Dublin’s night life has raised safety concerns

Stories about safety concerns on nights out in Dublin city are familiar – but just how bad is it really for young people to come into town these days?

“I really love going out with my girls and getting dressed up,” Ella Slattery (19), from Clonskeagh, told The Liberty. “But there has definitely been a few bad nights that have put me off going into town as much as I used to.

“There was one night, me and my friends were in a night club and I felt someone pulling my hair. I turned around and it was some man that I have never met before. I told him to stop, and he aggressively slapped me across the face.

“I went straight up to the bouncers and told them what he did. The bouncer told me that if I didn’t feel safe in the nightclub that I should just leave. I was honestly just still stunned at this point that this randomer had just assaulted me, so I left.”

Slattery says this was just one of many incidents in town that have made her and her friends feel unsafe and uncomfortable.

A survey of Dubliners carried out during the summer by Fianna Fáil highlighted visible crime and bad behaviour in the city.

The poll found that “more than 70% have witnessed drug-dealing in public with 65% personally have seen anti-social behaviour in the city centre.”

Adam Fanning (27), Stepaside, told The Liberty: “I haven’t had many traumatic nights out thankfully, but there was one time that me and my friend from work were going to get food after a night out and we were walking on Parnell Street and a group of about 12 or more lads who looked like they were about 16 years old came up to us and asked if we had a lighter.

“We told them that we didn’t and started walking away. They started shouting homophobic slurs and one of them throw a half full can of drink at us.”

Fanning says a Garda presence is needed. “More police around is the only thing that I could think of that would really have an effect on the safety aspect of the Dublin night-life scene.”

Since the brutal attack on an American tourist, Stephen Termini (53), in July 2023, safety concerns about Dublin’s nightlife have increased. Termini, a US-born artist and musician, was beaten by three boys aged 15, 16, and 17 on Talbot Street in Dublin’s north inner city.

“Termini suffered from five life threatening injuries to his right eye, a brain bleed, a head injury a skull fracture, traumatic brain injury and a fractured cheek,” according to thejournal.ie.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced millions of euro in extra funding for Garda overtime to police the city.