Dublin City Centre for Tourists

dd973

I think the real Dublin and Dubliner is to be found in the suburbs, whether it's Donaghmede or Clontarf, Finglas or Blackrock, An Lar is so busy and tourist/visitor heavy it barely feels like an Irish city.

Greentopia

daveorourke77 wrote: »

If you can tell me a city that doesnt have drugs and other social issues then I'd consider moving there. They may be handled better but they exist

Yes other cities have such social problems, the difference in Dublin is junkies, beggars and homelessness is so visible in the city centre and there is very little attempts by Gardai to deal with the problems it seems. There is also very stark and visible poverty there in many parts that is the root cause of so many of its problems.

I lived in two other wealthy cities in Europe and in both I very rarely saw junkies because...well they have fewer of them-especially heroin addicts, but the police would not allow them to gather in busy streets and places of business, panhandle and engage in open street fighting and other kinds of antisocial behaviour that you see in Dublin. But then they weren't foolish enough to locate methadone clinics in the city centre either.

The only time I saw homeless people in those cities were in parks where they would keep to themselves to stay away from police radar. Never sitting on the streets or sleeping in doorways asking for money.
Police would move them on or get them help if they did..

I saw alcoholics and people down on their luck in train stations, but they don't bother people. They keep to themselves. If they tried harassing people for money the German and Swedish cops would be very fast in moving them on.
Being armed tends to help with the respect they get and the fact they enforce laws there.
Big difference here is no respect for the Gardai, even if they did their jobs and patrolled the streets more and actually tried to tackle the problems head on.

I always have a sense of unease, anxiety and wariness in Dublin I never experience when I go back to those cities, which is why I stay away as much as possible. Some places along Dublin bay are a delight to visit-Howth, Killiney, Dalkey... but Dublin city centre is chaotic, choked with traffic, badly planned and managed, full of junkies and feral youths, and dirty. It's a shame and disgrace because it could be so much better.

Baron Kurtz

Always with the word Kip here.

Just looked it up.

IRISH
an unpleasant, dirty, or sordid place.
"he couldn't get a start in this kip of a city.

Always seems to be a Boards invective.

Ugly, jaded word, generally the reserve of angry straw-mouthed yoke.

wakka12

I like walking around Dublin, day and night, its an interesting and vibrant little city. There are lots of junkies and beggars who I steer clear of but they seem pretty harmless imo. Most of them just ask for change, and when you say no sorry they say thanks have a nice day. Is it so much hassle? Yeh they look rough and mangy but I dont feel very intimated by many of them at all, feel sorry for them more than anything else. And I feel comfortable walking around almost all of dublin city centre at nighttime

A much bigger problem imo is car dominance in the city. Private car travel absolutely needs to be banned from most of the central core area

whippet

whippet wrote: »

my brother has lived in Sweden for the last decade and last summer when he was home we went out for a few drinks in the city centre.

He was blown away with how nasty the city centre was - he grew up around the city centre and went to school in the city centre and while he said that nothing much has changed with regards to the type of junkie etc wandering around it was just more noticeable from someone coming from scandinavia.

While sweden isn't immune to homelessness and drug misuse it just isn't as visible or as intimidating as Dublin. I don't live in Dublin anymore and when I do visit I notice how commonplace it is to see drug abuse and general scumbaggary on every corner.

I'm not sure how first time tourists view it but it's a city that I tend to only go to when I really have to

The cold weather kills off a lot of the homeless up there.

Baron Kurtz

Equium wrote: »

I would imagine that most tourists to the city realise after a short time that O'Connell Street and its environs are, unfortunately, not places to spend much time. The south city centre core is actually a very pleasant place to walk, dine, drink and spend time, however. Indeed, I felt myself admiring Dublin and comparing it positively to other similarly-scaled European cities last weekend as I went for a Sunday stroll around town. It is an incredibly lively, cosmopolitan and varied city for its size.

