I was in Dublin today for another interview. My knees are still aching from the cramped train – up and down in one day is not a good idea, over six hours without a chance to stretch your legs cannot be good. Now I know how Roy Keane must feel… I would retire myself, only I don’t actually have a job to retire from.
In Dublin, the petrol stations rob you – 128.9 for regular unleaded petrol. I got fleeced by a crafty beggar who caught me off guard by asking for “€4.50 to get home to Westmeath”. With all these thoughts of robbers going through my head I should have known better than to walk back from the interview. I do this all the time – in London, Dublin, America – whenever I’m in a strange city I just randomly choose a street which looks important enough that it might eventually lead to the train station, and ten minutes later I find myself alone in a suit outside a block of boarded up flats with a big ‘rob me’ sign over my head. After about 30mins wandering through some dodgy looking parts of Dublin today, I ended up in a place called ‘Cork Street’ and then I knew everything would be OK.
I’m very glad to see that there is going to be tougher legislation introduced regarding attacks on emergency services, following this attack on a fireman who was responding to a call. Attacks on the emergency services by young scumbags with stones/bottles/roadblocks are common all over the country, Cork included, and its one thing that makes me very angry. This is something that should not be tolerated even once, never mind allowed to continue for years. Just load the back of a firetruck full of Gardaí with tranquilizer guns, drive around The Glen/Ballybeg/Fairview/Moyross and set them loose as soon as the first stone hits the windscreen.
I hear stories about parts of Cork being ‘no-go’ areas to Gardaí… perhaps I’m being naive, but how bad can it be? Isn’t it just a load of kids who are chucking the stones and bottles at emergency services? If you are wondering – no, I have never been to any of these areas at night, and yes, I would be scared to bejesus (I was wary enough as it is in broad daylight today), but I’m not a policeman.
Speaking of Gardaí, I had to laugh at this Bebo movie of two of them being pushed into a river, via TCAL. Reminds me of when I was in Killarney last year before the Snow Patrol / Paddy Casey concert, I was there very early so the streets were totally empty but the Gardaí were patrolling anyway. One of them was walking down an empty closed-off street by himself trying to look dignified and authoritative, when a small dog ran out of one of the houses and attacked him – bit onto his uniform at the hip and wouldn’t let go… the guard was terrified, trying to shake him off and run away at the same time. Wish I had caught that on camera.
15 Comments
Filling my car cost more than €80 for the first time last week; only just, but still over that nasty waterline. I realise I’m bringing it on myself driving something with a big engine, it’s more the difference between now and when I bought it pisses me off.
Bollix, u told me, Hogan, Cotter and Carr u weren’t at the Snow Patrol concert..lies Mr Galvin
Hah, I wasn’t at the concert, but I was there just before it. My sister had forgot her tickets so I drove up with them and came straight back down while Paddy Casey was still practising Saints and Sinners.
Ha ha…Cork Street is up around Thomas/James St. Which are all very rough areas of the south inner city.
Hi , I own the Centra in Cork Street and would be very interested in how many nights you spent there to record these “nightly fights”
Perhaps you could reply.
John Mckenna
John, I was there for about 2 months. I didn’t record anything – I said there would have been great viewing for a webcam, but never would have gone to such lengths myself in reality! Never had a problem with the Centra itself – the staff always did a good job, and the security guard handled situations very well. Just that crossroads and the area outside Centra was a real hotspot – particularly bearing in mind that I was coming from a place where I would rarely see a squad car. Have you got any interesting stories of your own?
James, thank you for replying, yes I have many interesting stories,however anything that happens in Cork St happens in every city in Ireland. There is good and bad everywhere
The stuff that happens in Cork St. happens in every city, but I’ve never seen it anywhere near as commonplace or as concentrated as in this little area. After I left Cork St., I moved a few blocks away to Harold’s Cross, and everything was different. In Cork St., my car was broken into and stereo robbed from the “secure” underground parking lot. In Harold’s Cross, on a few occasions I even left my car unlocked for the weekend accidentally and had no trouble. And I kept a bicycle chained up in the back garden and never had to worry about it. Was never woken up by fights on the street, and generally felt safe overall. There is good and bad everywhere, but to varying degrees.
Well then perhaps you should get out more?Flats from hell what do you know about it. These people have been the subject of widespread discrimination all there lives.
Doesn’t give them the right to rob me Michael! What difference does it make what I know about it? I’m entitled to give my reaction, and in my opinion, that place is an absolute hole. I’m sorry that you take offence at this.
Yes it does thats what you don’t understand. There born bred robbers brought up in a hole (as you say). You say you moved to harolds cross and everything was different. Were do you think these people go out and rob, Donore ave no no Harolds cross,rathmines, places like this,. The safest place to park your car in south dublin is in st teresas gardens. Also it makes a big difference what you know about it. Poor people rob thats what they do. (happens all over the world)
Do you really believe that they have the right to rob me just because they’re from a disadvantaged area? And you really think your car is safe in St. Theresa’s Gardens? I can understand if you don’t like someone bashing an area that you might have some connection to, but you’re deluding yourself here.
Thats were my car is right now. But thats not what i’m saying! You called the place a hole (flats from hell). You deserve to be robbed by these people not some normal joe people like you who discrimnate those people. You should have seen this place 15 years ago. Its the kings court yard now. And i believe these people have the right to rob.
I call the PLACE a hole. I call the FLATS flats from hell. When did I ever discriminate against the people who live there? If you’ve got a chip on your shoulder then take it out on someone else. I know there are people who discriminate against the your local residents, but I’m not one of them so don’t assume that just because I think the place is a hole. I recently said that Saigon is a hole, didn’t have any Vietnamese people calling me a racist though. You’d want to double check your definition of discrimination. Then again I’m probably wasting my time here if I’m trying to explain this to someone who believes they have the right to rob.
I’m pretty sure those law things say that no-one has the “right to rob”. Is there a new one I’m not aware of?
adam
One Trackback/Pingback
[...] When I gave an account of my adventures in some dodgy parts of Dublin’s south inner city, I had no idea that I had been right outside my sister’s apartment. Today I started working in Dublin, and I am temporarily using her empty room overlooking Saint Theresa’s Gardens (flats from hell), a very dodgy vacant lot, and a centre-of-the-universe Centra. I have been hearing stories the past few months regarding the entertainment provided by this Centra at night, far better than anything the television can offer. I assumed the stories of drug dealing in the vacant lot, and nightly fights and arrests outside the Centra were exaggerated, but it seems this place is as crazy as promised. [...]
Post a Comment