UK, Ireland /
Should I worry going to Ireland as a Pole? [37]
Dublin's always been kind of dangerous IINM.
You do have to exercise caution there. Even thirty years ago, I wouldn't walk down the main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, after ten o'clock at night. You would in a group, but not on your own. On the other hand I'd have no problem even now, walking down Grafton Street at eleven o'clock at night. Obviously it helps to know the city well. The city centre is generally quite safe during the day but at night you have to be very careful and even during the day there are streets you should avoid. Unfortunately tourists often forget when they're on holiday to take the kind of precautions they would at home. I once saw an elderly American man standing in the middle of the street with his wallet open, sorting through it. He was standing outside the Pro-Cathedral in Marlborough Street. The funny thing is he probably feels 'safe' because he's outside a church, the Department of Education offices are directly across from it and there's a priests' outfitters right next door. The buildings are old and gracious and the street looks pleasant but it's the north inner city which has a host of social problems. I went up to him and told him 'it's not wise to open your wallet in the middle of the street anywhere in the city centre but especially round here, this neigbourhood is not the safest' .
It has become very dangerous place to go with foreigners being attacked.
Ireland as a whole is very safe, much safer than the USA. Dublin has unique problems resulting from a huge underclass of teenage scumbags and a very weak response to them by the courts.
