Grand Canal Dock & Summer

Mr Whirly

gurramok wrote: »

I'm shocked at the reports here. I used to live down that way and the last summer i experienced was in 2011 and there was hardly any trouble as described. Certainly not the numbers involved, it was usually about 20 kids max with no air of hostility about.

Don't be shocked. Nothing has changed.

Laneyh

IQO wrote: »

Not sure if this is anywhere related to this discussion, but I work in the area and during lunchtime today there was a helicopter hovering around the Grand Canal for about 15 minutes. Didn't see any Gardai around but there was quite a presence of youngsters described earlier, this time pushing eachother into the water.

They seemed to like moving around, and everytime they hit another spot the office crowd enjoying lunch was quickly gone when their new companions joined them. Quick capture of the helicopter (I had the feeling it was much closer to the water than the picture suggests)



More of the "joyful" lunchtime atmosphere around Grand Canal Dock was posted on Twitter today:

https://twitter.com/bdeithrick/status/354611607696973827/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Gracious_Dools/status/354675810742984704
https://twitter.com/HuffPostUKPics/status/354599349910642689

Clicked on the links expecting to see some anti-social behaviour but didn't
I can understand people's annoyance and even disgust at some of what has been described here but I don't see anything bad in those twitter photos.
The Grace Dools one is just being snobbish really - has she or you ever taken a walk past the Wesley disco of an evening?

Laneyh

This is a good example of where community policing could work but of course that has been cut back
If anyone has actually joined the Garda reserve they would be extremely helpful on public transport and just patrolling the area

I really wish the Gardai would utilise the resources available to them intelligently - not much point having a helicopter overhead if they don't have staff on the ground to address the particular issue.

I thought those segways were a stupid idea for the city centre but would be perfect for patrolling Grand Canal Dock.

I work down there and haven't witnessed anything bad bar the amount of litter generated

The volume of kids is probably higher than before because there are people travelling in from elsewhere

Facebook, Google & Twitter are all based near there if they wanted to do something good in the community they could organise a clean up or even run a competition. Most of the people there probably arranged to meet up via social media anyway.

I would say the vast majority of kids there just want to enjoy the sun and the water - broadcasting music is a bit annoying and yes they can be loud but that's almost all teenagers. People are complaining about the Spanish and other foreign language students on public transport and around too - funny nobody mentions calling the police on them though

Duckjob

Mr Whirly wrote: »

I have been down there lots. No one has shouted in my face or hassled me in any way. Or anyone else I know for that matter.

Those kids live there. The place was grand before Ely and the Marker opened up. I have seen zero trouble in fact. If you think kids having the craic like they always have done in the area is a bad thing it might be time to hit the suburbs.

Calling them scum and filth says more about you than them.

Picking up somebody you don't know and throwing them into deep water isn't "having the craic". It's a scummy act.

All it takes is somebody who can't swim and they could be responsible for somebody's death.

Laneyh

ror_74 wrote: »

Problem is the Guards cant do much unless there are some laws been broken. And the laws are very lax with stuff like this. If they cant do anything about junkies in the city centre - inspite of pressure from local business interests - they cant do much about rambunctious kids.

I was down there recently and I saw a tourist with a DSLR taking photos of those kids jumping in the water all afternoon. I guess for him it was a unique part of Dublin's culture. For residents they are a pain the ass. For the Guards they are a waste of manpower. For the courts its about protecting their rights. Writing to local Multinationals will probably be a waste of time - they would rather side with the guy taking the photos.

The fact that the tourist felt safe to stay there taking photos of minors would imply that most of the kids are not the terrorists they're being made out to be on here.

Certainly anywhere with crowds of people, particularly teenagers needs to be monitored but really they could be doing a lot worse than going for a swim.

The multinationals couldn't give a toss unless the kids damage their property
I don't see them sponsoring any youth groups in the area or engaging with the community at all for that matter.

Ole Rodrigo

Laneyh wrote: »

The fact that the tourist felt safe to stay there taking photos of minors would imply that most of the kids are not the terrorists they're being made out to be on here.

Certainly anywhere with crowds of people, particularly teenagers needs to be monitored but really they could be doing a lot worse than going for a swim.

The multinationals couldn't give a toss unless the kids damage their property
I don't see them sponsoring any youth groups in the area or engaging with the community at all for that matter.

Exactly, at worst its just annoying. But dont let them see they're annoying you, it'll make them worse :pac:

Turfcutter

People are such cowardly sheep when dealing with anti-social skangers.

I used to live in Smithfield and there was a constant flow of feral teenagers causing mayhem on the walkways around the apartment blocks. People would look out their apartment balconies in fear whenever it was kicking off down below.

I was a few floors up and always kept a bucket full of water on my balcony. Whenever a gang of them were coming through kicking windows and roaring their heads off, I would empty it on top of them. By the time it hit them, I had already ducked back in out of sight and sitting back ready to enjoy the screams.
Over time they came to be less of a problem, or maybe they decided to go somewhere else.

