was your mum you would want something done too wouldnt you? Shes ok, very rattled though thanks for asking Cavehill Red

Vanbis

catlovesmike wrote: »

Hi guys: Rant to follow -

I have to :mad:express my anger and disgust over a recent incident that happened to my mother while visiting me here in Dublin on Holiday. Walking towards the bust stop on Talbot Street around 2pm, a young drug affected male took a swing at my mother trying to punch her as he walked towards her. She had to jump and almost fall to be missed, he then proceeded to accost a group of girls the same way directly behind her. She is now too scared to go into the city by herself and I am horrified that this kind of behavior from people with these issues is so accepted in that particular part of town. It is unacceptable that there is a central bus depot and tourist route in the middle of an area that the Garda refuse to go down, there are people openly doing deals on the street or drinking, and the average person like my mum gets attacked by a member of society that clearly has ownership over that area. Not only is that bad enough but she was directly in front of two Dublin Bus male drivers at the time who simply shook their heads at her and shrugged their shoulders not once asking if she was alright! The only person to actually help her (shaking and distressed) was a African man walking behind her who saw the whole thing and was horrified. He actually apologized on behalf of the person who did it!
I have lived here the past four years (I am Australian) with my Irish husband and it upsets me that this is the experience people can have simply by walking to the bus stop in our capital city, in the main thorough-fare. And the worst bit? That nobody seems to care and, like the bus drivers, shake their heads and accept that this is OK. Its not.

Any idea who I can take this issue to as I really want to bring this to the attention of Dublin people. Surely I am not the only person annoyed by this.

Very sorry to hear about your mother but thankfully she is ok. This is almost an everyday occurrence in Dublin City so while I understand the frustration it’s nothing new. It is a small minority that cause this kind of trouble. Just make sure your mother knows that not all Irish people are like those bus drivers and we are really a nice nation apart from a small few.

ricman

I AGREE with you its a disgrace ,but store st garda station is just opposite busaras, neither talbot st nor busaras is a no go area re garda patrols.
Unfortunately junkies tend to hang round certain areas of the city centre and its not practical for the gardai to just arrest every junkie unless they see them doing something illegal.
Many shops and streets in the city centre have cctv so this incident could have been recorded and someone could have just phoned the gardai and reported the person involved .
i think in the summertime certain places like busaras should have extra security and garda patrols to protect tourists.
i,m sure every city has its own quota of junkies , most of them here are on free methadone ,ie they have no incentive to rob people to buy drugs, they get free drugs from a clinic.

talbot st is a very busy shopping area , i would not regard it as a dangerous street.
That person was probably paranoid, out of his mind on drugs.

catlovesmike

Mum really likes the Irish don't worry, and is very aware this is not representative of all!
I'm sure you are right about the garda stations being near, and the foot patrols, but I have to say as a regular in that area I really dont ever see the presence you speak of. I know they can only do so much, and I know they have limited resources, but thats still not good enough, why DONT they have the resources? Simply put there is no respect or fear of the garda by those willing to do this sort of thing so the rest of us just have to say "ah well" so long as it doesnt affect us.... We are happy to shout in anger at the banks, the government, etc but sit back quietly and let people with these issues affect everyone in the areas they are in. I just cant shake the annoyance sorry!!
And YES of course this stuff happens in every other main city (including mine) but its the acceptance here and lack of anger from the people experiencing it that I have a problem with!

catlovesmike

Cavehill Red wrote: »

Sadly this sort of thuggery happens everywhere nowadays:

http://www.news.com.au/national/irish-tourist-georoid-walsh-dies-after-attack-at-coogee/story-e6frfkvr-1225792695729

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/arrest-made-over-bashing-of-irish-tourist-david-keohane/story-e6freuy9-1111117639087

Hope your mum's ok.

That is shocking and as unacceptable to us Australians as it should be over here. We all know that the average decent person doesnt do this sort of thing and its horrible that it should happen to anyone.

arybvtcw0eolkf

OP, I'm really sorry to hear your mum has fallen prey to a problem which (it would appear) officialdom have contented to bury their heads in the sand over.

I don't know what to say, its an area best avoided but probably only a Dub would know that. I'd also advise her while she's here to avoid the boardwalk on the Liffey and the junctions (north & south) of Butt Bridge (Tara St. train station & Liberty Hall).

