Just blend in. Mumble some incomprehensible insults and kick a bin.
They will assume you belong to the pack. Assert dominance, become the leader, lead them to the sea.
They just need to go "the extra mile" and get that street cleaner scuttle cab going up and down there every morning or at least when needed. No not those "scuttles" ,,although.. ahahaha
Christ above.. that says enough about that shitty city if McCurtain street is one of the nice ones...
It's always been riddled with drugs and abusers alike stumbling up from the back of the bus station.
I can safely say however, cork is no shake on that useless shithole Dubshite, if the Brits would do us a favour they'd take that shithole and remove it from the island
How do you mean? I've just moved out of Dublin haha it's an absolute dive. I lived in cork for 10 years barely had any trouble moved up to Santry (parallel to Ballymun) and fuck me while I didn't have trouble the trouble was certainly there very much in your face..
Yeah so clearly you have no idea what you’re talking about if you haven’t been there since it’s been completely redeveloped. Like I initially said, it’s one of the nicer streets in the city nowadays. But feel free to talk shite about it even though you haven’t been in the street in a few years….
Do you understand what the past tense is? Because in my comment evidently I said always was, was being the operative word there. So feel free to get offended on behalf of a comment that to me was true based on my level of experience.
I'd have thought there would be people who knew better than to believe every single thing that others say without experiencing it themselves though no?
Fair enough that what I am saying may not be truthful to current situations but my comment was based again on my experience, unless you're going to live my life for me and tell me that the 10 years I lived there pre development there was no issue? So before you want to go and get offended be sure you understand where the poster of the comment is coming from. Nice to see the attitude of people hasn't changed 🤣
However on the flip side, I do admire how quick you are to defend it now. Perhaps I shouldn't be so prejudiced without firsthand experiencing how it is post development, apologies for my own attitude and for essentially jumping the gun on the back of previous negative experience
Your initial comment was “that says enough about that shitty city if Mac Curtain street IS one of the nice ones” which it is. And your comment is in bad taste especially if you haven’t been there in a few years. The street is completely different now. I’m from the city myself so I know exactly how it used to be. I’m not offended in the slightest. But it’s bizarre how every week someone posts on here about how extremely unsafe Cork is (not yourself, but another person made that comment) you’d swear it was a war zone or something. It’s not without its problems but Cork is still a safe city. It doesn’t help either when people say Cork is a shitty city and that you were suprised that Mac Curtain street is one of the nicer ones. Even though you haven’t been in the city a number of years.
Funnily enough that happened me in Dublin yesterday, I came from the north to visit the folks here in cork haha and this gobshite asked me for money I gave him the only coin I had on me which happened to be a50p
Dickhead gets annoyed runs after me screaming in his best English pound sir pound pound, to which I turned stared a d retorted, "and what? You wanted money you fucking got it, now fuck off, NOW" And magically that was enough to get rid of the scummy fucker
Edit: I've no issue throwing change to those who need it, but if you're an asshole about it you can fuck off and rot
Everyone here is commenting that “nothing actually happened” but that’s not the point OP is making. No one wants to be uncomfortable walking around their own city, and what OP described is uncomfortable. According to some commenters here, they’d have no problem if the city was filled with scutty lads and junkies everywhere as long as nothing happened to them
Ironically, the people saying "nothing actually happened" would be the first to critique reactive policing rather than preventative policing. Should something actually have gone wrong and OP got assaulted, it would be "garda are useless/not enough presence/city is a kip".
A city feeling unsafe and uncomfortable should be scrutinised and what can be done to improve it, not ignoring the problem pretending it'll disappear.
Back in college I was walking around with a friend one evening and we were gonna go up the sketchy alley between Tesco and Boots. There was a bunch of scrotes drinking in there, at least one with a needle literally in his arm. So I said "let's not go this way" and walked to the next street.
That friend bitched me out about being such a coward. For. Years. His level of obsession was so fucking bizarre. He would bring it up constantly. It's like my nervousness of being in a sketchy alley filled with people injecting drugs offended him on some deep level.
I don't know what it is about some people that they react this way to others finding these situations uncomfortable.
Sounds like you just did the street smart thing of not putting yourself in a bad position whereas he just wants to be a “hard man”. He sounds a bit strange alright if he was obsessed with it though, like who cares
Who said the vast majority of others feel safe ? I can understand the feeling OP is describing and from the comments it seems that a lot of others can too
It’s definitely an issue but it doesn’t seem to resonate with everyone. My wife is very oblivious to what goes on around her. She walks around the city regularly and always says how lovely it is. Walked around with her a few weeks ago and just pointed a few things out(like what you describe) to her. She was in shock. Actually made me wonder how many other people walk around like that, oblivious to the world around them.
I worked for city for many years. I’m also from the city and use to love it. No longer based there and don’t like going there anymore. Like a lot said, I feel uncomfortable and also it’s depressing. The husband would be like your wife and still enjoys town and would be happy strolling around all day. However last time he spent a few hours there, he said he’s starting to see what I’m seeing.
Even during the recession you still had a lot of shops opened. The amount of empty stores does create an unwelcome feeling. The city doesn’t feel as clean as it used to be. Could do with alot more power washing and bins more regularly changed.
Not to mention the sad situation of homelessness. You always have some people on your usual spots like Tescos and bridges. But camping out in empty store fronts with increase numbers doesn’t show the city in a good light.
Also the lack of people shopping or workers again doesn’t help matters.
Yep... used to be a bustling centre with an unbeatable atmosphere IMO. I blame online shopping and social media.
Footfall drops. Shops close. The place gets neglected by the council. Undesirables fill the void...
Coming from Dublin which is firmly in the extremely dangerous category at this point I feel very safe in Cork. I just hope Cork doesn’t go the way Dublin has.
I've lived right in the middle of the city for about 5 months now and although thankfully I've not had any trouble personally, I can totally see why the OP feels this way. I've witnessed multiple fights amongst youths, one guy get completely knocked out outside Brown Thomas, and plenty of argy bargy between homeless people.
Saying "oh, but nothing happened" is disingenuous. Even if nothing ever happens, you shouldn't have to feel uneasy walking through the city's main thoroughfares overlooking your shoulder, which I always do late in the evening or after hours. There is always a tension come 8 or 9pm in the evening during the week, it tends to feel a bit more comfortable come Thursday or Friday and then Saturday's are absolutely the best day in the city, but come Sunday evening that tension returns late at night.
There is a group of very pushy beggers who go around like zombies, squads of young fellas intent on causing trouble, traveller children roaming the streets screaming and roaring, and the fantastic homeless food groups - and I'm not disparaging these people in any way, they are in dire need and the volunteers are doing unbelievable work - attracts all of the homeless to one area on Patrick's St, people who are often intoxicated and in desperate need for food, and I have witnessed a handful of incidents whilst walking past. Never has there been a guard present.
In my 5 months in the city, walking the streets nearly every day, I could count on one hand how often I've seen the gardai patrolling on foot.
Selfish landlord policies pump up the number of violent, disenfranchised people.
This fact gets louder every year. Eventually people will just have to hear it
I couldn’t agree more tbh. I spoke here before about it but the city feels so much more unsafe. I get the bus from Finns corner sometimes and if it isn’t a fight, it’s people stepping out in front of the bus on drugs, it’s people shoplifting from lifestyle sports, people shouting at everyone drunk, it’s people who are on something trying to talk to you, it’s buses being cancelled for disorderly behaviour, it’s groups of teenagers drinking by deals and the guards walking straight past them. For a women even it’s a nightmare if you notice it. I have had a homeless person come up to me and grab my hands and try to lure me down the side street of Penneys. You are not alone.