Dawson Street, once a noisy traffic-filled corridor, looks fantastic since the LUAS replaced most vehicular traffic. There are countless outdoor cafés and bars, giving it a somewhat 'continental' feel. St Stephens Green north is similarly beautiful, as is the park itself. Baggot Street, Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square, Trinity College, Grand Canal Dock and Portobello are all very much welcoming and beautiful to visit. Grafton Street, Wicklow Street and Suffolk Street are also great areas to visit and experience. The latter is, again, much more enjoyable now that it has been temporarily closed to cars and busses. The Council really should make this arrangement permanent, and extend the pedestrian zone to cover South William Street, western Wicklow Street, St Andrew Street, Church Lane and Trinity Street. I believe that these areas would flourish in the absence of cars. This, coupled with the proposed conversion of St Andrew's Church into a food market, would help create a busy, vibrant warren of people-friendly streets. The pedestrianisation of College Green, if actually technically feasible, could then make this a truly enviable urban core.

Hopefully the redevelopment of Clery's and the proposed Dublin Central project adjacent to the Carlton Cinema on O'Connell Street can go some way towards lifting that part of the city as well. There is no escaping the fact that the entire area from Smithfield to Connolly Station is rather grim at present, both in terms of dilapidation and the presence of down-and-outs. The former is gradually improving, and will probably accelerate once the land in the docklands has been fully used up. Sadly the people problem is only getting worse. I do feel that stricter and more visible policing and more of that area in particular has to become a priority - there should be absolutely zero tolerance to junkies shooting up in any public place, or any other sort of anti-social behaviour. Potentially wonderful resources like the Liffey Boardwalk and Remembrance Garden have been essentially handed over to societal outcasts, unfortunately, and it will take a huge effort to reclaim these areas.

In general though, I would imagine that Dublin is a great place to visit for tourists. And, as I sometimes do, they feel like a break from the city, the quiet coastline or mountains are but a short trip away. Not many cities have such a beautiful natural backdrop.

A modern day Joycean appraisal of the city! Well tapped in there you are. Smithfield/Stoneybatter area becoming more gentrified or culturally/notionally maturing for want of better wording.

ILoveYourVibes

I've never really heard any tourist say anything good about Dublin.

Baron Kurtz

thenightman wrote: »

Yes, the tourists obviously hate the city and are too scared by a lad asking for a smoke or 50c for a hostel to leave their hotel rooms. That's why the tourist buses, pubs, restuaraunts and attractions like Guinness, Trinity, Jameson etc are struggling for business so badly and why Temple Bar is a ghost town. Get a grip for feck sake!


If I was given one wish to improve the city I wouldn't waste it on locking up some poor addict at massive cost to the taxpayer, I'd use it to ban and or at least heavily toll all private traffic in the city centre, taxis included. Street parking eliminated too. Traffic is so unpleasant and hostile to pedestrians & cyclists alike, and has such a negative impact on the ability of public transport to function. I'd allow those electric scooters the same rights as cyclists too.

Fair enough point, but I could only appropriate this sentiment in full-on camp-lisp voice. Jeremy from Peep Show sort of effort [Mahhhk].

Sorry.

Baron Kurtz

mickoneill31 wrote: »

I've a couple of Chilean students staying with me. They've been here 4 months. They've told me they've seen injecting, someone having their phone stolen (guy on a bike) and one of their classmates came in with a bruise for a box she got for speaking Spanish on a phone call. She was told to speak English.

So theyve a lovely impression of Dublin.
They do spend way more time wandering around the city between classes so they've probably got more opportunities to see this stuff than I would. I just commute in and out to work each day.

Do you say Chill-ay-an or Chill-e-an?

satguy

I live in Portlaoise, and get up to Dublin once a year, on average. Every year I see it getting worse, junkies and scum hound you for money.

Last time my wife wanted to see the the Liffey Boardrwalk, it was a sunny day, and all we saw was junkies and wasters asleep on the seats.

When we did find a place to sit, as soon as my wife took her phone out to take a pic I saw one dude nudge his buddy and his buddy sat down beside my wife. I knew, and just as well my wife knew, what would have happened if she tried to take a second pic.

