The State of O'Connell St

Jhcx

Brinimartini wrote: »

Ya have to say where these doughnuts can be bought

Right HERE! You will have to Street view it :pac:

See im just a good boardsie :P

MadsL

Decent thread about OCS, ruined by crap about doughnuts. Any chance we could get back to the topic?

Worst thing about OCS is the tacky fabric banners and crap hanging from the likes of the Luggage shop, Londis, that Pizzeria and the amount of junk on the pavement (lotto, postcards, giant icecreams etc). Makes it look like Bray seafront.

John Mason

MadsL wrote: »

Decent thread about OCS, ruined by crap about doughnuts. Any chance we could get back to the topic?

Worst thing about OCS is the tacky fabric banners and crap hanging from the likes of the Luggage shop, Londis, that Pizzeria and the amount of junk on the pavement (lotto, postcards, giant icecreams etc). Makes it look like Bray seafront.

Not really sure what Ocean Colour Scene has to do with O'Connell Street

- Oh wait - i see what you done there :pac:

Ernest

2cool4school wrote: »

the street is just getting out of control now
i was down there yesterday and there was human sh*te on the wall and footpath outside the aib at the parnell street end
not wanting to be too graphic but the stuff was fresh and defo human - it looked like someone just leaned up against the wall, dropped their jocks and let loose
but the thing is it was about 3pm when i passed and the scutter obviously hadnt been there long (sorry i know thats disgusting but its true) the stink off it
so some junkie had literally taken a sh*t openly on our main thoroughfare in broad daylight
what if a kid fell in it or something?
how are we supposed to deal with this kind of sub human scum?
like is this a problem that can actually be solved without resorting to euthanasia?

Disgusting all right but most cities would have things called PUBLIC TOILETS. Not Dublin, though - the morons in Dublin City Council closed them all down! Given that, you cannot really blame people who have to use the street as a toilet.

Beefy78

Ernest wrote: »

Disgusting all right but most cities would have things called PUBLIC TOILETS. Not Dublin, though - the morons in Dublin City Council closed them all down! Given that, you cannot really blame people who have to use the street as a toilet.

Errrrrr yes you can.

2cool4school

Ernest wrote: »

Disgusting all right but most cities would have things called PUBLIC TOILETS. Not Dublin, though - the morons in Dublin City Council closed them all down!

i agree public toilets would be useful, but in dublin there would need to be a full-time attendant assigned to them

otherwise theyd be in a jock within a week

Ernest wrote: »

Given that, you cannot really blame people who have to use the street as a toilet.

i cant back this im afraid

youd have to be an absolute animal to openly take a crap on o'connell street on a saturday afternoon (or on any street at anytime)

whoever did it was sub human scum

how does a human being get to the stage where they find themselves doing that and think its grand?

CucaFace

Ernest wrote: »

Disgusting all right but most cities would have things called PUBLIC TOILETS. Not Dublin, though - the morons in Dublin City Council closed them all down! Given that, you cannot really blame people who have to use the street as a toilet.

If they had them they would just be over run with junkies going in and shooting up.

They would be no go area's in days.

Was walking on O'Connell street again yesterday.

Same as usual, loads of junkies openly dealing and not a Guard in sight.

It's such an embarressment to this country, and I can't believe it doesn't get more exposure in the national press.

RMD

Ernest wrote: »

Disgusting all right but most cities would have things called PUBLIC TOILETS. Not Dublin, though - the morons in Dublin City Council closed them all down! Given that, you cannot really blame people who have to use the street as a toilet.

Yes you can.

1) There's numerous lanes and quiet side streets off O'Connell street
2) The security in McDonalds / Burger King rarely stop anyone, go up the stairs and there's a toilet 30 seconds from the front door.

Dropping your jocks in the middle of the street and taking a shíte shows little care for others seeing it.

Piliger

I was in OCS today and have spent a lot of time there in the last three weeks for business reasons.

The number of alcos and drug heads hanging around in groups is pretty shocking. I can't believe nothing is being done about it. Today I counted a total of about 21 in about five groups, in one time period of about half an hour.

I think we need two permanent Garda Kiosks on OCS. One near the top and one south of the spire, each with three Garda assigned to OCS alone.

OCS is the key street in our city and we need to make it better.

bowsandarrows

Yesterday (Sunday), I was on O'Connell St, and like a lot of people I know that work around there I just try to keep my head down and take no notice. Maybe it was the niceish weather yesterday evening, but I honestly saw about 25-30 junkies/drug heads around too.