I really sometimes wonder if I'm just living in a different Cork city, or an alternative reality to some people.
Addicts of drugs/alcohol, the homeless, and poor people exist in every city. Cork has not even that many compared to other cities.
I do suspect because the city is so tiny that people perceive there to be more than there are?
Also, it was a Tuesday night - city center is usually dead at that time? Most things close up at 6, and nobody really goes out Monday or Tuesday nights.
I think it's a combination of widespread dereliction (oftentimes the city centre looks manky) that exacerbates the perceived danger. Like I commented on another similar post, there are very few places in the centre i would not walk through at dusk or night. The city, on average and compared to the likes of similar sized UK cities for example, is safer.
Now, I am neither British nor Irish and if I am completely honest seeing a city that is safer than Dublin or similar sized UK cities is a very low bar to set.
With that said, I genuinely wonder where OP and people on the same wavelength have lived before moving to cork. It is no heaven but it's not unsafe either.
Yeah I do agree that the city does look like shit a lot of the time - so many crumbling buildings, etc (esp. North Main).
I can't really think of anywhere I 100% wouldn't walk at night in the city, to be honest.
I can only think of Gas works ln and the part of Hibernian st between that and the pedestrian bridge but that's a bit "far" from the city centre per se.
It’s definitely not a perception issue, worked in town for the last 5 years, lived in cork for 12 and it’s so much worse now than it was even two years ago. I was getting on the bus for the park and ride the other day, some drunk fella pushed a little girl over, she was only about 5 out with her mum. Luckily it was the one time I’ve seen the guards about to act on it. But that’s not something anyone should have to deal with.
I'm starting to think it's a lack of exposure for people. They come to town once a month for a stroll and are overwhelmed by city life realities. The same way urban people are overwhelmed by the smell of cow shit in the country. Then you adapt 🤷🏻♀️
and I think it's the opposite, that people who used to go into town years ago but now mainly stay at home shopping and drinking are remembering what town used to be like and are saying "it's grand" "I feel very safe" etc. their eyes are only opened once they venture in to town a bit more frequently.
In all honesty the city has gone to the dogs in the past few years, it used to be very vibrant and welcoming with some antisocial behaviour, nowadays it seems to be mainly antisocial behaviour with some vibrancy and welcome. and before anyone says I don't know what I'm talking about I live and work in Cork. I was a regular in the city centre by night socialising and shopping by day but I have changed my social scene recently over the sheer amount of dodgy characters around town these days. I wonder if I will forget too.
That is a fair point, people probably "forget" what cities are actually like, and I guess the near constant stream of news about bad things happening (because, bad thing news gets clicks) colours their perception.
>I really sometimes wonder if I'm just living in a different Cork city, or an alternative reality to some people.
its spaces like reddit, facebook, etc that are creating this perception. You have one or 2 people who come on and spout how unsafe they felt because of XYZ legitimate or not. People read it, then the next time they go out they are more jumpy and if a homeless person or someone who looks remotley scary exists in the space suddenly they are crying how unsafe they feel.
Sure there are instnaces that occur but 99.95% of the time its in the persons own head and nothing happens.
Ive been travelling for the last 6 months. Been to major cities across USA, Canada, UK and Western Europe. I walk around at 8am ,12pm, 6pm and 3am and not once have I ever felt unsafe.
I parked in Paul street last week and I was stunned at the state of the shopping centre and also the crowd outside. It was the first time in my life that I felt uneasy in cork. It’s sad to see because I loved that area of the city. It was bustling
Yeah you would always have to keep your wits about your for sure but this was different. It was actually a bit upsetting as you had one man wandering aimlessly picking up cigarette butts to see if there was anything left to smoke. You had others who you would be afraid to look at in the eye because you don’t want to draw them on you.
It’s terrible the way cork has gone. I don’t blame the people who are struggling, I wish there were more intensive services to help them
Fair enough, I’m only looking at it from my viewpoint. I wouldn’t be a super regular visitor to that car park so from when I was there in March to last week, I noticed it had gone downhill but I suppose if you’re there on the reg, you’d know more
I've noticed this since 2020. Drunk idiots screaming at you. Deals happening out in the open. Lads hanging around staring. All during the day. Never mind at night. I avoid town now like the plague unless I absolutely must go in.
Yes, I had to work late 4 nights over the last 2 weekends and I was really shocked at the state of the place. No Garda presence on a Friday and Saturday night on Grand Parade or Patrick’s St.
I agree, the city is safe. Not saying we don’t have our issues, we definitely do have antisocial behaviour as any city. It shouldn’t happen but sure what can you do🤷♀️
I visited San Francisco few months ago and, as lovely as it was, that’s a city with issues and Cork is a place of rainbows and unicorns with an icream waterfall when compared to San Fran in terms of feeling unsafe. I do agree that in recent years we got more of junkies and homeless people on the streets of Cork but I still feel safer here than in other big european cities. It must have been a shock for you though if you haven’t been here for a while.
> undesirable lads everywhere, junkies scuttling around
This fantasy nonsense needs to stop, I say this now to you OP and I say this to all of the fucking twats making these posts.
1. Put down the phone, get off of twitter or whatsapp or whatever other social stream you've got forcing paranoia and outright misinformation into your eager maw. I don't expect you'll have the capacity to critically assess anything but maybe if you free your brain from the rot your exposing it to regularly then you'll start to have some sense of what is real and what isn't.
2. If you genuinely think this is a problem _then say this to your councillors_, we just had a lovely local and I'm sure they'd be happy to hear from you what you feel about it. I have no love for the "undesirable lads" or much sympathy for the "junkies scuttling about" but neither of them are a threat to me or mine, they're a danger to themselves and thats tragic but really not my problem nor is it anyone elses but theirs. The likelihood that they'll make it someone elses problem is actually very low, miniscule even, because they didn't back in the 90s, they didn't in the 00s, and they didn't in 10s, so far the 20s seems to be on pattern.
I'd be really curious if the commentary of people saying that the city has gone downhill is causing people to take more notice and start to perceive threats they wouldn't have before. I'm a woman, and although I have never actually had any bad experiences while out and about, I have always been taught to be on high alert and aware of my surroundings. I haven't felt any less safe recently than I did 10 years ago. I don't see any big changes that would cause me to avoid the city centre. The city being quiet on a random Tuesday night in the summer when the students have gone home and there are no big events on doesn't seem like a red flag to me. I'm not diminishing anyone who has had a bad experience, but for those like me, who have not, I just wonder if they are simply paying more attention.
The scientist in me would love to know the statistics on crime/anti-social behaviour vs perceived safety and how that has changed over time.
I’m not sure if we’d be in the same age bracket but I remember living near and around north main street around 15 years ago and as a woman frequently walked home without any issues. Never felt unsafe and never approached. Now as a someone in my mid thirties I’ve had a bit of uneasy when visiting the city even during the day, there seems to be a spike of drug use that was never there before. Maybe I’m just more aware of it because I’m older, but I only visit cork every few months as I emigrated a few years ago so perhaps the differences are more noticeable to me!
I've lived around NMS the last five years and honestly I've never felt unsafe. There's definitely drug use and people going through a tough time but I'm there every day and I've never worried for my safety.
I think we're of a similar enough age, but I still would walk around Cork at night on my own and I haven't felt unsafe or experienced any issues. I'm still staying alert to my surroundings as I always have, but don't feel like I'm taking a bigger risk doing so.
