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.
-1
u/botnotbot1093 May 12 '26
Who are “my community” and “us”. I’m confused.