Ireland from a Polish perspective

Crime in Ireland: where do you go from here?

mackozer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:25:16 +0000

The brutal attack on two Polish lads who died in the hospital is the most clear example of the “dead end” of changes in Irish society. I don’t know what was the picture of the Irish society 10 or even 5 years ago, but the newspapers provide me the information about the scale of changes and the growing crime and brutality among the Irish society, especially teenagers. According to the Irish Independent (Tuesday 4 March 2008) knife crime in Ireland had risen 300pc in four years. The scale and the brutality of the crimes and attacks committed by the Irish teenagers is also horrifying. All the suspects involved in the attack on two Polish lads are in the age of 14, 15, 17 and 19. They youngest o them – 14 years old girl was arrested couple of days ago. The other four teenagers were held by Gardai being involved in a murder of 21 year old man near Grand Canal in Dublin. I remember many such stories that were described in the Irish newspapers in the last 2 years.

The nationality of those two Polish lads had probably nothing to do with the reason of the attack. There was probably no reason at all. The young thugs were just looking for trouble and looking for the target. How many thugs like the ones who killed my two compatriots are still walking down the streets of Irish cities and towns? According to the all crime reports that were published in the newspapers in the last two years I dare say there is many of them.

How many of the decent people – Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, English or other nations – have to be killed by young thugs to open the eyes of the Irish society, Gardai and the politics?

Some of the readers of my blog are cross with me becasue of my opinions (that are critical sometimes) about Ireland and Irish people that I present on my blog. Many of them always complains on my compatriots. It is true – we are far from perfect, and there is many Polish troublemakers in Ireland for sure. You can believe or not in the stupid rumors that we hunt swans etc (swans are not in Polish menu), you can accuse us of making troubles, taking your jobs etc. but why many of Irish turn the blind eye on the growing problem of crime and brutality in their own society, or maybe the 300pc rise of the knife crime is also our Polish fault? The crime among the teenagers is really big problem. Can you imagine that those teenage thugs will be adults one day?

By the way, in the same issue of Irish Independent there is more crime stories: one is about 27 years old man who killed his girlfriend and another story is about two mothers who hid cocaine in the childs’ buggy and about the shootings in Limerick.

Have you seen the great film “Boondock Saints”? Do you remember the first scene in the church and the homily of the priest?
“Of course we must fear evil men, but there is another evil that we must fear more… and that is the indifference of good men.”

Boondock Saints, brutality, brutal attack, compatriots, crime reports, gardai, ireland, Irish culture, irish independent, Irish newspapers, irish people, irish society, knife crime, polish, Polish and Irish, Polish Comm, Polish Emigration, target, thugs, troublemakers

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Carlow Castle - the example of indolence and incompetence of Carlow Council

mackozer — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:45:33 +0000

In the latest issue of Carlow leading newspaper - The Nationalist - there was an article about the Carlow Castle issue. One of the biggest tourist attractions of the town has been left without proper tourist facilities (car park, easy access to the site), covered with litter and in darkness during the night. I have described Carlow Castle in one of me first posts on my Polish blog 2 years ago. I mentioned the large number of the broken bottles that were covering the yard (or interior of the building). It seems that Carlow Council noticed that 2 years after me. Also, they have noticed that there has not been lights in the Castle during the nights for the last 8 months. Indeed it is very hard to notice that because of the surrounding estates that were built up recently. This is the worst thing that Carlow Council could do to the castle. It is surrounded by a ugly modern estates that almost completely wiped out the castle from the town’s landscape. The castle is almost invisible to the newcomer - somebody who doesn’t know the town. The modern estates are placed too close to the castle that the surrounding around the ancient building are not attractive to the tourists at all. It seems that the Carlow chancellors have forgotten about the simple fact - the monument is not only the castle but its vicinity as well, and now - thanks to the Carlow Council - there is nor historical surrounding nor facilities for tourists around the castle.

I remember, it was only 2 years ago, while I was walking down the Graigcullen town’s park or walking down the Castle Street I could watch the beautiful shape of the castle but not any more. The parts that remained visible don’t help the overall ugly look of that part of Carlow town’s landscape.

Dear chancellors - it is a pity, but it is to late to cry. You did nothing when the land around the castle was sold out to the developers, you didn’t prevent the destroying of the town’s landscape and cutting off the castle from the living organism of the town. In my opinion The Carlow Council’s policy in that part of the town was as much devastating to the castle as the ideas of the mad doctor Middleton (who nearly completely destroyed almost untouched structure). The light won’t help much. The castle will remain abandoned by tourists.

It is obvious that Ireland needs more and more development and it is changing rapidly. I am just afraid that there is not too many people in charge who care about the Irish heritage. I wish you all not to wake up one day when you are not able to get back part of your soul that is being sold these days.

carlow, carlow town, car park, castle street, darkness, developers, easy access, ireland, Irish culture, landscape, nationalist, newcomer, shape, tourist facilities, vicinity

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I won’t be at Irish Blog Awards

mackozer — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:31:45 +0000

It is a pitty, but I won’t join all of you tonight on the Irish Blog Awards gala. I have to be in Carlow tomorrow morning, and there is no chance to get back from Dublin during the night.

I wish all of you who are nominated good luck and I would like to thank Michele Neylon who persuaded me to blog in English almost 2 years ago.

blog, blog awards, dublin, ireland

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Two Poles died after being attacked in Dublin

mackozer — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:20:34 +0000

Two Poles died after being attacked by a group of teenagers while they were buying chips in one of the takeaways in Drimnagh/ Dublin last Saturday. The older - 29 years old Paul has just died in St James’s Hospital in Dublin. They were stabbed with screwdriver.

The gangs of Irish kids and teenagers left unattended by their parents (who are both drunk or stoned) , kids taking and selling cocaine, using shotguns and being extremely brutal it is a growing stereotype picture of the Irish teenagers in the suburbs of Irish cities, and thus a stereotype picture of a part of the Irish society.

I don’t know what happened. Those two Poles were arguing with Irish teenagers. I don’t know if the kids were provoked or not. It doesn’t matter now. Those deaths will rise the racist tensions and build up higher the ghetto wall between Irish society and Polish community.

The stereotypes in both communities will be a bit stronger after those deaths.

dublin, ireland, Polish and Irish, Polish Comm, Polish Emigration

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Irish Blog Awards - looking for a lift from and back to Carlow

mackozer — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:11:32 +0000

My photoblog (www.kozerawski.com) is shortlisted for Irish Blog Awards. Last year I couldn’t come to the awards gala. I was in Poland. This time I want to go to meet Irish bloggers I know only in virtual reality. The problem is the time of the gala. It is at 7.30 PM and I am afraid I will finish quite late and I won’t catch the bus back to Carlow.

If there is anybody from Carlow or who is going to Irish Blog Awards gala and will be driving through Carlow on his or her way to Dublin and back, and could give me a lift to Carlow after the party I would be very grateful.

blog, blog awards, photoblog

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