Fair play on that. I also ran fundraisers for that very same cause, the Special Olympics, and was in Croke Park on that memorable occasion !! We are not too far apart in our opinions at all and i agree that something different now needs to be tried with the problems set out in this thread. Regards !!
I live within two miles of Dublin City centre in Drumcondra and a finer place you'll not find in Dublin. I work in the city and travel daily to/from all my interactions are with Dublin folk. Dublin has changed over the years, I like the IFSC area on the North quays I think the area looks terrific. I hate Capel Street/Mary Street/Parnell street area as it is not a pleasant area. O'Connell Street is a bit of a shambles and at night especially after midnight like most of the city is not a place to stand around waiting - just keep moving. I have not seen any violence it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. About a year ago my son phoned me one saturday at 5.00 pm near the Daniel O'Connell pub and the line went dead. I got a phone call from an upset country girl who said she was in an ambulance with my son going to the Mater. He had a hairline fracture, thirty six stiches and was unconscious for three days. He was assualted from behind hit with a bottle, his pockets rifled, everything taken. What was utterly scary about it was when the police showed us the CCTV camera's outside the pub was about 40 smokers all laughing and clearly watching what was happening not 20 feet from them. An Offaly couple, two students chased the guy away and helped my son, the girl was even screaming at the men outside the pub for doing nothing. The cops just shrugged and had that look of despair on their faces. Of course my son is fine. But in Dublin there are a lot of sons and daughters like him. Now I have never witnessed anything, most people haven't, but what is scary is the sheer casual random nature of the violence. But the biggest criminals are in City Hall they allowed this sprawling shambles to randomly develop with no planning, no regulation, no oversight. The biggest property speculator was the City Council itself now nearly broke. Still with very little an awful lot could be done but there has to be a will and I don't see it in this country anywhere at the moment.
What was utterly scary about it was when the police showed us the CCTV camera's outside the pub was about 40 smokers all laughing
Shocking, and I have heard similar stories. What happens when good people do nothing?, society as a whole is gone down the pipe. Our founding fathers must be spinning in their graves.
I've lived in Dublin for 11 years and its very regular to see junkies and drunks in the city centre especially around Abbey Street/O'Connell Street/The Quays and the smaller streets that link them. You get used to it, seeing the same faces almost everyday. They always seem to be in some sort of distress shouting, screaming at eachother. Its not as bad as it was say 3-4yrs ago, I think the Gardai have clamped down on alot of the dodgy dealings taking place especially round Bachelors Walk but nonetheless more needs to be done. One of the worst areas IMO is Marlborough Street/Sackville Place.
1065718 What was utterly scary about it was when the police showed us the CCTV camera's outside the pub was about 40 smokers all laughing
Shocking, and I have heard similar stories. What happens when good people do nothing?, society as a whole is gone down the pipe. Our founding fathers must be spinning in their graves.
Who had you in mind as our founding Fathers, and what would have them spinning?