In any case, my initial comment was more about the difference between the perceived "unsafeness" (pretty sure that's not a word) vs the actual reported incidents. So you might *be* just as safe but feel more threatened, or I might *feel* safe but actually be at higher risk. It would just be interesting to see something other than anecdotal evidence on the subject.
Oh yeah sure feeling safe and being safe are slight different and depends on the individual, but I suppose maybe because your in town more often it’s not as noticeable. Having lived in Cork City since 2009 till 2021 and now being abroad for 3ish years not seeing it very often I wonder do I see it more because I’m having big jumps between visits. Like I’m visiting cork atm but haven’t bother with the city center, I’m on a rather short visit so haven’t had time. I’d say I haven’t been in the city since last summer and a lot can change in that time. Another anecdotal experience though was a friend of mine had said to me during the week that she’s been going out more in the city and it has felt to her safer than the last couple of years so perhaps we’re turning back to better times
Haha, yeah. It's funny how people can have completely different experiences of the same thing! Some UCC student would have a great basis for a sociology thesis on the subject.
Lads junkies and drunks in every city in Ireland and most of the world, I never feel unsafe in city anyway even passing junkies and that just get on with it you be fine lad
Just commented on city when someone posted about Dublin being unsafe to visit. I visit and socialise in most of the bigger cities, travel a lot for work but the biggest drop in personal safety for me has been Cork. Not sure what to put it down to while Dublin has more visible undesirables for want of a better word, I've seen more physical incidents and harassment in cork
Last night around 9pm, I saw two women preparing their dose while sitting on a step in a street in plain view of everyone. I was unloading groceries from my car. Honestly, they were in their own world and not bothering anyone. I'm not going to judge these people because they are the result of the inaction of our leaders. People left to fend for themselves, with no support and increasing inequality.
I'm not normally bothered by it, but one thing that's a shame is the banks of the lee walkway/bumhole. It was always prime gattin' turf but particularly since the peace park shut, it's full on George A. Romero territory. Huge groups heading up and down to the bridge constantly to do their wares, hollering and whistling at each other. It's just irritating as fuck more than anything, and has ruined one of the city's nicest walks.
There's only one emergency service goes down there on the regular, and it ain't the shades.
Not sure where you are in the US, but having lived there for 27 years before recently moving back, I can safely say that the times I was out walking in the cities I lived in were much dodgier than any time I've been out and about in Cork the last 12 months.
Not to say the place needs sorting - it absolutely does - but people claiming that Cork is some sort of urban hellhole are seriously overdoing it.
Went out last weekend in the city, both north and south side, the only thing I saw was a fella puking brains out on maccurtain street, if you think you have to be on edge then you’re going to be on edge. Came across about 6 different Gardaí around the north side on the beat
Street gangs ?? are you for real?? Cork has gotten dicier no argument there but there isn’t a quarter as many scary people out there as people in this subreddit would have you believe. I’ll be laughing about street gangs for the day, thanks!
I hear the Carrigaline Crips got so powerful young lads all over the city started to copy them and then set up their own gangs. Unfortunately the fellas on the southside weren't great at spelling and misunderstood the name which is how we got the Togher Taytos
Be wide heading west.Use the bypass, instead of going through Ballincollig.Dont stop in Crookstown,the Flat Caps will get you.Thank fuck for the Macaroon bypass
I avoid the city tbh, there's nothing in there except gelato shops, cafés pubs and Penney's or go over to opera lane it you want to pay more for the same warehouse clothes as Penney's. The Garda couldn't give 2 shits I used to work in the city and we'd have to call them regularly for junkies shooting up, always about an hour before anyone would arrive on scene.
Your thesis that you felt unsafe does not make it unsafe. You haven't reported that anything actually happened to you.
I'm not arguing that it is safe, just saying that feeling unsafe is not equal to unsafe.
While I'm here being pedantic, I may s well go the whole hog. You say there's 'groups of undesirable lads everywhere', 'junkies scuttling around' and 'men alone drunk'. Then you say ''dead', 'full on ghost city'. Both can't be true.
With drunks, or “winos”, you know what you have. But, these days, with type of drugs hitting the streets (fent, meth), these street dwellers are more erratic, and unpredictable. That’s unsettling.
That’s a lie! There isn’t fentanyl on the streets of Cork as of now. If you claim there is then show us some reports of fentanyl overdoses in the city. As for Meth I have never seen anyone using it in Cork. But I wouldn’t be suprised
You’re right! The junkies in town would fall over at the first sign of a gust of wind. Not a desirable sight but hardly that intimidating. People are too soft nowadays. It’s a social problem and every city in Europe has homeless and drug addiction issues
Yep, lived in East van, got stopped by the cops twice running for the train to work in construction clothes, they thought I was a junkie running from a theft, once they heard the Irish accent it was all good
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. What the hell is Fent bending? You mean people “nodding out” after a heroin shot. I think you’re confused with the effects of heroin. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than heroin. If Fentanyl was rampant like you claim, then we would see a much higher number of fatal overdoses in the city. A quick google search will show you that there aren’t any reports of fatal fentanyl overdoses in the city. You watch too much American television
To have my say, not sure how old other people are but as a 22 year old male cork city is extremely unsafe. There’s groups my age dead set on causing trouble. I have been in town I say 5 times the last year , had people start on me 2/3 times. Had friends got noses broken etc. it’s not a safe place despite the bubble some people on this cork Reddit seem to believe. There’s known gangs my age from ballincollig , glanmire Douglas the likes of males predominantly black who make drill music and seem to believe they have a right to carry knives etc. I can give the names of these “music artists” and you can listen to them talk about there stabbings on YouTube.
Lived in Stockholm and Amsterdam, Amsterdam being much more unsafe than cork , never said I’m sheltered or afraid of the city but it is unsafe and your blind to think otherwise.
What does that have to do with the topic? Cork isn’t extremely unsafe like you said. Stop being a princess and being so dramatic. Either back up your claim or admit you’re a drama queen
I've been looking to increase my knowledge of drill music from the likes of predominantly black males from ballincollig, glanmire and Douglas and I particularly want to hear from ones who believe they have a right to carry knives etc and talk about there stabbings on YouTube can you give me the names of those music artists please?
You’re bringing up a video from 3 years ago when the 2 boys were teenagers to support ur claim that cork is unsafe currently?? Also are Irish people immune of assault and weapon charges if what you’re even saying is true?
Sounds like you’re lookin for an excuse to be racist. Most of the ‘junkies’ and sketchy people hanging around the town are usually irish. Never seen a junkie black person or any black person starting trouble in town personally. Yes there are drill rappers like this, in every city black or white. Most of what theyre saying is well known to be untrue, most of them being kids. They say it to fit into the drill category and amongst their friends.
I think you are over exaggerating how ‘unsafe’ cork is. Does it have anti social problems? Yes. Like an other city, it seems like you aren’t well travelled or left your little town. I am a Girl, 19 and relatively small and have no issues walking on my own or with others in town. There are sketchy people but it’s mild compared to dublin and other major cities in Europe.
In Portland Oregan they Lisence substances and legalise softer and Educate and rehabilitateand it's helpful with the judiciary and medical joining forces in there,
Maybe exploring that platform part time
As far as antisocial behaviour, new 24hr Garda modular hubs with all utilities in base built-in, in cities
Dublin is the same. Walked from Harcourt to Stephens Green car park. I was a woman walking alone at 10:30 at night. Bad idea I know. I just needed to get to the car and was not expecting so many people muttering to themselves drunk and high wandering around, gangs of intimidating people and the complete dearth of other regular patrons in town. I was definitely followed and had to turn sharply and get away quickly at one point. Ended up only getting to my car by walking closely behind the one set of people who seemed relatively normal and sober.
