I had planned on staying at the YHA which is in Mountjoy Street - I'm a YHA member (life membership) and nearly always choose the YHA over other hostel. Looking at a map of Dublin in the Lonely Planet guide book, the YHA seems to be a bit further out, most of the accommodation shown was on the south side of the river (Liffey) and the ones listed in the northern section were a lot closer to the river than the YHA, so I was toying with the idea of staying somewhere else - perhaps around the Temple Bar are, but it was when I read this, that I received a bit of a nasty shock -
DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES
Petty crime of the bag-snatching, pickpocketing and car-break-in variety is a low to mid-level irritant.
Hired and foreign-registered cars are favourite targets - they seem to have a smash-my-window sign splayed across their bonnets. Take sensible precautions; supervised car parks for overnight parking aren't a bad idea. Remember also that insurance policies often don't cover losses from cars.
The area north or Gardner St, O'Connell St and Mountjoy Sq is not especially salubrious, and is afflicted with drug addiction, crime and occasional violence. Phoenix Park is a no-go area after dark; camping there is not only illegal, but also an invitation to trouble.
No other areas were mentioned, only this section. I do think it might behoove me to not stay at the YHA after all. Pity, it's certainly a lot cheaper than the few I was interested in the Temple Bar area.
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