It also seemed to me that O'Connell street was just all slot and poker machine saloons, with more wasters hanging around outside them.

And when I handed in a €20 note at the Temple Bar for 2 pints of Carlsberg and got only scrap for change, it just made me happy I don't live there anymore.

Greentopia

wakka12 wrote: »

And I feel comfortable walking around almost all of dublin city centre at nighttime

I sure as hell wouldn't feel safe walking around Dublin city centre after dark. Especially alone. Are you male or female? because as a lone female I definitely would be intimidated and feel unsafe to have guys who look like junkies approach me at any time but especially after dark. Heard too many stories of people being threatened with dirty syringes.

wakka12 wrote: »

A much bigger problem imo is car dominance in the city. Private car travel absolutely needs to be banned from most of the central core area

Think they're just both major problems that need attention, but I agree. Cars should be effectively banned.
And don't get me started on the terrible bicycle infrastructure and how unsafe it feels cycling there in comparison to other cities across Europe that have proper well maintained kerb stone segregated wide cycle lanes, and coordinated dedicated bicycle traffic lights that means once they're green you can cycle a green wave through most of the city non-stop. Never again will I take my life in my hands cycling in Dublin city centre. Still decades behind in providing adequate, safe cycling conditions.

Cycling in some rural areas with low volumes of traffic feels way more safe for me that Dublin, despite non-existent cycling infrastructure.

Stephen15

Southside of the city relatively ok Grafton Street, George's Street and the area in between all feel pleasant and have a very continental vibe that one might find in somewhere like Copenhagen. O'Connell Street and Henry Street areas are kips full of beggars, junkies and tacky looking shops with a special mention going to Talbot Street which woukd be up there as one of the most unattractive looking streets in a major city in all of Europe.

Lucy8080

satguy wrote: »

I live in Portlaoise, and get up to Dublin once a year, on average. Every year I see it getting worse, junkies and scum hound you for money.

Last time my wife wanted to see the the Liffey Boardrwalk, it was a sunny day, and all we saw was junkies and wasters asleep on the seats.

When we did find a place to sit, as soon as my wife took her phone out to take a pic I saw one dude nudge his buddy and his buddy sat down beside my wife. I knew, and just as well my wife knew, what would have happened if she tried to take a second pic.

It also seemed to me that O'Connell street was just all slot and poker machine saloons, with more wasters hanging around outside them.

And when I handed in a €20 note at the Temple Bar for 2 pints of Carlsberg and got only scrap for change, it just made me happy I don't live there anymore.

So, your missus likes the boardwalk area, sculling pints of Carlsberg and ye both jetted in from the sunny uplands of Portlaoise?

I can understand, that having covered everything Dublin has to offer (at considerable expense), how your disappointment must be crushing. If I was forced to travel the length and breadth of Dublin,from the ancient Boardwalk to the pre-historic Carlsberg dispensing Temple Bar -I, too, would know that Portlaoise was the place for me!

Leix abu!

Greentopia

Deleted User wrote: »

The cold weather kills off a lot of the homeless up there.

Nope. The Lutheran churches open their doors there for the city's homeless when the temperature hits below -7C. We eagerly await all RC churches following this example in Dublin. :rolleyes:

Plus homeless people once they're registered in Sweden have a "roof over your head" guarantee in winter so no-one has to freeze to deaths on the streets.

Btw Stockholm municipality with a population of roughly the same as the Dublin region has at most 4000 homeless (official figures around 2000), majority of which are non-EU citizens. Dublin- over 7000 adults and children in emergency accommodation.