They're easy to count because they're in groups, and I easily saw about five groups with 5/6 people in them. The scariest part is just how uninhibited they are. Running back and forward, shouting at each other, intimidating people. They know full well they're 100% immune to even being interrupted, let alone arrested, at this stage.

I've also noticed groups sitting in a McDonalds on OCS conducting business.

Ernest

Piliger wrote: »

I was in OCS today and have spent a lot of time there in the last three weeks for business reasons.

The number of alcos and drug heads hanging around in groups is pretty shocking. I can't believe nothing is being done about it. Today I counted a total of about 21 in about five groups, in one time period of about half an hour.

I think we need two permanent Garda Kiosks on OCS. One near the top and one south of the spire, each with three Garda assigned to OCS alone.

OCS is the key street in our city and we need to make it better.

Was there not an actual Garda Station IN O'Connell Street at the top near where that hotel used to be (Royal Dublin Hotel?) ?
Did they close that down or is it still there? Not that the existence of a Garda Station ever seems to make much difference. The Gardai need to be out on the street on foot and visible
There IS a need for a permanent Garda presence in O'Connell Street and also in North Earl Street and Henry/Mary Street and on the Quays near O'Connel Bridge.

Jhcx

Ernest wrote: »

Was there not an actual Garda Station IN O'Connell Street at the top near where that hotel used to be (Royal Dublin Hotel?) ?
Did they close that down or is it still there? Not that the existence of a Garda Station ever seems to make much difference. The Gardai need to be out on the street on foot and visible
There IS a need for a permanent Garda presence in O'Connell Street and also in North Earl Street and Henry/Mary Street and on the Quays near O'Connel Bridge.

Tis still there ive seen the door open a couple of times. There is always one, ONE outside the GPO always not a day goes by and i dont see him/her just twiddling their thumbs. Was it Thursday last the Guards were out on force. had ppl pulled over on OCS twice i saw. they were going around in groups of 4/5

nudger

Ernest wrote: »

Was there not an actual Garda Station IN O'Connell Street at the top near where that hotel used to be (Royal Dublin Hotel?) ?
Did they close that down or is it still there? Not that the existence of a Garda Station ever seems to make much difference. The Gardai need to be out on the street on foot and visible
There IS a need for a permanent Garda presence in O'Connell Street and also in North Earl Street and Henry/Mary Street and on the Quays near O'Connel Bridge.

Parking fines office.

Ernest

nudger wrote: »

Parking fines office.

Eh?????

Chazz Michael Michaels

And the street is just hideous. Is that needle in the middle meant to be a tounge in cheek reference to the city's heroin problem? It's just ugly.

mattjack

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

I avoid that street, at all costs. Thankfully I live across the river, so avoidance is easy.

Well la de dah..... aren't you the posh one , does your manservant travel across town for you ?

Chazz Michael Michaels

mattjack wrote: »

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

I avoid that street, at all costs. Thankfully I live across the river, so avoidance is easy.

Well la de dah..... aren't you the posh one , does your manservant travel across town for you ?

No, not posh. That chip on your shoulder assumes I was born in South Dublin... I wasn't.

nudger

Ernest wrote: »

Eh?????

When you got a parking ticket you paid the fine in that office next door to Ned Kelly's.
It was not a proper Garda station.

wattlendaub

Instead of whinging about how desperately unlivable the place is on boards, why don't you guys band together and raise awareness/petition those who can make a change to do so?

Just sayin'.

frag420

I agree with a lot of the sentiment here regarding O'Connel street.

On sunday morning I was waiting on the 11 near the corner of Abbey St. I watched as two male junkies swapped there fake teeth and talked about how they can get them for free and how best to scam the health service. All the while one of their babies was sat in the pram in from of them breathing in the weed smoke. This was right beside the newspaper kiosk.

I saw a couple of skangers walking up and down the street intimidation passers by, tourists, kids etc asking them "are you looking to buy?" The girl was gaunt and half dead, her tracksuit wearing scumbag partner looked vicious.

To top it all of I saw three mambers of our finest gards walk past that corner and not do anything. Just ignored the problem. This part of Dublin has a great history and is a haven for tourists. It is one of the main pick ups/drop offs for the Dublin tour buses. And what do the tourists get to see? F*cking scumbags making the countries main street a slum.

I spoke with a friend who is a gard. They said that there is nothing they can do. They arrest them and they are back out in a few hrs. Their hands are tied. I used to frequent a few establishments on the north side but I dont bpther anymore especially at night time as there is an air of aggressivness esp around OCS. This needs to be addressed and sorted...............................

