Dereliction and attacks in Dublin city centre 'a national embarrassment', says TD

Talbot Street in Dublin where an American tourist was assaulted. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Dublin city centre has become a “national embarrassment” due to dereliction and recent attacks, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has said.

The Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs said that the city centre has become “dangerous, derelict and run down” in recent years.

“I think many people have come to the realisation that Dublin city centre has become a national embarrassment,” Mr Carthy said.

Mr Carthy was speaking following an attack on an American tourist on Talbot Street, where the man was hospitalised after being punched and kicked in the head on Wednesday night.

He said that the root cause of the issue was not with locals, but instead blamed it on “successive governments” and particularly Fine Gael.

“It is something that is a cause of huge embarrassment to the Irish people and in the first instance, we need to see an increase in Garda numbers and we need to see Government take action to revitalise Dublin city centre.

“That is the least that the people who live there deserve, but its also needed for Ireland in terms of the image we project to the wider world.” 

“I think many people have come to the realisation that Dublin city centre has become a national embarrassment,”Matt Carthy said. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Mr Carthy said that the city centre should be a source of “pride”, saying that it was where the Irish Republic was first declared in 1916.

Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that he would not go as part to say that parts of the city centre were “out of control” but that there is a problem with public order offences and violence.

“Of course, people live in our city have to experience this as well from time to time and its never acceptable,” Mr Varadkar said.

The Taoiseach added that the Government was responding strongly, with greater penalties for public order offences and additional resources being allocated to Gardaí in the city centre.