Posted by Updated / Friday, 20 Feb 2026 08:53
Gardaí have yet to identify the man left in a critical condition after an assault in Dublin’s Temple Bar in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The man, who was attacked by two men on Cope Street, was discovered unconscious and brought to Beaumont Hospital where his condition is described as critical.
Gardaí said the man has a tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. They have described it as a blue and white flag with the words “Ceol is Beatha”.
They are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the victim as they have been unable to speak to him and do not know who he is or his age as he had no identification – such as a driver’s licence or bank cards – on him.
Meanwhile. the Chairperson of the Aston Quay and Temple Bar Business and Residents Alliance has called for more gardaí on the streets in Temple Bar.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Stephen Kennedy said that attacks in the area are “very upsetting” and peoples’ lives are often ruined.
Mr Kennedy, who owns Copper and Straw coffee shop in Temple Bar, said that there has been “significant improvement” regarding anti-social behaviour in the area over the last 12 to 14 months. However he warned that they “can’t get complacent”.
He said that when he first opened his Aston Quay store over three years ago, the situation was “particularly challenging” and they were reporting drug dealing and anti-social behaviour issues to gardaí “almost on an hourly basis”.
“I think there’s a new approach to public order policing in the city centre,” he said. “There are more guards on the street – there still aren’t enough but there are more.”
Mr Kennedy said that there are high visibility foot patrols in areas in Temple Bar where there are high rates of anti-social behaviour.
He also said that gardaí carry out standing stops, where they wait “on a street corner or in an area with high rates of anti-social behaviour and effectively acts as a look out and deterrent for 20 minutes”.
“Measures like that have been really effective, that’s the feedback from our group. We are seeing the benefit of that.”
While there has been progress, Mr Kennedy said that more resourcing is needed.
“Our message isn’t that the situation is resolved – it’s not. The city centre is a complex, challenging place to live, to work and to run a business.
“It’s important to acknowledge the progress over the last while but we just can’t be complacent,” he said.
“We’re really calling for more resourcing in the city centre.
“More guards on the street, certainly in places like Temple Bar, which is such a busy part of the city centre and such an important part for our tourist offering. Every time you turn a street corner in Temple Bar you do need to see a guard, it’s that important and that simple.”
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