I wrote before about one of the several encounters I’ve had with Nutters on South Great Georges Street especially around Dunne’s Stores; but up til recently I’ve sort of accepted that it’s me. I attract nutters, I really do. If there is a sad little old man ready to talk about the ghost in his attic or a neurotic lady of a certain age determined to discuss the sexual mores of today’s teenagers they seek me out like ticks smelling blood. If anyone is going to catch the eye and subsequently the ire of the druggie ranting on the street, it’ll be me. But recently I’m beginning to wonder if it’s all my fault.
Yesterday in Dunne’s I had to fend off the woman at the salad counter who took offence at my being there in front of her, and who poked me in the back and snarled at me to move so she could “look at the salads”; the Drunk De Jour, a hulking beast wandering around in stinking clothes clutching a can while security and counter staff alike tried to avoid making eye contact with either him or the customers fleeing out of his way; and the two drunks roaring at each other outside the main entrance. And it’s not as if Georges St. is a particularly bad area. There are fabulous streets off it as well, Like Stephen’s Street and Exchequer St where you’ll rarely hear so much as a raised voice.
However last Saturday on Aungier St began with two unfortunate Garda trying to restrain four of the area’s most vile and violent drunks and ended with a fist fight between a drunken English stag group and some of the local skangers, also drunk.
The Salvation Army wet hostel nearby has of course created most of this problem – it comes to something when the unfortunate homeless for whose sake the hostel was - ostensibly- built, tell you they are too afraid of the drunks using it to go anywhere near the place. The drunks incidentally are not homeless, they have council houses outside the city centre but they travel in on their giros to drink and socialize. The SA hostel is their preferred city break hotel.
But I do suspect that Georges St and in particular that Dunnes has been built over a Hellmouth. it’s the only real explanation.