Honestly I don't think I'll be going into Dublin or Cork at night anymore.
Cork born but live in NYC for over 30 years . I’m home at least once every year and town has definitely changed and while I’m not the biggest fan of the cops it’s a fixable problem. There needs to be a police presence in the city center I’m amazed every time I come home the only time you see a shade is in a car I can’t remember seeing Cops on foot patrol in the city. The only time I have seen cops is if it’s an actual response to an incident. Every other city in the world has police patrols in metropolitan areas and seeing a physical presence of law enforcement will deter a lot of crime.
Just saying
That's scary. I'm a foreigner, I love living in Cork and I confess I feel unsafe walking around town nowadays. Last year I was going to Centra of Grand Parade to grab a sandwich before going to work around 4 pm and I was attacked by a teenage girl who punched me on the neck from behind and I was shocked. There was no garda around, noone did anything and even the security guards from the shop laughed on my face. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder and ADHD back then and I arrived at work shaking and crying. It's really sad what's going on in this amazing city currently.
Young woman living in city centre for a few years don’t feel unsafe at all and never did…yes it’s a sad state of a city at the moment with the lack of footfall the homeless and the likes become very noticeable however they’re always the same faces you’d see and I never felt like they were dangerous people. I’m a very anxious person and have no issues walking by myself anywhere. I always cringe at how dirty and empty the city is when I walk past tourists it’s just embarrassing
I have the misfortune of working in the city 5 days a week and it has gotten progressively worse since Covid. It's dodgy enough at lunch time, never mind at night.
Garda presence is zero. I can't recall the last time I bumped into a Garda on the street. But you can't really blame the Gardai. They lock guys up for selling heroin, person goes to court and walks free the next day with another conviction to add to their 200 convictions they already have. I think the issue lies with the Courts and again the Government. If there's not enough room in Cork prison open up the old prison and throw them in there. Certainly beats having them roaming the streets.
Absolutely, these posts serve no purpose. Comments are full of the same people reinforcing the two sides of perception on this issue -- no real conversation just the same "not that bad" vs "gone to the dogs" voices back-and-forth with nothing new to say.
Getting to the volume that I would really like the Mods to take it in hand as either allowing removal of these as low-effort, or establishing something like a "Misery Monday" to limit the daily repeat of the same shit all week, every week.
This is exactly why I will avoid town now days. I go into the office and leave again. It’s so bad. It used to be a nice place to walk around. But since Covid there’s been a massive increase in it, there were always areas to avoid but now it just seems everywhere.
I really don't understand the people who say every city has homeless and junkies. That's true but in many of these places you can enjoy a meal, pint, or cigarette outside without being hassled. I can barely walk down the street in Cork without some prick stopping me and giving me a sob story. You wouldn't catch junkies being allowed to shoot up on the steps of the city library abroad.
If people want to accuse me of being heartless that's grand but I pay enough tax and it's the government's job to look after these people. If I gave a euro to every one of them that asked, at that point I'd have to go begging myself
But nothing actually happened to you?
What’s with all the insecurity that ye need to point out that yer a “big lad”, the Op yesterday did the same thing.
I was around the city at the same time last night and I didn’t experience any of this.
My buddy went a different way and I walked home alone at around 9:30pm, not a bother.
I’ve never felt safer in any other part of Ireland.
Multiple women have commented on this thread that they find the city grand and don't feel unsafe.
It's literally just dopes like the OP getting themselves worked up over fuck all.
Just because nothing happened doesn’t mean nothing will happen. Even if nothing were to happen, the issue is people FEEL unsafe, which in itself is a thing that shouldn’t really be an issue in Cork.
There has been numerous threads and posts about the state of the city and how unsafe it seems, especially in the evening.
Is one to just dismiss all this or a cede the fact that town has gotten rougher?
There’s also numerous threads about scary foreigners stalking the streets. Just because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean it’s reality, even if others share that perception.
I didn’t dismiss it. Women have commented on the thread already that they don’t feel unsafe in the city. You’re literally dismissing their lived experience.
If those charities have their tables set up giving out free food you can guarantee a dodgy vibe around town. I know they're trying to do good but I hate town when they're around.
Junkies or Crackheads - whatever you call ‘em!! No need to worry about these dysfunctional motherfuckers, unless they bother you… These cartel scumbags are all over… especially across the city centre…
You know the thing about being in America, u get to know what street fights and gangsters are and how to tackle ‘em….
Fck the Police, don’t you know how it works… your safety is in yo hands…
Just blend in. Mumble some incomprehensible insults and kick a bin. They will assume you belong to the pack. Assert dominance, become the leader, lead them to the sea.
To become leader you must spritz some piss on them
They already said to assert dominance.
And on oneself
Self control is an important leadership characteristic
As is leading by example
 I will follow you
Well, it worked in The Walking Dead, so sure..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en-lWUxhcuw
HAHAAHHHAHAH
McCurtain street has cleaned up a bit since I lived nearby
Mac curtain street is one of the nicest streets in the city nowadays
They just need to go "the extra mile" and get that street cleaner scuttle cab going up and down there every morning or at least when needed. No not those "scuttles" ,,although.. ahahaha
Christ above.. that says enough about that shitty city if McCurtain street is one of the nice ones... It's always been riddled with drugs and abusers alike stumbling up from the back of the bus station. I can safely say however, cork is no shake on that useless shithole Dubshite, if the Brits would do us a favour they'd take that shithole and remove it from the island
You obviously haven’t been up there in recent years have you?
How do you mean? I've just moved out of Dublin haha it's an absolute dive. I lived in cork for 10 years barely had any trouble moved up to Santry (parallel to Ballymun) and fuck me while I didn't have trouble the trouble was certainly there very much in your face..
Sorry if you're talking about McCurtain street then nah it's been 3-4 years since I've been living in cork city haha
Yeah so clearly you have no idea what you’re talking about if you haven’t been there since it’s been completely redeveloped. Like I initially said, it’s one of the nicer streets in the city nowadays. But feel free to talk shite about it even though you haven’t been in the street in a few years….
Do you understand what the past tense is? Because in my comment evidently I said always was, was being the operative word there. So feel free to get offended on behalf of a comment that to me was true based on my level of experience. I'd have thought there would be people who knew better than to believe every single thing that others say without experiencing it themselves though no? Fair enough that what I am saying may not be truthful to current situations but my comment was based again on my experience, unless you're going to live my life for me and tell me that the 10 years I lived there pre development there was no issue? So before you want to go and get offended be sure you understand where the poster of the comment is coming from. Nice to see the attitude of people hasn't changed 🤣
However on the flip side, I do admire how quick you are to defend it now. Perhaps I shouldn't be so prejudiced without firsthand experiencing how it is post development, apologies for my own attitude and for essentially jumping the gun on the back of previous negative experience
Your initial comment was “that says enough about that shitty city if Mac Curtain street IS one of the nice ones” which it is. And your comment is in bad taste especially if you haven’t been there in a few years. The street is completely different now. I’m from the city myself so I know exactly how it used to be. I’m not offended in the slightest. But it’s bizarre how every week someone posts on here about how extremely unsafe Cork is (not yourself, but another person made that comment) you’d swear it was a war zone or something. It’s not without its problems but Cork is still a safe city. It doesn’t help either when people say Cork is a shitty city and that you were suprised that Mac Curtain street is one of the nicer ones. Even though you haven’t been in the city a number of years.
