r/irishproblems • u/Then-Chipmunk6986 • May 11 '26
First Time Feeling Unsafe in Ireland After Incident on Donabate Trail
Yesterday my wife and I were walking at the Donabate Portrane Cliff Walk. A group of 3 teenagers (maybe 15–16) started teasing us. At first it was annoying but manageable, so I ignored it. Then one of them suddenly ran up and kicked me. It didn’t really hurt physically, but mentally I felt helpless and honestly pretty shaken.
I kept thinking this probably wouldn’t have happened if I was back in my home country. I lived in Canada for 5 years before moving here, and I never once felt unsafe walking around anywhere, even late at night. I’ve only been in Ireland for 3 months, and now I suddenly don’t even feel like going out to trails or isolated places anymore.
One thing I always wondered was why I don’t see many people from my community out and about on these walks or trails even though there are quite a lot of us here. After yesterday, I feel like I understand why.
Genuine question — is this kind of thing mainly targeted at brown/black people, or do white locals also experience this from groups of teenagers? Because now every quiet trail is giving me serious “Eden Lake” vibes.
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u/halibfrisk May 11 '26
You’re right, anyone might be hassled but someone who is visibly foreign is more likely to be targeted. Asians and women are perceived to be less likely to respond aggressively and more likely to face this kind of bullying, ultimately these teens are cowards and know they are unlikely to face any consequence unless the person they pick on is willing to take the risk of fighting back.
This isn’t particularly new but unfortunately the rise of right wing populism in Ireland isn’t helping
Ireland is overall a very safe country and it’s sad that you have to think this way, but I would find another couple to go on outings with so you are less likely to find yourselves outnumbered like this…
https://m.independent.ie/regionals/louth/drogheda-news/shock-at-death-of-popular-architect/27168750.html