Dublin: perception turning negative due to gangland crime?

12Phase

I just had a bit of a surprising reaction this morning when I suggested hosting a meeting in Dublin.

Four people from outside Ireland sent emails asking whether particular areas were safe and should they go into the city centre on their own etc

One cited having googled the city and finding out a lot of things about shootings and wondered if there were related to Ireland 'on going terrorism problem'

I know we've a few issues here and there but if that kind of perception of Dublin grows due to lack of control of this gangland and petty crime situation, it's going to so the city economic damage.

We might consider these things a gross over reaction but I think we are starting to normalise an unacceptable level of crime and street violence when it's anything but normal. We're just used to looking at it.

Anyone had similar reactions?

schemingbohemia

Have you googled the countries/cities of the people who are worried? Tell them to do that and see what pops up.

Hanley

I'd be more worried about the level of intelligence of the people you're hosting than the danger of Dublin.

cgcsb

I've met British people who wouldn't travel to Ireland because they were worried about 'the troubles', this was in 2014. It's hardly surprising that the attitude exists because the British media conspired to present the troubles in NI as being prevalent across the Island of Ireland and being strictly an internal sectarian conflict, i.e. nothing got to do with British State whatsoever. Also remember that the British media 30 years ago was pretty dominant across the world and still holds some sway.

You would think that in 2016, with the sum of human knowledge available at our finger tips, that people would educate themselves, alas there is no accounting for willful ignorance.

In other news a man attempted to cut another man's head off in a random attack in London last night, but still people travel to London. Homicide and attempted homicide in Dublin is almost exclusively confined to drug dealers shooting each other so unless your associates are coming to Dublin to carve up some heroine territory for themselves, they're probably safer here than they would be in any other European capital right now.

12Phase

I'm not saying it's factual, they googled around and came up with threads about Irish people ranting about junkies and gangland murders basically.

schemingbohemia

12Phase wrote: »

I'm not saying it's factual, they googled around and came up with threads about Irish people ranting about junkies and gangland murders basically.

So you decided to add to those threads?

seamus

Were they expressing concern at hosting the meeting in Dublin generally, or were they looking at accommodation and asking you for tips about safe places to stay or go?

Because the latter is just good sense.

12Phase

seamus wrote: »

Were they expressing concern at hosting the meeting in Dublin generally, or were they looking at accommodation and asking you for tips about safe places to stay or go?

Because the latter is just good sense.

Seems a bit of both.

I might just move it to Brussels, much safer ...

Ste-

12Phase wrote: »

Seems a bit of both.

I might just move it to Brussels, much safer ...

Maybe Not...

If they're that worried about crime in cities maybe a webinar might be your best option!

12Phase

Ste- wrote: »

Maybe Not...

If they're that worried about crime in cities maybe a webinar might be your best option!

They might get attacked by hackers

Jack Killian

12Phase wrote: »

I just had a bit of a surprising reaction this morning when I suggested hosting a meeting in Dublin.

Four people from outside Ireland sent emails asking whether particular areas were safe and should they go into the city centre on their own etc

One cited having googled the city and finding out a lot of things about shootings and wondered if there were related to Ireland 'on going terrorism problem'

I know we've a few issues here and there but if that kind of perception of Dublin grows due to lack of control of this gangland and petty crime situation, it's going to so the city economic damage.

We might consider these things a gross over reaction but I think we are starting to normalise an unacceptable level of crime and street violence when it's anything but normal. We're just used to looking at it.

Anyone had similar reactions?

As someone from Limerick that seems fairly karma-laden; plenty of Dublin media's reaction to my city was exactly what you're talking about, blowing isolated, localised (and incestual, criminal gang wise) stuff completely out of proportion and making it seem like normal people doing their everyday business should be scared and that tourists and visitors should avoid it.

It rubbed off, with some ridiculous reactions, including someone from South Arnagh once asking us on holidays how bad it was and using that jaded old colloquialism that I wouldn't even repeat. He was from South feckin' Armagh FFS!

It's not nice and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

odyssey06

I think what people are perceiving is something real.

Drug dealers murdering drug dealers is not international news. But it's supposed to be done in backrooms, or dark alleys.
It's not supposed to be done at a high profile media event at a public location.
It's not supposed to involve assassination of someone just because of their surname, in broad daylight and in a visible location.

When bodies turn up in unmarked graves in a field after someone was 'disappeared' weeks ago, that doesn't affect international perceptions of Dublin.

This sort of stuff does - because really, it says that organized criminal gangs are acting brazenly without fear of law enforcement.
Now maybe their brazenness will be their undoing in the long run and they are leaving a trail of evidence, but certainly in the here and now, they are not acting 'normally'.

It's the same behaviour we see from zombie junkies around O'Connell street and the Liffey boardwalk. All jurisdictions have these kind of zombies but they at least act like they are worried about the police. Ours don't.
Probably muggings are worse in Barcelona, but this sort of stuff is more fundamental.