So I know which city takes it's homeless problem more seriously and has more compassion for them.

angel eyes 2012

Darranj85 wrote: »

If you work in the city center you see it more to be honest. i did for 10+ years when i worked in numerous retail jobs and id see it every couple of weeks, the phone box that was beside Easons was always a good place to see it. Or early in the morning if you were opening up and hadnt to move them from the shop doorway they would often leave syringes etc

I've worked in town for over 15 years and the shooting up is usually done in smaller streets, alleyways etc and isn't on a mass scale. I know this as I regularly take the back streets when walking through town during the day to avoid the crowds. Of course, this is why supervised injection facilities should be in place. I never had trouble from the addicts in fact, a lot of the time I feel sympathy for them. Most of them have a tough life.

The only trouble I have ever witnessed was from people drinking too much alcohol and fighting on the streets. Admittedly that was from the late 90s onwards, I rarely go out in town now.

The title of this thread is "Dublin City for tourists", I would have considered that while tourism contributes important income for the economy, tourism certainly should not be the overriding concern or overall objective of the council or otherwise, the main priority should be the existing dwellers, their health, housing, opportunities for education etc.

In fact, it could be argued that the proliferation of hotels and march to mass tourism is pushing permanent residents out of town and leaving the more vulnerable behind without any traditional support structures in place resulting in increasing homelessness and drug use. Larger cities in Europe like Barcelona are starting to become so overcrowded with tourists the authorities in Barcelona are putting measures in place to limit the number of tourists allowed in.

The saddest thing about Dublin is the city could lose it's identity and become like everywhere else. It's a tricky balance to keep communities financially alive without destroying their inherent fabric.

Cina

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

I've never really heard any tourist say anything good about Dublin.

I don't know what tourists you speak to then because most I've spoken to love Dublin. Their only real complaint is the cost which is understandable. Dublin has an amazing night life you won't find in most other European cities and a lot of excellent places to go for food. it's easy to get around and has loads of tourist spots to visit.

It may not be a London or a Berlin but it's typical of Irish people to hate on our own country and glorify other places. Grass is always greener and all that.

I also don't get how people think it's so much worse for junkies and homeless than other cities. Outside of O Connell/Talbot St there's almost nothing. You'd swear none of you have been to other European capitals the way you go on. London, Paris, Barcelona, Budapest, Prague, Berlin.. I've seen much worse in some areas of those cities than I have in Dublin!

whisky_galore

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

The title of this thread is "Dublin City for tourists", I would have considered that while tourism contributes important income for the economy, tourism certainly should not be the overriding concern or overall objective of the council or otherwise, the main priority should be the existing dwellers, their health, housing, opportunities for education etc.

It's always "what will the tourists think?", rather like an Irish mammy fretting over the house being in a "state".

What about the people that have to live and work there and put up with all this shït long term? What about them? Tourists only have to endure Dublin for maybe a weekend or a week.

bear1

I suggest a trip to Rome, in particular the back of termini train station.
Go there and compare.

Cina

bear1 wrote: »

I suggest a trip to Rome, in particular the back of termini train station.
Go there and compare.

Yeah Rome, outside of the main tourist attractions, is absolutely filthy.

Beechwoodspark

daveorourke77 wrote: »

I'm 42. I'm a dub and I've lived in Dublin all my life.

I've never seen anyone shooting up in public.

If you can tell me a city that doesnt have drugs and other social issues then I'd consider moving there. They may be handled better but they exist

How come I never see this stuff?

I regularly see ppl shooting up

The last time was a lane way near the Four Courts around 10 am last week

Don’t know why u don’t see it? You Possibly not in the environs of the quays and north inner city? It’s a regular sight there.

Also as I mentioned on another thread recently open drug dealing is carried out daily.

The last time was I was waiting for a bus on Aston Quay and a junkie joe type and his moll were selling drugs to other junkies openly.

Not a guard in sight of course.

patmahe

Luckily I rarely have to travel to Dublin, but when I do (especially in the past few years) I am shocked at the amount of open drug use and homelessness, it saddens me to think that our government whose centre of operations is only up the road seem to be ok with allowing this to continue. We obviously have a wide scale drug problem which fuels criminal gangs and contributes significantly to the problems of homelessness and other societal problems and yet very little is being done to tackle it (I'm aware the Gardaí are doing what they can but it seems to be having little impact, but the judiciary and lawmakers aren't helping the situation)

I have been to many other European, US and Australian cities and I have never seen one where the problem seems to be so out of control as in Dublin, it just feels like we don't have a strategy to help people in these situations and that no-one cares enough to implement one.

