'The uncelebrated anniversary catapults the Dublin riots back onto our front pages'
It unfolded as a sudden, startling surrender to the dark side, a night when anarchy and depravity, like twin seas rising around a low-lying island, threatened to engulf Dublin and swallow her whole.
Colin Farrell and his director might have modelled The Penguin’s dystopian Gotham on that night in Dublin, the one where the Visigoths overwhelmed Rome. A perfume of fear was tangible across this ordinarily boisterous metropolis of a thousand watering holes and in excess of a million souls. Inexplicably, within hours, the nation’s political, economic and cultural epicentre, Anna Livia’s house, had been ransacked and brought to its knees by a rampaging mob, their destructive dance synchronised by malign social media choreographers.
It arrived like a crude stun-bolt to the city’s skull, instantly disabling the usual ebb and flow, a jolting reminder of how tenuous is the grip of the ordered society we take for granted, how quickly the thin ice sheet of normality can splinter and crack. By mid-August - little over a fortnight after mobs unleashed terror on towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - more than 1,000 people had been arrested, 480 charged and 99 sentences had been handed down.
Also in the spotlight, is a perceived trend of prioritising the rights of the wrongdoer over the injured party, a fashion which leaves the law-abiding with a bitter taste on the tongue, a sense they - rather than the authors of evil - have most to fear.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jingle all the way as Grafton Street Christmas lights get the big switch on'There is nowhere quite like Dublin city centre at Christmas,' said Dublin Town CEO, Richard Guiney
Read more »
Ex-Shels defender to run Sunday’s Dublin Marathon, but there’s just one problemLeague of Ireland title chasers Shelbourne are just one of Lorcan Fitzgerald’s former clubs.
Read more »
Dublin Riots were 'shameful' and 'disheartening' and one of darkest days in cityDublin Fire Brigade’s Greg O’Dwyer, who has worked in the organisation for more than three decades, said crews felt helpless watching the capital burn and not being able to respond
Read more »
The beating heart of the Dublin team, James McCarthy was one of the greatest everBallymun man has ample opportunity to reflect on a decorated and illustrious career.
Read more »
One F in Foley: Ireland and All Blacks set for highly charged affair in DublinIreland-New Zealand 2024: a story of lost and lost again World Cup quarter-finals, revenge, and one man's magnificent obsession, will be fascinating - guaranteed
Read more »
One Ballsbridge review: Can Oliver Dunne break the curse of this Dublin 4 dining room?Affordable cocktails and bistro dishes in a fun, glamorous room - just don’t expect crowd pleasers like fish and chips or fish pie
Read more »