Cork's 'no-go' streets: 'It’s so dangerous that I don’t come into town on my own anymore'

“I got threatened with a knife in the store by a young man who was joined by two girls. He got very angry that I caught him stealing. When I told him to leave he pulled out a flip knife and said he would be back. He pointed the knife at me but didn’t come close. I knew it was an empty threat. He just took a load of fizzy drinks. It was very strange. You would expect someone who is pulling a knife to be robbing alcohol but these were about €3. That was a month ago.” 

Socialising past 11pm has become a thing of the past for Jude.

“Walking down the streets is often very intimidating. I’ll often have people coming up to me asking for cigarettes or a lighter. Others will ask me to buy them a pint. Recently, I was approached by a group of older men who saw I had tobacco and asked me to roll them some. They were very drunk and I found that terrifying to be honest. It’s very hard to tell if someone is being threatening when they are drunk. In that situation I ran away from them. They weren’t in a position to keep up.” 

Chrissie Hogan says she often feels unsafe due to the unsavoury characters in close proximity as she makes her weekly trip to collect her pension.

“There were three of them inside last time. Many are on drugs. It’s so dangerous that I don’t come into town on my own anymore. My son comes with me whenever I need to go. He is like my bodyguard.” 

The pensioner has been met with intimidation and harassment at every corner.

“There was one man outside Dunnes Stores causing a lot of trouble. People sometimes stop me asking for money but I just keep walking.” 

'I only come into town during the day'

Tony Cotter from the Glen says his socialising in Cork city is now restricted to daylight hours due to antisocial behaviour and recent crime reports.

“I only come into town during the day. I am afraid to come in at night time because of everything that’s going on at the moment. When there’s a couple of people with me that’s really the only time I feel safe. It’s possible that town has gotten worse. There are a lot of young people who you can see are taking stuff. I find there are a lot more people coming up to you asking for a euro or two. It is intimidating. It is also very sad. People are walking to the other side of the street just to avoid any trouble.” 

Pat Quinn from Mayfield refuses to let crime and anti-social behaviour dampen his experience of Cork city.

“I’ve seen shoplifting and disagreements on the streets that have revolved around drugs. I’ve seen people being thrown out of shops by security, but none of these incidents have ever made me afraid. They are not nice to see but it’s just life. I have sympathy for the people who do this but I also have sympathy for the shopkeepers dealing with it all the time. I think a lot more could be done.”

Clara Hogan, aged 21, said she now avoids Cork city at all costs due to the risks involved with nighttime socialising.

“It’s too dangerous,” she said. “We drink up in our local in Ballyvolane because we can’t come in anymore. There is always a lot of shouting and intimidation. You can’t go over to people anymore and speak to them because you don’t know what they have on them. It’s not safe anymore. My boyfriend is from Dungarvan and we are able to walk home at night there which we can’t do here.”

 Brian Crumplin from Bandon says he would have no reservations about heading to Cork city despite the anti-social behaviour.

“I feel very safe,” he said. “Then again I don’t go out very often. I’m not exactly at the age where I’d be going to nightclubs.” 

James Ryan from Tipperary also said he feels safe in Cork city.

“I saw a few sleeping bags around the place when I was out but that was about it really. I stick to myself as much as possible so it’s not something I have really experienced.”