Sordid side of one of our top beaches, by the lifeguards

LIFEGUARDS at one of Dublin’s most popular beaches have witnessed an array of antisocial behaviour including underage drinking, naked men in sand dunes, and ‘weird’ individuals stalking women.

Logbooks compiled by water safety personnel at Dollymount Strand reveal bad behaviour at the beach, which is located near the affluent suburb of Clontarf.

Three people sought first aid from lifeguards after being pricked by discarded syringe needles on the beach in just two days last year. They included a pregnant woman and a young girl.

During a hot day in June 2017, gardaí were called after two males were spotted in the sand dunes.

‘Reports of two men in dunes without clothes, engaging in sexual acts,’ noted the lifeguards’ logbook. ‘Approached and asked to move on. One failed to do so and cycled down the beach.’

Gardaí were called again later the same day following a complaint about ‘young teens’ drinking in a shelter at the beach, while an adult male was discovered passed out from alcohol on the rocks two weeks’ later.

There were several reports in the logbooks of ‘suspicious’ or ‘weird’ men following women and hiding in bushes.

A confrontation also took place between the father of a ‘little girl’ and a man who was accused of watching her change in one of the shelters.

The logbooks were released by Dublin City Council under the Freedom of Information Act.

Dublin City Council did not respond to a request for comment.