Gritty reality of an outdoor summer in Dublin’s Portobello
RESIDENTS in an area that has become a popular outdoor drinking spot in the capital, are divided over whether recently installed portaloos should be removed, with some detailing incidences of threats and intimidating behaviour.
The Portobello Residents Association called for the removal of the portaloos this week and questioned the legality of their installation without consulting with locals.
However, some residents living around Portobello Plaza told the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend that the portaloos are preferable to people openly urinating on the streets – a major problem in the area in recent weeks.
Portobello Plaza reopened to the public this week following Dublin City Council’s controversial decision to close off the area for three weekends after reports of anti-social behaviour.
Following calls for temporary toilet facilities, the council installed eight portaloos for people socialising on the plaza and along the nearby stretch of the Grand Canal.
But some locals are concerned that the area around their homes has become something of a sanctioned party zone.
One resident, Martin, who did not want to reveal his surname, told the MoS: ‘The problem is that people will see on social media that there are toilets in Portobello and it could all kick off again, worse than before.
‘When you wake up and it’s sunny you think, “Here we go”. You’re nearly hoping for bad weather so you can get some peace and quiet. That’s how bad it’s got.’
Martin added: ‘Last night was surprisingly quiet. But there was a very, very high police presence.’
When the MoS visited the area on Thursday and Friday night there were no signs of significant anti-social behaviour.
People happily sat socialising outside the now partially reopened bars in the area as gardaí maintained a visible presence.
However, despite the presence of the portaloos, one reveller could be seen openly urinating in a street off the plaza in broad daylight.
And some locals are so fed up they are moving out of the area.
One elderly resident told the MoS: ‘I’ve been living here 33 years. It was lovely when we moved in but it’s just gone to hell now. People are moving out because of it. Since the Covid it’s really, really bad.’
A little further down the canal and away from the plaza, where things are usually quieter, another resident said he doesn’t ‘blame people’ for coming to the area to socialise.
‘A lot of people around here live in one-room bedsits and they have to get out,’ he said. ‘But there’s always a few headcases that seem to want to mess things up for everybody else. But if you’re going to sell people drink and you don’t provide facilities, what are people going to do [but urinate in public]?
‘Everybody knows that if you go to the pub, you’re going to need the toilet. You can’t be running an outdoor pub without facilities.’
Another resident said many locals have been fairly tolerant of the area’s increasing popularity, and are happy living near ‘a vibrant canal like Paris or London’. But he added ‘things got out of hand’ in recent weeks as the good weather attracted large crowds, ostensibly sticking to the Government’s ‘outdoor summer’ mandate.
The resident added: ‘I think a much younger element came along and they were just kind of p ****** everywhere and being fairly obnoxious to the neighbours. An older woman on my road had a stick thrown at her because she told some guy to stop taking a s*** on the road.’
While many people are put out by the empty cans and bottles that often get left behind and the noise as portable stereos play well into the night, residents are mostly concerned about revellers openly using streets and buildings as toilets.
A 20-year-old student who lives in the area recalls how she witnessed a shocking incident while walking home from college recently at around 4pm.
‘There was a little boy sitting there with a colouring book, and a man came down and just pulled it out and started peeing in front of him.
‘It was disgusting. Then there’s the smell the next morning.’
Her sentiments were echoed by her neighbour, who said: ‘The p ****** is the worst. One time I came out and there was a fellow p ****** against my house. The last Friday night that the plaza wasn’t boarded up it was bedlam here.
‘There’s a lady lives down there with her three-year-old son. She was used to maybe 100 people
‘An older woman had a stick thrown at her’
‘A man urinated against my house’
urinating [in her lane] but things got worse. They were banging on her door, screaming, snorting coke outside, dealing coke. I come out and tell them to “f*** off”, and I’ve been threatened. I’ve been abused. I’ve been told I’ll be “sorted out”. “Go back in, old man, or we’ll sort you out”.’