Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Christmas Cheer in Dublin

  • 24-12-2002 8:33pm
    #1
    MDR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,538 ✭✭✭


    At what point did this really begin to bug me ?

    Its prolly fair to say that its always bugged me but as the problem grew so has my anger.

    Now I know I have ranted about 'beggars on our streets' before, I just feel compelled to share my expierences over the last day.

    Last night walking back from boards beer (woo hoo beer ... um), I passed a old (closed) shop front on pearse street. Who every the homeless person was who was sleeping in the shop front, had strung quite a pretty sheet across the front to protect him/her from the outside world. It wasn't a particullary cold night, but I can remember thinking the sheet pretty and feeling sorry that anyone should be homeless at christmas. (Picture Here)

    Later that night and further up the road I passed some young people from belvedere college sleeping rough at the GPO in aid of the homeless. I gave them a couple of euro and took a picture (Picture Here).

    Earilier today in town I passed a man dressed selling the big issue, not the usual romanians you see selling it. A middle aged, neatily dressed man standing on Henry Street. It stuck in my mind because he didn't fit in the range of people who usually sell on the big issue. I didn't buy a copy but felt later that I should have, I mentioned it to my colleuge but he replied that he han't seen the man at all.

    Later in the day, I passed a young mother, with buggy and child standing in the middle of batchelors walk with a dirty bewleys paper coffee cup, asking passers by for spare changed. It again stuck in my mind because she wasn't sitting on a step. She was standing and actively egaging with people looking for money. I didn't give her any either, I later wondered what sort of crimbo she was going to have.

    But this evening my heart finally broke, there was a rapping at the letterbox. There was a kid at the door with a note, he wasn't tall enough to reach the doorbell, he handed me a crumpled note and said 'read tha' please', his accent was pure Dublin. It was dark and my vision is quite poor. I assumed he wanted money, so I reached into my pocket and gave him a pitiful Euro. That poor child walking around in the dark on christmas eve, I feel a mix of emotions. Regret I didn't read the note or give him more cash or call social services or ask 'are you ok ?'. (I am a racist) This child was not an itenerant, a romanian, a nigerian or a crook, it was a child of Dublin.

    Where is Christmas in Dublin, where is Ireland's pride ?, what is happening to the country ? are we all becoming biblical innkeepers.

    I subsequentily went out to look for the child, I walked the estate for about 30 minutes but couldn't see him anywhere ... am I naive ?


Advertisement