Jay D

I have to say I am seeing this a bit more than I thought still went on.

I was walking up Gardiner St near Mountjoy Sq junction the other day when I saw this little fat junky around 17 try it on a woman. She wasn't afraid which I was glad to see and remained on her phone talking after the excuse of a life tried grabbing it from her.

Travel is good

I met two lovely guards on Wednesday night from Store St. station. We were just talking about this - the lack of resources. I'm sure you know OP about the economic problems we are having here in this country, and that has a direct link to the lack of policing resources.

Though there is good news, I hear new guards are going to be recruited. I've been in New York several times and it's amazing the difference it makes, to have loads of cops on every street corner.

Sorry to hear about your mum & hope she is OK. We're not all like that!

irishdub14

What a shame, especially as a visitor, she must think Ireland's a horrible place live... I'm so surprised nobody came to help her, especially in Dublin! What happened to the offender, did he just keep walking or was he apprehended?

sdanseo

I work on Henry Street a couple of days a week and unfortunately there are a few scumbags to be seen in the area - it's the North inner city after all. However the Gardaí are very active on Talbot St as that's how they walk up to O'Connell St and the shopping areas from Store St Garda Station. Only last weekend we saw them arrest a fella outside the shop.

Walk into the station and inform them what happened. The street is covered by CCTV.

gurramok

Travel is good wrote: »

I met two lovely guards on Wednesday night from Store St. station. We were just talking about this - the lack of resources. I'm sure you know OP about the economic problems we are having here in this country, and that has a direct link to the lack of policing resources.

Though there is good news, I hear new guards are going to be recruited. I've been in New York several times and it's amazing the difference it makes, to have loads of cops on every street corner.

Sorry to hear about your mum & hope she is OK. We're not all like that!

Its been the same issue every year no matter what the economic circumstances are.
For example, I have seen Marlborough st patrolled alot at times and not a garda to be seen at other times. Its really a throw of the dice to know if a street is patrolled or not when deciding to walk up it in the city centre.

Polar101

irishdub14 wrote: »

What a shame, especially as a visitor, she must think Ireland's a horrible place live... I'm so surprised nobody came to help her, especially in Dublin!

I'd like to believe that most people would like to help, but are actually scared to do so. Getting stabbed by some maniac won't really be of much use to anyone.

ODS

The real problem here is that Talbot Street, Marlborough Street, Pearse Street, Smithfield and the Quays have practically ALL the drug treatment facilities for the greater Dublin area.

Hence the drug users from out-of-town are enticed into the city centre, creating also the critical mass necessary for a black market to thrive. This does favour neither for city dwellers / workers - or for the users themselves.

Until we adopt the continental approach of spreading out the treatment facilities in industrial estates, serving only local needs in local areas, Dublin will be dragged down by the behaviour of the minority of scumbags.

OP Glad to hear your mother is okay, and hope this doesn't put her off Dublin.

ted1

Drop in to the tourist office on Suffox Street. They can talk to the guards about this. As fas as i know their is special department in the guards that caters for tourists. Once they are made aware of these type incidents they generally do act.

Degsy

ted1 wrote: »

Drop in to the tourist office on Suffox Street. They can talk to the guards about this. As fas as i know their is special department in the guards that caters for tourists. Once they are made aware of these type incidents they generally do act.

Well the little group who hang around beside the newspaper stand on o'connelll st have been there night and day every day for at least three years..if they havnt been reported a thousand times in that period people must be blind.
Yet the cops can be seen regularly standing outside the GPO,just accross the road,despite brawling,drug dealing and drinking going on twenty yards away.

vampire of kilmainham

Sorry to hear about your mum and i hope she will be ok. It really pisses me off to see the way things are in this city now junkies hanging around all over the place fellas drinking and the likes which is against the law in public areas and most of the time the Gardai dont do anything because the justice system in this country is usless and outdated and these guys just walk away when they go to court i could go on forever and say a lot but we would be here forever. We do however need more Gardai and the usless crettins up in the dail should be putting the money into it and recruit a lot more Gardai then the inteended 100 they are about too sure 900 have retired this year alone also i think it's time all Gardai were armed as it's just to dangerous out there now for an unarmed force it's no use just having having special units and detectives armed we need a strong presence around at all times to watch these scumbags.:mad::mad::mad:

gurramok

I was walking down Abbey st yesterday and the Gardai were visible but they were nowhere to be seen on Henry st. As i said earlier, its really down to luck if a street is patrolled or not.
As for O'Connell st, there were a gang of drunks supping out of their cans in broad daylight. It really says something if the main street of the capital city can't even be declared safe. Back in the 90s it was known as the most dangerous street in Ireland and nothing has changed.