If anyone has an opportunity to do something similar in Grand Canal Dock, don't hesitate to do so. You have the all the advantages. Yuo can get them far easier than they can get you.
Get an airgun and use their stereos as target practice, if you really want to do the dog on it.
The alternative is to have a new generation coming through, knowing they can act with impunity, while the gardai look the other way and the rest of us cower.

Tails142

Just to reiterate the point that these are not local kids from Ringsend/Pearse Street - they are coming in from all over Dublin from Sheriff St, Drimnagh, rest of Dublin 8 etc.

People can say its just kids being kids, but its not. It's far more serious, like what goes on in Portmarnock and Howth which makes the national news. What will happen is that businesses will close and the place will end up a ghost town, becoming a no-go area.

Mr Whirly

Turfcutter wrote: »

People are such cowardly sheep when dealing with anti-social skangers.

Turfcutter wrote: »

by the time it hit them, I had already ducked back in out of sight

Real brave.

Judgement Day

Turfcutter wrote: »

People are such cowardly sheep when dealing with anti-social skangers.

I used to live in Smithfield and there was a constant flow of feral teenagers causing mayhem on the walkways around the apartment blocks. People would look out their apartment balconies in fear whenever it was kicking off down below.

I was a few floors up and always kept a bucket full of water on my balcony. Whenever a gang of them were coming through kicking windows and roaring their heads off, I would empty it on top of them. By the time it hit them, I had already ducked back in out of sight and sitting back ready to enjoy the screams.
Over time they came to be less of a problem, or maybe they decided to go somewhere else.

If anyone has an opportunity to do something similar in Grand Canal Dock, don't hesitate to do so. You have the all the advantages. Yuo can get them far easier than they can get you.
Get an airgun and use their stereos as target practice, if you really want to do the dog on it.
The alternative is to have a new generation coming through, knowing they can act with impunity, while the gardai look the other way and the rest of us cower.

Sounds like you're just looking for trouble and advocating the illegal use of an airgun in an urban area..........:eek:

Turfcutter

Mr Whirly wrote: »

Real brave.

Ha ha. Dry your eyes.
It's taking the clever option as opposed to the stupid option.

Judgement Day

Funnily enough I caught a bit about this on the Mooney show (?) yesterday - mainly about kids jumping off the 'Box in the Docks' into the canal basin and the possible danger of same. There I was thinking to myself that it's a pity there's no local initiative to channel some of these kids into more organised watersports - competitions, canoeing etc. There again, I suppose it's easier to describe them as scum and move them all out to somewhere like Ballymun. :rolleyes:

PokerBonusMine

I've lived in Grand Canal Dock since 2007. There have always been a few local kids in the area being a bit of a nuisance- noise pollution, petty damage and thievery from local shops etc. However the past week has not been anything close to what had gone on before. I recognise most of the groups from the area and am able to name a few (and have done when ticking them off for trying to steal a bike for example). The crowds that have been in grand canal dock have definitely in the main travelled from other areas. Despite what Mr Whippy thinks (and it's obvious he hasn't been down this week) this isn't 'kids being kids' but does have a sinister atmosphere to it. There are certainly lads acting with drunken bravado to try to show off to the 14 year-old girls barely covering their genitals. After a bit more booze this starts to turn a bit nasty. It is not an atmosphere a child, elderly person or anyone not confident of looking after themselves would want to be in. I haven't seen this before in my 6 years living here.
I hope that they either get bored of the area or either the gardai or private security step up their presence.
For those saying that a crime needs to be broken for the gardai to do anything, remember that these type of kids almost as instinct avoid any Gard they see. I was there on Monday evening when the gardai arrived and the kids were whispering to themselves tht 'the guards are here' and they were gone quickly. They are very young remember so still have a fear if not a respect for authority.
On the note about channelling their watersports interest: a few do seem to genuinely into the sporting side. MAybe they could walk 100m down the dock to SurfDock and take up one of the sports. Or join one of the rowing clubs nearby? The majority however have a Lidl/Aldi cheap wetsuit and just jump in and out of the water. A fair few don't even go near the water.

Judgement Day

Just had a look at the Surfdock site and it seems to be aimed at the 'high earners' in the locality rather than the ordinary kids. Still, it's good that it's there but the local community needs to take a hands on approach for water safety reasons if nothing else. I don't live in the Dublin area anymore but the Wexford town that I live in has identical problems. A fine navigable river flows through the town but apart from a few fishermen there's little evidence of local youths availing of the resource. Most youth activity in the town - outside of those involved in mainstream sport - seems to involve cruising the streets in boy racer cars and drinking. I'm not in a position financially do setting up a canoeing/rowing club etc. but would if I could. Kids only need a little positive leadership to keep them on the straight and narrow. Nobody is born 'scum'.

Crash

To be fair, the rowing clubs in Ringsend are pretty good at getting the kids involved, and there are two of them for the area (Stella Maris and St. Patricks).

edit: I would agree, by the way, that a fair amount of the crowd here aren't the Ringsend/Irishtown kids, but coming over from other areas as well. When its just been the local kids its been grand but the numbers are massive in comparison to previous years.