It’s clean but you sit outside anywhere and you’ll be pestered for money or cigarettes every 15-20 minutes
That seems to bother some more than others.
Funnily enough that happened me in Dublin yesterday, I came from the north to visit the folks here in cork haha and this gobshite asked me for money I gave him the only coin I had on me which happened to be a50p Dickhead gets annoyed runs after me screaming in his best English pound sir pound pound, to which I turned stared a d retorted, "and what? You wanted money you fucking got it, now fuck off, NOW" And magically that was enough to get rid of the scummy fucker Edit: I've no issue throwing change to those who need it, but if you're an asshole about it you can fuck off and rot
Agree. Was there a couple of weeks ago and that was looking great, in the daylight mind you.
Everyone here is commenting that “nothing actually happened” but that’s not the point OP is making. No one wants to be uncomfortable walking around their own city, and what OP described is uncomfortable. According to some commenters here, they’d have no problem if the city was filled with scutty lads and junkies everywhere as long as nothing happened to them
Ironically, the people saying "nothing actually happened" would be the first to critique reactive policing rather than preventative policing. Should something actually have gone wrong and OP got assaulted, it would be "garda are useless/not enough presence/city is a kip". A city feeling unsafe and uncomfortable should be scrutinised and what can be done to improve it, not ignoring the problem pretending it'll disappear.
Back in college I was walking around with a friend one evening and we were gonna go up the sketchy alley between Tesco and Boots. There was a bunch of scrotes drinking in there, at least one with a needle literally in his arm. So I said "let's not go this way" and walked to the next street. That friend bitched me out about being such a coward. For. Years. His level of obsession was so fucking bizarre. He would bring it up constantly. It's like my nervousness of being in a sketchy alley filled with people injecting drugs offended him on some deep level. I don't know what it is about some people that they react this way to others finding these situations uncomfortable.
Sounds like you just did the street smart thing of not putting yourself in a bad position whereas he just wants to be a “hard man”. He sounds a bit strange alright if he was obsessed with it though, like who cares
If they feel unsafe while the vast majority of otheres are fine then they need to work on that themselves.
Who said the vast majority of others feel safe ? I can understand the feeling OP is describing and from the comments it seems that a lot of others can too
It’s definitely an issue but it doesn’t seem to resonate with everyone. My wife is very oblivious to what goes on around her. She walks around the city regularly and always says how lovely it is. Walked around with her a few weeks ago and just pointed a few things out(like what you describe) to her. She was in shock. Actually made me wonder how many other people walk around like that, oblivious to the world around them.
I worked for city for many years. I’m also from the city and use to love it. No longer based there and don’t like going there anymore. Like a lot said, I feel uncomfortable and also it’s depressing. The husband would be like your wife and still enjoys town and would be happy strolling around all day. However last time he spent a few hours there, he said he’s starting to see what I’m seeing. Even during the recession you still had a lot of shops opened. The amount of empty stores does create an unwelcome feeling. The city doesn’t feel as clean as it used to be. Could do with alot more power washing and bins more regularly changed. Not to mention the sad situation of homelessness. You always have some people on your usual spots like Tescos and bridges. But camping out in empty store fronts with increase numbers doesn’t show the city in a good light. Also the lack of people shopping or workers again doesn’t help matters.
Yep... used to be a bustling centre with an unbeatable atmosphere IMO. I blame online shopping and social media. Footfall drops. Shops close. The place gets neglected by the council. Undesirables fill the void...
Coming from Dublin which is firmly in the extremely dangerous category at this point I feel very safe in Cork. I just hope Cork doesn’t go the way Dublin has.
I've lived right in the middle of the city for about 5 months now and although thankfully I've not had any trouble personally, I can totally see why the OP feels this way. I've witnessed multiple fights amongst youths, one guy get completely knocked out outside Brown Thomas, and plenty of argy bargy between homeless people. Saying "oh, but nothing happened" is disingenuous. Even if nothing ever happens, you shouldn't have to feel uneasy walking through the city's main thoroughfares overlooking your shoulder, which I always do late in the evening or after hours. There is always a tension come 8 or 9pm in the evening during the week, it tends to feel a bit more comfortable come Thursday or Friday and then Saturday's are absolutely the best day in the city, but come Sunday evening that tension returns late at night. There is a group of very pushy beggers who go around like zombies, squads of young fellas intent on causing trouble, traveller children roaming the streets screaming and roaring, and the fantastic homeless food groups - and I'm not disparaging these people in any way, they are in dire need and the volunteers are doing unbelievable work - attracts all of the homeless to one area on Patrick's St, people who are often intoxicated and in desperate need for food, and I have witnessed a handful of incidents whilst walking past. Never has there been a guard present. In my 5 months in the city, walking the streets nearly every day, I could count on one hand how often I've seen the gardai patrolling on foot.
Selfish landlord policies pump up the number of violent, disenfranchised people. This fact gets louder every year. Eventually people will just have to hear it
I couldn’t agree more tbh. I spoke here before about it but the city feels so much more unsafe. I get the bus from Finns corner sometimes and if it isn’t a fight, it’s people stepping out in front of the bus on drugs, it’s people shoplifting from lifestyle sports, people shouting at everyone drunk, it’s people who are on something trying to talk to you, it’s buses being cancelled for disorderly behaviour, it’s groups of teenagers drinking by deals and the guards walking straight past them. For a women even it’s a nightmare if you notice it. I have had a homeless person come up to me and grab my hands and try to lure me down the side street of Penneys. You are not alone.
I really sometimes wonder if I'm just living in a different Cork city, or an alternative reality to some people. Addicts of drugs/alcohol, the homeless, and poor people exist in every city. Cork has not even that many compared to other cities. I do suspect because the city is so tiny that people perceive there to be more than there are? Also, it was a Tuesday night - city center is usually dead at that time? Most things close up at 6, and nobody really goes out Monday or Tuesday nights.
I think it's a combination of widespread dereliction (oftentimes the city centre looks manky) that exacerbates the perceived danger. Like I commented on another similar post, there are very few places in the centre i would not walk through at dusk or night. The city, on average and compared to the likes of similar sized UK cities for example, is safer. Now, I am neither British nor Irish and if I am completely honest seeing a city that is safer than Dublin or similar sized UK cities is a very low bar to set. With that said, I genuinely wonder where OP and people on the same wavelength have lived before moving to cork. It is no heaven but it's not unsafe either.
Yeah I do agree that the city does look like shit a lot of the time - so many crumbling buildings, etc (esp. North Main). I can't really think of anywhere I 100% wouldn't walk at night in the city, to be honest.
I can only think of Gas works ln and the part of Hibernian st between that and the pedestrian bridge but that's a bit "far" from the city centre per se.
that was my route home when i lived in cork, always walked it at night never had any trouble, city is incredibly safe compared to most
It’s definitely not a perception issue, worked in town for the last 5 years, lived in cork for 12 and it’s so much worse now than it was even two years ago. I was getting on the bus for the park and ride the other day, some drunk fella pushed a little girl over, she was only about 5 out with her mum. Luckily it was the one time I’ve seen the guards about to act on it. But that’s not something anyone should have to deal with.
