‘I can’t dwell on the past,’ says young Liberties woman who lost both parents to addiction

A young Dubliner, who lost both her parents to addiction as a child, credits her aunt and the local community for keeping her on the right path.

Tara O’Kelly (22) was born and raised in the Liberties, and lives on Meath Street with her aunt, A do. Tara was just two-and a-half years old when her parents died.

Ado fostered Tara and her three sisters, alongside caring for her own two children, and Tara considers her the mother she never had.

Working in the same Meath Street deli since she was 14, Tara credits her aunt and the wider Liberties community for helping her to thrive.

Her story will be highlighted as part of this year’s Culture Date with Dublin 8 festival, which is taking place from May 8 to 12.

Humans of Dublin were commissioned to create a series of stories shining a light on the people of the Liberties, with the final images and interviews forming part of an exhibition in The Bank on James Street during the festival.

Tara says she was one of the lucky ones to be given a second chance in life and be raised by someone like her aunt.

“I call my aunt my ‘ma’ because that’s what she is to me,” Tara said. “She never had a partner, and she did everything on her own; she’s the best in the world.

“She devoted her whole life to us, providing a good life and instilling good values in us.”

Tara added that she he has the utmost respect for her aunt, describing her as “strict”, but only being that way “to protect them”.

She said she never went down the “wrong path”, largely due to the protection of her aunt. “Her ‘no’ meant ‘no’, and I wouldn’t ever question that,” she said.

Parts of the south-west inner city, which stretches as far as the Grand Canal to the south and Inchicore and Kilmainham to the west, include areas of significant disadvantage.

The social issues include a lack of green space, recreational facilities or pitches for children in Dublin 8 to play on, often exposing them to less healthy temptations.

Local campaigners have been lobbying for decades for a playing field for the area, saying children are being “corralled into the hands of drug lords”.

“It seems like society wants to turn a blind eye to this and see them as a different socio-economic class,” campaign group Sporting Liberties has said.

In recent weeks, some residents in the area said they didn’t “feel safe” due to concerns around open drug dealing, aggressive behaviour by gangs of youths and a lack of street lighting in certain areas.

However, the community spirit in the area remains strong and residents continue to call for more investment in Dublin 8, as well as an increased garda presence to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Tara has worked at Noel’s Deli on Meath Street since the age of 14, working weekends during school and now full-time as a shop assistant.

“I wouldn’t be the person I am today without working here,” she said. “I know everyone who comes through the door, and half of my family are regular customers.”

She also said that working at Noel’s Deli has helped her overcome social anxiety, which used to cause her skin to break out into rashes.

“I’ve learned small talk, and everywhere I go, I get told I’m so chatty, but it’s just because of the job,” she said.

“I left the job two years ago for roughly three months and came straight back because you’d never get another place like here.”

She described the community in the Liberties as “a lovely place” to grow up in, where people will always look out for each other.

Word travels fast within the community, with her regularly receiving calls from friends or family members about her younger nieces’ whereabouts.

Since her story was highlighted on @ humans of dub, Tara said “the support has been amazing” and she’s even received free coffees from customers at work.

Having not known her own parents, she said she tries to focus on the positives and the support she has received from Ado. “I’ve always had her to guide me and my siblings,” she said.

“You just have to keep fighting; I can’t dwell on the past and go down that road because that’s when the problems start to happen.”

The Culture Date with Dublin 8 festival is taking place from Wednesday, May 8, to Sunday, May 12. See www. culture date with dublin 8 .ie

“Children are being corralled into the hands of drug lords. It’s like society wants to turn a blind eye”