Also, one story (anecdotal, so believe it as you wish) I heard last night - Girlfriend was talking with a girl she kinda knows who also lives in the area, said she had to hop in for a swim Monday night while walking her dog thanks to some drunk kid stuck in the water and not able to swim while his mates laughed at him from the docks. Idiots.

spurious

Ah sure jam them thirty in a room and give a pay cut to the unfortunates who have to deal with them all year.

Forever Hopeful

The Guards are definitely a deterrent (when they show up). Monday night was cleared out (after the arrival of a van) but last night, they were still about. Seriously though the amount of flesh on show for teenagers is beyond shocking.
Plus to the poster who said they didn't see it in 2011? July was freezing that year, in fact last good summer was 2006 so this is brand new!

MrVestek

It's amazing the differences between this forum and After Hours...
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=85465862

OmegaRed

Interesting here but not sure how true it is....

http://grandcanaldublin.com/?page_id=11

Q. Can you swim in the Grand Canal or in Grand Canal Dock?

A. No, while the water quality in the Grand Canal is excellent for providing a habitat to many types of aquatic species it often does not meet the higher standards required for bathing. It is also against the law under the Canals Act 1988 to ‘bathe or swim in any lock, harbour or dock on the canals’.

yoginindublin

OmegaRed wrote: »

Interesting here but not sure how true it is....

http://grandcanaldublin.com/?page_id=11

Q. Can you swim in the Grand Canal or in Grand Canal Dock?

A. No, while the water quality in the Grand Canal is excellent for providing a habitat to many types of aquatic species it often does not meet the higher standards required for bathing. It is also against the law under the Canals Act 1988 to ‘bathe or swim in any lock, harbour or dock on the canals’.

if this is the case then why are they allowing the kids to swim. today there were a couple of garda there just watching the kids jump into the canal.

Mr Whirly

Or allowing Wakedock to operate their various water sports.

Judge

Mr Whirly wrote: »

Or allowing Wakedock to operate their various water sports.

Regulation 38 of the Canals Act 1986 (Bye-Laws) 1988 states:

No person shall bathe or swim in any lock, harbour or dock on the canals, except with the permission of the Commissioners

Presuming Wavedock are an authorised commercial operation under Regulation 32 of the same SI, one presumes they also have permission from Waterways Ireland for their clients to swim in the dock.

Mr Whirly

Judge wrote: »

Regulation 38 of the Canals Act 1986 (Bye-Laws) 1988 states:



Presuming Wavedock are an authorised commercial operation under Regulation 32 of the same SI, one presumes they also have permission from Waterways Ireland for their clients to swim in the dock.

Still doesn't change the fact that the water quality isn't good enough to swim in supposedly.

Forever Hopeful

Talked to the guys in Spar earlier today. They finally got some security. The antics out of these brats is something else. Throwing chairs from Spar, Milano and Herb Street into the water. Picking fights with people sitting outside. Running into Spar, stealing, throwing water over the pastries. To name some of the awful behaviour. That is just downright shocking.
Residents are writing to their respective management companies to have swimming in the canal there banned. Everyone is sick to their teeth.

smellmepower

How would ban on swimming in the canal be realistically enforced?the Gardai obviously don't have enough resources to deal with public order and theft from the local shops as it is.You are living in fairy land if you think a new bye law will prevent local kids swimming during the few hot weeks of the year.

Forever Hopeful

smellmepower wrote: »

How would ban on swimming in the canal be realistically enforced?the Gardai obviously don't have enough resources to deal with public order and theft from the local shops as it is.You are living in fairy land if you think a new bye law will prevent local kids swimming during the few hot weeks of the year.

Its a start!

gurramok

Forever Hopeful wrote: »

The Guards are definitely a deterrent (when they show up). Monday night was cleared out (after the arrival of a van) but last night, they were still about. Seriously though the amount of flesh on show for teenagers is beyond shocking.
Plus to the poster who said they didn't see it in 2011? July was freezing that year, in fact last good summer was 2006 so this is brand new!

There were nice warm days in 2011 ya know!:)

Judging from Tails photo, the numbers involved in fact never happened in 2011 and before that. It looks to me word has got around to other areas since among the peer group that there is "fun" to be had at GCD. Just like the recent invasions of Portmarnock and Howth, the onus is not good for the future.

XxMCRxBabyxX

Mr Whirly wrote: »

Don't be shocked. Nothing has changed.

Speak for yourself. This is my third summer in the Area and they definitely have gotten worse

EricPraline

gurramok wrote: »

It looks to me word has got around to other areas since among the peer group that there is "fun" to be had at GCD. Just like the recent invasions of Portmarnock and Howth, the onus is not good for the future.

Indeed. Unfortunately more of the same in Portmarnock this week. As pointed out in relation to the man being thrown into the dock, how far does it have to go before people stop dismissing this kind of anti-social behaviour as a bit of harmless fun?

WhatNowForUs?

EricPraline wrote: »

Indeed. Unfortunately more of the same in Portmarnock this week. As pointed out in relation to the man being thrown into the dock, how far does it have to go before people stop dismissing this kind of anti-social behaviour as a bit of harmless fun?

What a crappy written article. They have an article written about arson and then what can only be described as a paragraph at the end which seems totally unrelated to the above paragraphs apart from the fact that it happened in Portmarnock.