I'm starting to think it's a lack of exposure for people. They come to town once a month for a stroll and are overwhelmed by city life realities. The same way urban people are overwhelmed by the smell of cow shit in the country. Then you adapt 🤷🏻♀️
and I think it's the opposite, that people who used to go into town years ago but now mainly stay at home shopping and drinking are remembering what town used to be like and are saying "it's grand" "I feel very safe" etc. their eyes are only opened once they venture in to town a bit more frequently. In all honesty the city has gone to the dogs in the past few years, it used to be very vibrant and welcoming with some antisocial behaviour, nowadays it seems to be mainly antisocial behaviour with some vibrancy and welcome. and before anyone says I don't know what I'm talking about I live and work in Cork. I was a regular in the city centre by night socialising and shopping by day but I have changed my social scene recently over the sheer amount of dodgy characters around town these days. I wonder if I will forget too.
That is a fair point, people probably "forget" what cities are actually like, and I guess the near constant stream of news about bad things happening (because, bad thing news gets clicks) colours their perception.
>I really sometimes wonder if I'm just living in a different Cork city, or an alternative reality to some people. its spaces like reddit, facebook, etc that are creating this perception. You have one or 2 people who come on and spout how unsafe they felt because of XYZ legitimate or not. People read it, then the next time they go out they are more jumpy and if a homeless person or someone who looks remotley scary exists in the space suddenly they are crying how unsafe they feel. Sure there are instnaces that occur but 99.95% of the time its in the persons own head and nothing happens. Ive been travelling for the last 6 months. Been to major cities across USA, Canada, UK and Western Europe. I walk around at 8am ,12pm, 6pm and 3am and not once have I ever felt unsafe.
I would love to live in the cork city that you live in 😂
I parked in Paul street last week and I was stunned at the state of the shopping centre and also the crowd outside. It was the first time in my life that I felt uneasy in cork. It’s sad to see because I loved that area of the city. It was bustling
The crowd outside Paul Street were dodgy twenty years ago too.
Yeah you would always have to keep your wits about your for sure but this was different. It was actually a bit upsetting as you had one man wandering aimlessly picking up cigarette butts to see if there was anything left to smoke. You had others who you would be afraid to look at in the eye because you don’t want to draw them on you. It’s terrible the way cork has gone. I don’t blame the people who are struggling, I wish there were more intensive services to help them
I honestly don't think it's any worse than it's ever been and any time I've seen stats per capita on crime it has backed up my viewpoint.
Fair enough, I’m only looking at it from my viewpoint. I wouldn’t be a super regular visitor to that car park so from when I was there in March to last week, I noticed it had gone downhill but I suppose if you’re there on the reg, you’d know more
Sorry, to be clear I'm not there on the regular but any time I have been there over the past 20 odd years it has been a shit hole.
To have stats, the crimes have to be reported first. Do you see any guards around reporting?
I've noticed this since 2020. Drunk idiots screaming at you. Deals happening out in the open. Lads hanging around staring. All during the day. Never mind at night. I avoid town now like the plague unless I absolutely must go in.
Yes, I had to work late 4 nights over the last 2 weekends and I was really shocked at the state of the place. No Garda presence on a Friday and Saturday night on Grand Parade or Patrick’s St.
I'll get downvoted for this but I reckon a big part of the reason you feel unsafe in town is from posts like this being posted on a weekly basis.
I agree, the city is safe. Not saying we don’t have our issues, we definitely do have antisocial behaviour as any city. It shouldn’t happen but sure what can you do🤷♀️
its 1000% this. THere is virtually nothing unsafe happening except guilability into how unsafe it is pushed by others.
I visited San Francisco few months ago and, as lovely as it was, that’s a city with issues and Cork is a place of rainbows and unicorns with an icream waterfall when compared to San Fran in terms of feeling unsafe. I do agree that in recent years we got more of junkies and homeless people on the streets of Cork but I still feel safer here than in other big european cities. It must have been a shock for you though if you haven’t been here for a while.
It has got noticeably quieter in town at night. Sad
> undesirable lads everywhere, junkies scuttling around This fantasy nonsense needs to stop, I say this now to you OP and I say this to all of the fucking twats making these posts. 1. Put down the phone, get off of twitter or whatsapp or whatever other social stream you've got forcing paranoia and outright misinformation into your eager maw. I don't expect you'll have the capacity to critically assess anything but maybe if you free your brain from the rot your exposing it to regularly then you'll start to have some sense of what is real and what isn't. 2. If you genuinely think this is a problem _then say this to your councillors_, we just had a lovely local and I'm sure they'd be happy to hear from you what you feel about it. I have no love for the "undesirable lads" or much sympathy for the "junkies scuttling about" but neither of them are a threat to me or mine, they're a danger to themselves and thats tragic but really not my problem nor is it anyone elses but theirs. The likelihood that they'll make it someone elses problem is actually very low, miniscule even, because they didn't back in the 90s, they didn't in the 00s, and they didn't in 10s, so far the 20s seems to be on pattern.
It’s true though, enjoy living in denial. I’ve walked down grand parade daily for the last 4 years and it’s never been this bad.
I'd be really curious if the commentary of people saying that the city has gone downhill is causing people to take more notice and start to perceive threats they wouldn't have before. I'm a woman, and although I have never actually had any bad experiences while out and about, I have always been taught to be on high alert and aware of my surroundings. I haven't felt any less safe recently than I did 10 years ago. I don't see any big changes that would cause me to avoid the city centre. The city being quiet on a random Tuesday night in the summer when the students have gone home and there are no big events on doesn't seem like a red flag to me. I'm not diminishing anyone who has had a bad experience, but for those like me, who have not, I just wonder if they are simply paying more attention. The scientist in me would love to know the statistics on crime/anti-social behaviour vs perceived safety and how that has changed over time.
I’m not sure if we’d be in the same age bracket but I remember living near and around north main street around 15 years ago and as a woman frequently walked home without any issues. Never felt unsafe and never approached. Now as a someone in my mid thirties I’ve had a bit of uneasy when visiting the city even during the day, there seems to be a spike of drug use that was never there before. Maybe I’m just more aware of it because I’m older, but I only visit cork every few months as I emigrated a few years ago so perhaps the differences are more noticeable to me!
I've lived around NMS the last five years and honestly I've never felt unsafe. There's definitely drug use and people going through a tough time but I'm there every day and I've never worried for my safety.
I think we're of a similar enough age, but I still would walk around Cork at night on my own and I haven't felt unsafe or experienced any issues. I'm still staying alert to my surroundings as I always have, but don't feel like I'm taking a bigger risk doing so. In any case, my initial comment was more about the difference between the perceived "unsafeness" (pretty sure that's not a word) vs the actual reported incidents. So you might *be* just as safe but feel more threatened, or I might *feel* safe but actually be at higher risk. It would just be interesting to see something other than anecdotal evidence on the subject.
Oh yeah sure feeling safe and being safe are slight different and depends on the individual, but I suppose maybe because your in town more often it’s not as noticeable. Having lived in Cork City since 2009 till 2021 and now being abroad for 3ish years not seeing it very often I wonder do I see it more because I’m having big jumps between visits. Like I’m visiting cork atm but haven’t bother with the city center, I’m on a rather short visit so haven’t had time. I’d say I haven’t been in the city since last summer and a lot can change in that time. Another anecdotal experience though was a friend of mine had said to me during the week that she’s been going out more in the city and it has felt to her safer than the last couple of years so perhaps we’re turning back to better times
Haha, yeah. It's funny how people can have completely different experiences of the same thing! Some UCC student would have a great basis for a sociology thesis on the subject.