It will be interesting when Marlborough street will be transformed to have a Luas running on it, I just hope they won't put a Luas stop on it.

ricman

So hundreds of gardai are retiring ,because they get a great pension plus 1off payment non taxable lump sum, they .know in a few years lump sums will be taxed,so now is the time to retire.But there will never be enough gardai to have 1 on every street so when in the city be careful.
i do not think dublin was ever a haven of peace and tranquility ,it may even be slightly safer with cctv and mobile phones .I THINK theres more cops in nyc and they watch the areas where tourists go .I think a lot of the shops on henry st have security gaurds and they are in touch with each other,i,ve never seen junkies hanging round there.

The Minstrel

gurramok wrote: »

I was walking down Abbey st yesterday and the Gardai were visible but they were nowhere to be seen on Henry st.

What are you expecting to happen to you on Henry St? Would you like a police escort?

As i said earlier, its really down to luck if a street is patrolled or not. As for O'Connell st, there were a gang of drunks supping out of their cans in broad daylight. It really says something if the main street of the capital city can't even be declared safe. Back in the 90s it was known as the most dangerous street in Ireland and nothing has changed.

O'Connell St is a well patrolled and safe street. There's always going to be a few drunks hanging around such a big street, but don't let that bother you. Always report any dodgy activity - don't assume someone else will and they will have cops on their ass in no time. There are 24 hr patrols up and down O'Connell, Talbot and around by Gardiner Street. Apart from the obvious emphasis placed on O'Connell St, Talbot/Gardiner are considered high priority for the Gardaí given the high density of tourist traffic/accommodation.

It's wildly inaccurate to say that O'Connell St is "the most dangerous street in Ireland". Did anyone else think this was an absolutely daft comment? Take a walk down Thomas St or James's St.

It will be interesting when Marlborough street will be transformed to have a Luas running on it, I just hope they won't put a Luas stop on it.

Gurramok, i would counter that by saying that Marlborough St's problems stem from the fact that a section of the street (where the Luas/Metro terminal is to be based) has been derelict for years...I'm talking about where the buses park, and around the back of Barney's amusements. Once the transport terminal is in place, these vermin will simply not be able to use that dereliction as shelter.

Thepones

I brought up a similar topic in a thread a couple of weeks back about junkies / dealers all over the Abbey St / Malborough St / Talbot St area. Its really sad to hear what happened to your mother OP. I am not surprised to be honest.

I know the guards cant be everywhere at once and understand that due to funding / resources etc, there may not be a lot of people available to do the job. But, I do think that more could be done. Like I said in my post a while ago, if we all as citizens see this everyday and can identify specific areas, surely the guards could target these in an effort to improve it.

ODS also makes a good point about drug treatment facilities and how these areas can turn into hubs for dealing.

Glad to hear OP's mother wasnt hurt.

AnonoBoy

The Minstrel wrote: »

It's wildly inaccurate to say that O'Connell St is "the most dangerous street in Ireland". Did anyone else think this was an absolutely daft comment? Take a walk down Thomas St or James's St.

O'Connell Street is grand. Marlborough Street/Gardiner Street would be a bit dodgier. Personally I've never had any trouble on any of them but I probably am too ugly to be targetted by most muggers/junkies.

Thomas Street and James's Street I've always found to be fine as well. I used to live up that neck of the woods and quite liked it.

gurramok

The Minstrel wrote: »

What are you expecting to happen to you on Henry St? Would you like a police escort?

No. A visible presence even of a couple of cops strolling around. They were not there yesterday and I was shopping for the best of 2 hours on that street hopping around the shops.