I think tourists visiting here would be equally shocked, yes these problems exist elsewhere in the world, but they just seem to be better managed, controlled and policed, here it seems to be head in the sand and hope it goes away.

Fan of Netflix

It's a dirty ****hole. It's filled with drug addicts, aggressive beggars, tourists, foreigners and general scumbags. It has very poor political representation and voter turnout. Probably part of the reason the Gardai are nowhere to be seen. It also has no community feel, just a free for all. And despite all that an obscenely expensive place.

Ballso

These threads always make me chuckle. We get six million tourists a year and rising despite these nonsense threads. Dublin is not dangerous and I don't see any junkies around day to day. People have a sad fixation with this sort of thing and are afraid of their own shadows. This has to be a result of the way this generation was raised tbh, it's pathetic.

corner of hells

Fan of Netflix wrote: »

It's a dirty ****hole. It's filled with drug addicts, aggressive beggars, tourists, foreigners and general scumbags. It has very poor political representation and voter turnout. Probably part of the reason the Gardai are nowhere to be seen. It also has no community feel, just a free for all. And despite all that an obscenely expensive place.

Erm , are you saying the tourists and foreigners are a problem?

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

I think O’Connell Street needs to be better lit. I’m always struck by how dark it is at night, especially the Spire to Gate Theatre section.

Fan of Netflix

corner of hells wrote: »

Erm , are you saying the tourists and foreigners are a problem?

It is what it is, there are far more tourists and foreign nationals than Irish people there. It wouldn't bother me visiting but if you were living there, there is no sense of community. Very transient. Very low level of home ownership also. Tourists landing into Airbnb for the weekend going on benders not giving a toss about neighbours or anyone else.

Rufeo

super_furry wrote: »

Stay on the southside, be grand.

Mega Lol, this.

Rufeo

Ballso wrote: »

These threads always make me chuckle. We get six million tourists a year and rising despite these nonsense threads. Dublin is not dangerous and I don't see any junkies around day to day. People have a sad fixation with this sort of thing and are afraid of their own shadows. This has to be a result of the way this generation was raised tbh, it's pathetic.

I'm not from Dublin myself and while I would agree the city is not especially dangerous, I still would be careful not to be hanging around.... it's just too easy to run into absolute pricks in this city.

The other day I was in McDonald's on Grafton street of all places and there was a guy hassling me for change for the bus, he even followed me out of the shop and up the street. I have him a few euro just to get rid of him, but that's the sort of experience that makes me detest this city, even though I try not to.

Fan of Netflix

Rufeo wrote: »

I'm not from Dublin myself and while I would agree the city is not especially dangerous, I still would be careful not to be hanging around.... it's just too easy to run into absolute pricks in this city.

The other day I was in McDonald's on Grafton street of all places and there was a guy hassling me for change for the bus, he even followed me out of the shop and up the street. I have him a few euro just to get rid of him, but that's the sort of experience that makes me detest this city, even though I try not to.

Give them no money next time, that only encourages their behaviour. I too have given money in the past when they caught me off guard. Never again.

Many illegal beggars are Roma Gypsies involved in organised crime gangs that go home to a nice gaf at night send money back to their bosses in Bulgaria and Romania. In fairness there are many of these outside Dublin too, they are pretty well organised in Maynooth and many other towns.

Wheety

Severe lack of Garda patrolling the streets. Don't see many on bicycles anymore either.

Merchant's Quay seems to be an unpoliced area unless something happens. Openly dealing and taking drugs from the Civic Offices down to the Merchants Quay Ireland place.

But I work in D2 and it's generally nice and trouble free. Worked in D1 before that and the same can't be said.

A better/visible Garda presence would make a huge difference in my opinion.