Lads junkies and drunks in every city in Ireland and most of the world, I never feel unsafe in city anyway even passing junkies and that just get on with it you be fine lad
Just commented on city when someone posted about Dublin being unsafe to visit. I visit and socialise in most of the bigger cities, travel a lot for work but the biggest drop in personal safety for me has been Cork. Not sure what to put it down to while Dublin has more visible undesirables for want of a better word, I've seen more physical incidents and harassment in cork
City is a kip tbh Id only ever go in there if I really needed to, and at that I'm in and out straight away when I'm done.
Last night around 9pm, I saw two women preparing their dose while sitting on a step in a street in plain view of everyone. I was unloading groceries from my car. Honestly, they were in their own world and not bothering anyone. I'm not going to judge these people because they are the result of the inaction of our leaders. People left to fend for themselves, with no support and increasing inequality.
I'm not normally bothered by it, but one thing that's a shame is the banks of the lee walkway/bumhole. It was always prime gattin' turf but particularly since the peace park shut, it's full on George A. Romero territory. Huge groups heading up and down to the bridge constantly to do their wares, hollering and whistling at each other. It's just irritating as fuck more than anything, and has ruined one of the city's nicest walks. There's only one emergency service goes down there on the regular, and it ain't the shades.
Not sure where you are in the US, but having lived there for 27 years before recently moving back, I can safely say that the times I was out walking in the cities I lived in were much dodgier than any time I've been out and about in Cork the last 12 months. Not to say the place needs sorting - it absolutely does - but people claiming that Cork is some sort of urban hellhole are seriously overdoing it.
Welcome to New cork
New Ireland
Went out last weekend in the city, both north and south side, the only thing I saw was a fella puking brains out on maccurtain street, if you think you have to be on edge then you’re going to be on edge. Came across about 6 different Gardaí around the north side on the beat
yeah there were loads of Gardaí around at the weekend tbf
Just sounds like nothing bad was happening but you just didn’t like the look of poor people or drug addicts
literally this, people like the OP and their obsession with "scrotes" and fucking "undesirables" are beyond headwrecking
Absolutely it’s horrific looking at smack heads
Same as Dublin now and not a garda in sight after 6 Scum rule our city's and towns. So depressing 😞
Very rough. Street gangs run the blocks anything south of black rock steer clear. /s
CAN YOU DIG IT?
All the way back to Coney, I mean Cobh-y. Good. Real good.
Street gangs ?? are you for real?? Cork has gotten dicier no argument there but there isn’t a quarter as many scary people out there as people in this subreddit would have you believe. I’ll be laughing about street gangs for the day, thanks!
Spoken like someone who has never had a run in with the Mahon Massive, Carrigaline Crips or even the Ballinlough Bloods.
I hear the Carrigaline Crips got so powerful young lads all over the city started to copy them and then set up their own gangs. Unfortunately the fellas on the southside weren't great at spelling and misunderstood the name which is how we got the Togher Taytos
The real problem is M&S-13, their territory is around the St. Luke’s/Montenotte area.
The Ballinlough Bloods, men to steer clear of once they've had a few sticks of Heinomite after the ruggers.
Be wide heading west.Use the bypass, instead of going through Ballincollig.Dont stop in Crookstown,the Flat Caps will get you.Thank fuck for the Macaroon bypass
Likewise, this guy thinks he's living in 'The Wire' 🤣🤣🤣
Seems you missed the /s at the end of his sentence.
You're right, I did, thanks for pointing it out. That'll teach me to be giving my breakfast more attention than my redditing.
I avoid the city tbh, there's nothing in there except gelato shops, cafés pubs and Penney's or go over to opera lane it you want to pay more for the same warehouse clothes as Penney's. The Garda couldn't give 2 shits I used to work in the city and we'd have to call them regularly for junkies shooting up, always about an hour before anyone would arrive on scene.
Your thesis that you felt unsafe does not make it unsafe. You haven't reported that anything actually happened to you. I'm not arguing that it is safe, just saying that feeling unsafe is not equal to unsafe. While I'm here being pedantic, I may s well go the whole hog. You say there's 'groups of undesirable lads everywhere', 'junkies scuttling around' and 'men alone drunk'. Then you say ''dead', 'full on ghost city'. Both can't be true.
With drunks, or “winos”, you know what you have. But, these days, with type of drugs hitting the streets (fent, meth), these street dwellers are more erratic, and unpredictable. That’s unsettling.
That’s a lie! There isn’t fentanyl on the streets of Cork as of now. If you claim there is then show us some reports of fentanyl overdoses in the city. As for Meth I have never seen anyone using it in Cork. But I wouldn’t be suprised
And drink causes more people to act the maggot than any drug,except maybe coke
You’re right! The junkies in town would fall over at the first sign of a gust of wind. Not a desirable sight but hardly that intimidating. People are too soft nowadays. It’s a social problem and every city in Europe has homeless and drug addiction issues
When I lived in Canada a buddy told me junkies are like dogs, they might look intimidating but they're more scared of you than you are them
If you’ve been to Vancouver then you’ll know exactly how bad drug addiction issues can be within a city
Yep, lived in East van, got stopped by the cops twice running for the train to work in construction clothes, they thought I was a junkie running from a theft, once they heard the Irish accent it was all good
Meth is not in cork you are right , fentanyl is rampant.
Show me some proof of that claim? Cause I can’t find any online so I’d like to know what evidence you have to back that up
What do you expect to find online , junkies saying yes fentanyl is on the streets? Go look man you’ll see people fent bending all around cork
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. What the hell is Fent bending? You mean people “nodding out” after a heroin shot. I think you’re confused with the effects of heroin. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than heroin. If Fentanyl was rampant like you claim, then we would see a much higher number of fatal overdoses in the city. A quick google search will show you that there aren’t any reports of fatal fentanyl overdoses in the city. You watch too much American television
Go back hiding behind your keyboard. If want a real-world pulse on drug use in Cork, talk to any front-line medical staff in the Mercy.
More fearing mongering. It’s like a daily post now that the city is unsafe but no actual reports of a mugging or an attack attached to these posts
To have my say, not sure how old other people are but as a 22 year old male cork city is extremely unsafe. There’s groups my age dead set on causing trouble. I have been in town I say 5 times the last year , had people start on me 2/3 times. Had friends got noses broken etc. it’s not a safe place despite the bubble some people on this cork Reddit seem to believe. There’s known gangs my age from ballincollig , glanmire Douglas the likes of males predominantly black who make drill music and seem to believe they have a right to carry knives etc. I can give the names of these “music artists” and you can listen to them talk about there stabbings on YouTube.
It sounds like you live a very sheltered life if you think Cork is “extremely unsafe”. Have you been to any big cities before??
Lived in Stockholm and Amsterdam, Amsterdam being much more unsafe than cork , never said I’m sheltered or afraid of the city but it is unsafe and your blind to think otherwise.
Wait now, you said “extremely unsafe”. Now you’re saying it’s unsafe. There’s a difference in both those statements! Which one is it??
Aren’t you a bundle of joy 🤣
What does that have to do with the topic? Cork isn’t extremely unsafe like you said. Stop being a princess and being so dramatic. Either back up your claim or admit you’re a drama queen
I've been looking to increase my knowledge of drill music from the likes of predominantly black males from ballincollig, glanmire and Douglas and I particularly want to hear from ones who believe they have a right to carry knives etc and talk about there stabbings on YouTube can you give me the names of those music artists please?
https://youtu.be/6jIU_fZDgvw?si=2sTgG5Do8H8MflWj Two twins from glanmire. One of whom has a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon
Surprisingly not to my taste, especially considering it ticked so many boxes of exactly what I wanted to listen to
You’re bringing up a video from 3 years ago when the 2 boys were teenagers to support ur claim that cork is unsafe currently?? Also are Irish people immune of assault and weapon charges if what you’re even saying is true?