The Minstrel wrote: »

O'Connell St is a well patrolled and safe street. There's always going to be a few drunks hanging around such a big street, but don't let that bother you. Always report any dodgy activity - don't assume someone else will and they will have cops on their ass in no time. There are 24 hr patrols up and down O'Connell, Talbot and around by Gardiner Street. Apart from the obvious emphasis placed on O'Connell St, Talbot/Gardiner are considered high priority for the Gardaí given the high density of tourist traffic/accommodation.

It's wildly inaccurate to say that O'Connell St is "the most dangerous street in Ireland". Did anyone else think this was an absolutely daft comment? Take a walk down Thomas St or James's St.

That street(O'Connell) is flooded with aggressive beggars, junkies and drunks. Go stroll on it today. The 'daft comment' was an irony of the situation. O'Connell st should be higher priority over Talbot st as it has the largest footfall and its were all the tourists go in that immediate area.

That said, both streets are dangerous and should be patrolled regularly. Put a cop on each corner if needs be.

The Minstrel wrote: »

Gurramok, i would counter that by saying that Marlborough St's problems stem from the fact that a section of the street (where the Luas/Metro terminal is to be based) has been derelict for years...I'm talking about where the buses park, and around the back of Barney's amusements. Once the transport terminal is in place, these vermin will simply not be able to use that dereliction as shelter.

Err, a transport terminal in the form of stops will attract them. Just look at the Abbey st Luas stops. Until its properly policed, I would never hop off/on a Luas on Marlborough st as its a no-go area.

r3nu4l

I'm not sure what can be said or done to be honest. I moved to Cambridge in 2004. It's a beautiful (small) city with fantastic heritage and a reputation for low crime and good living but likewise I've been accosted by a person on drugs and someone with a mental disorder in my time living there.

I do agree however that in a city like Dublin, a street such as Talbot street should NOT be a place where this can happen. Talbot Street is slap bang in the middle of the city and has had (unfortunately) and is still gaining a reputation for years now.

Sorry to hear about the experience your mother had, it's awful and can be frightening, especially when your a tourist in a foreign city. Hope she recovers a bit.

Strangely enough, when I was last in Rome I thought the place was over-policed with cops on almost every corner at night but when I met some students from Singapore they told me that they felt afraid in the city at night because there weren't enough police!

The Minstrel

Gurramok - while I wouldn't go as far as to say that you are being disingenuous, I do think that your viewpoint is ludicrous. If you feel so threatened, then I suspect that you may be experiencing some sort of paranoid/anxiety episode.

I'm not the sort of person who has an underground bunker stocked up with tins of beans just in case World War III breaks out, neither do I wear a bullet proof vest as I go about my daily routine. As such, I do not share these wildly irrational views of yours.
--

To the original poster, it was a very unfortunate incident but an isolated one. These brain-damaged sluggish vermin are usually harmless enough. Always ignore them and never engage them in any way.

gurramok

The Minstrel wrote: »

Gurramok - while I wouldn't go as far as to say that you are being disingenuous, I do think that your viewpoint is ludicrous. If you feel so threatened, then I suspect that you may be experiencing some sort of paranoid/anxiety episode.

No, I do feel threatened when I do come across dodgy people hanging around. I know what they're like. I don't get the same threat from the majority of streets in Dublin.

What you just said above is contradictory to the below, you agree with me here!

The Minstrel wrote: »

To the original poster, it was a very unfortunate incident but an isolated one. These brain-damaged sluggish vermin are usually harmless enough. Always ignore them and never engage them in any way.

derra_121

Unfortunately as most posters have highlighted this happens in every big city in the world. It is unfortunate that it happened to your mother as she'll never forget that about Ireland however I walked that exact route twice a day for the last 5 years and I have never had 1 innocent. It is definatly not a no go area of the city for the Gardaí as I very often patrolling that area and also an awful lot of gardaí walking out of store street garda station.

Talk to a local TD for the area he might be able to address your questions

Hope it didnt put your mother off returning to ireland

latenia

TBH the guy mentioned in the OP sounds more like a random psychopath rather than your average junkie.

WindSock

latenia wrote: »

TBH the guy mentioned in the OP sounds more like a random psychopath rather than your average junkie.

True, junkies don't generally exhert themselves needlessly if there is no financial gain at the end of it.