Chazz Michael Michaels

wattlendaub wrote: »

Instead of whinging about how desperately unlivable the place is on boards, why don't you guys band together and raise awareness/petition those who can make a change to do so?

Just sayin'.

My solution is to work these people to death, crackin' rocks. Don't think it will take off...

paddyandy

The City Centre feels somehow like a Creche with all the childish behaviour around .

syklops

gurramok wrote: »

Move the drug clinics to Grafton st to deal with the 'people' problem and get a council that actually cares about the architecture of O'Connell st.

Move the drug clinics to Grafton Street??? Then it will become the new O'Connel Street with junkies everywhere, and the Gardai taking a stand back to let the various store security guards to do the lions share. Grafton STreet is quite nice. Please leave it alone.

Why do the drug clinics have to be in the city centre in the first place?

CucaFace

wattlendaub wrote: »

Instead of whinging about how desperately unlivable the place is on boards, why don't you guys band together and raise awareness/petition those who can make a change to do so?

Just sayin'.

In fairness this problem really shouldn't need highlighting.

Its so obvious to see any time you walk down the street (The main street of this country).

It should really be an easy under cover Primetime TV Special though.

A few hidden camera's would catch what is going on every day in a few minutes.

You could just stand near where Talbot Street and OCS join and record tourists getting off the airport bus, then pan 180 degree's from the same spot to where there will be probably a few gangs of junkie's openly dealing.

Has this issue ever been brought up by such a TV programme in the past?

Because it would probably be the only way to embarress the Govt into doing something about it.

Mr Simpson

nudger wrote: »

When you got a parking ticket you paid the fine in that office next door to Ned Kelly's.
It was not a proper Garda station.

It's still there, its a sub-station of store street. One garda on the front desk, and a few in the back room monitoring CCTV.

We need to introduce full CCTV in that area, and barring orders for people involved in anti-social behaviour (24hr ban), in addition to a high visibility Garda presence.

Rhand

I've been living for 6 months in Dublin now, and I walk twice every day through Talbot Street and then south on O'Connoll Street to Westmoreland (once in the morning going to work, between 6AM and 7AM, and once in the evening going home, between 5PM and 7PM) and I have never had any problems. Never. Maybe a handful of times a dirty junkie came up to me to ask some change, but they do seem to understand a firm 'no'.
Don't really see many junks/drunkards, except in front of the Dunnes Alcohol shop on the corner of Talbot and OC.
More annoying are the Amnesty International buggers who keep pestering me everyday if I have a minute of time for them.

Oh, and I always go out in the weekend, practically always south of the river and I always go on foot. Never had any problems in the evening or late at night.
I have to admit I don't go north of the Spire often though. Maybe once a week to Murrays/Living Room.

About time this thread had a more neutral point of view!

frag420

stand on the corner of abbey street(near the luas stop) and o connell street for a half hour this saturday or any day for that matter.

bowsandarrows

Rhand, I've never had a direct physical "problem" myself on O'Connell St, maybe nobody on this thread has but I don't think it's fair to say it's grand just because we haven't been punched or stabbed yet. It's been years since I've been even asked for change on O'Connell St.

Dublin's main thoroughfare is overrun by junkies and open drug dealings. It's continuously getting worse. They are the facts. That's a huge problem.

MadsL

We need to introduce full CCTV in that area, and barring orders for people involved in anti-social behaviour (24hr ban), in addition to a high visibility Garda presence.

yeah, ask the UK how that is working for them. Thousands and thousands of cameras, negligible impact on crime rate.

CCTV doesn't work.

ordinary_girl

Rhand wrote: »

Don't really see many junks/drunkards, except in front of the Dunnes Alcohol shop on the corner of Talbot and OC.
More annoying are the Amnesty International buggers who keep pestering me everyday if I have a minute of time for them.

Believe me, if you had to work in the Talbot Street area of town you definitely wouldn't find the chuggers more annoying. It's the security guards I feel bad for, a lot of the time I see them chasing junkies out of shops and, in one instance, one was attacked. The guards seem happy enough to leave it up to the individual security guards in those shops to do the guards work, if I'm not mistaken part of the guards work is to prevent crime from occurring which they seem incapable of doing.

And about the toilet issues, there are toilets in shops on or near O'Connell Street. Easons has toilets, Supermacs and McDonald's have toilets, and if you walk up Henry Street Dunnes and Jervis also have toilets. There's no excuse for people using O'Connell Street as a toilet.