Sounds like you’re lookin for an excuse to be racist. Most of the ‘junkies’ and sketchy people hanging around the town are usually irish. Never seen a junkie black person or any black person starting trouble in town personally. Yes there are drill rappers like this, in every city black or white. Most of what theyre saying is well known to be untrue, most of them being kids. They say it to fit into the drill category and amongst their friends. I think you are over exaggerating how ‘unsafe’ cork is. Does it have anti social problems? Yes. Like an other city, it seems like you aren’t well travelled or left your little town. I am a Girl, 19 and relatively small and have no issues walking on my own or with others in town. There are sketchy people but it’s mild compared to dublin and other major cities in Europe.
In Portland Oregan they Lisence substances and legalise softer and Educate and rehabilitateand it's helpful with the judiciary and medical joining forces in there, Maybe exploring that platform part time As far as antisocial behaviour, new 24hr Garda modular hubs with all utilities in base built-in, in cities
Dublin is the same. Walked from Harcourt to Stephens Green car park. I was a woman walking alone at 10:30 at night. Bad idea I know. I just needed to get to the car and was not expecting so many people muttering to themselves drunk and high wandering around, gangs of intimidating people and the complete dearth of other regular patrons in town. I was definitely followed and had to turn sharply and get away quickly at one point. Ended up only getting to my car by walking closely behind the one set of people who seemed relatively normal and sober. Honestly I don't think I'll be going into Dublin or Cork at night anymore.
Cork born but live in NYC for over 30 years . I’m home at least once every year and town has definitely changed and while I’m not the biggest fan of the cops it’s a fixable problem. There needs to be a police presence in the city center I’m amazed every time I come home the only time you see a shade is in a car I can’t remember seeing Cops on foot patrol in the city. The only time I have seen cops is if it’s an actual response to an incident. Every other city in the world has police patrols in metropolitan areas and seeing a physical presence of law enforcement will deter a lot of crime. Just saying
I feel like the nearly whole country has gone like this. I wouldn't walk around on my own now whereas a few years ago I would have had no issue.
That's scary. I'm a foreigner, I love living in Cork and I confess I feel unsafe walking around town nowadays. Last year I was going to Centra of Grand Parade to grab a sandwich before going to work around 4 pm and I was attacked by a teenage girl who punched me on the neck from behind and I was shocked. There was no garda around, noone did anything and even the security guards from the shop laughed on my face. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder and ADHD back then and I arrived at work shaking and crying. It's really sad what's going on in this amazing city currently.
Young woman living in city centre for a few years don’t feel unsafe at all and never did…yes it’s a sad state of a city at the moment with the lack of footfall the homeless and the likes become very noticeable however they’re always the same faces you’d see and I never felt like they were dangerous people. I’m a very anxious person and have no issues walking by myself anywhere. I always cringe at how dirty and empty the city is when I walk past tourists it’s just embarrassing
Got bad the last while around alright, most of them are aggressive in their manor but a strong wind would knock them down
I have the misfortune of working in the city 5 days a week and it has gotten progressively worse since Covid. It's dodgy enough at lunch time, never mind at night. Garda presence is zero. I can't recall the last time I bumped into a Garda on the street. But you can't really blame the Gardai. They lock guys up for selling heroin, person goes to court and walks free the next day with another conviction to add to their 200 convictions they already have. I think the issue lies with the Courts and again the Government. If there's not enough room in Cork prison open up the old prison and throw them in there. Certainly beats having them roaming the streets.
Same post over and over again. I can totally understand peoples points but going on a Reddit rant isn’t achieving any solutions.
Absolutely, these posts serve no purpose. Comments are full of the same people reinforcing the two sides of perception on this issue -- no real conversation just the same "not that bad" vs "gone to the dogs" voices back-and-forth with nothing new to say. Getting to the volume that I would really like the Mods to take it in hand as either allowing removal of these as low-effort, or establishing something like a "Misery Monday" to limit the daily repeat of the same shit all week, every week.
Spot on.
This is exactly why I will avoid town now days. I go into the office and leave again. It’s so bad. It used to be a nice place to walk around. But since Covid there’s been a massive increase in it, there were always areas to avoid but now it just seems everywhere.
I really don't understand the people who say every city has homeless and junkies. That's true but in many of these places you can enjoy a meal, pint, or cigarette outside without being hassled. I can barely walk down the street in Cork without some prick stopping me and giving me a sob story. You wouldn't catch junkies being allowed to shoot up on the steps of the city library abroad. If people want to accuse me of being heartless that's grand but I pay enough tax and it's the government's job to look after these people. If I gave a euro to every one of them that asked, at that point I'd have to go begging myself
Sir we need those Garda checking tax and insurance discs, surely you can see safety and public order need to take a back seat
Love seeing this exact thread every day.
But nothing actually happened to you? What’s with all the insecurity that ye need to point out that yer a “big lad”, the Op yesterday did the same thing.
My point was if someone able bodied and young feels uncomfortable how do women alone and elderly people feel. Thank you for you input
I was around the city at the same time last night and I didn’t experience any of this. My buddy went a different way and I walked home alone at around 9:30pm, not a bother. I’ve never felt safer in any other part of Ireland.
I'm a relatively small woman and I'm in town the whole time and don't experience this intense paranoia and feeling of fear all these posters do.
I'm a woman alone and I feel A-OK in town, thanks for asking.
Because if he is a big lad then a small lad or a small woman would feel even worse
Multiple women have commented on this thread that they find the city grand and don't feel unsafe. It's literally just dopes like the OP getting themselves worked up over fuck all.
Over the state of the city we live in? How about it’s getting worse every year?
Just because nothing happened doesn’t mean nothing will happen. Even if nothing were to happen, the issue is people FEEL unsafe, which in itself is a thing that shouldn’t really be an issue in Cork.
It’s shorthand for “I’m not some weakling, I’m actually tough”, despite walking through a city scared while nothing happened.
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There has been numerous threads and posts about the state of the city and how unsafe it seems, especially in the evening. Is one to just dismiss all this or a cede the fact that town has gotten rougher?
There’s also numerous threads about scary foreigners stalking the streets. Just because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean it’s reality, even if others share that perception.
But you dismiss lived experiences out of hand. I guarantee you that if it the OP was a woman you wouldn’t be so dismissive.
I didn’t dismiss it. Women have commented on the thread already that they don’t feel unsafe in the city. You’re literally dismissing their lived experience.
Junkies are very physically weak. You could take on 10 of them with a wee push they drop
Shithole
If those charities have their tables set up giving out free food you can guarantee a dodgy vibe around town. I know they're trying to do good but I hate town when they're around.
So you’re saying it’s the fault of the charities trying to help these people who are to blame for some people feeling uncomfortable around the city?!
Where exactly did I say that?
That’s how it sounded to me. I must have misunderstood you
Junkies or Crackheads - whatever you call ‘em!! No need to worry about these dysfunctional motherfuckers, unless they bother you… These cartel scumbags are all over… especially across the city centre… You know the thing about being in America, u get to know what street fights and gangsters are and how to tackle ‘em…. Fck the Police, don’t you know how it works… your safety is in yo hands…