In this episode, Dara tries to get his head around the riots that took place in Dublin recently after a violent knife attack on young children outside their school in the middle of the day. The subsequent outpouring of shock and anger escalated into a night of destruction, rioting and looting in the city centre, fuelled by anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Dara wonders about the bad actors involved in inciting the riot, the larger connection to the rise of populism and ultra-nationalism that seems to be prospering the world over, and the pre-existing conditions that lead to such a powder keg volatility amongst those who wreaked such wanton havoc.
An assessment of the situation by online comic personality and musician, Garron Noone, was so impressive that Dara features part of it here. Clear-eyed, passionate and fair, Garron’s thoughtfulness about what happened is a great contribution to a very complex subject.
Finally, Dara looks at the socio-psychological implications of the rioters’ actions. Where does that desire to lash out come from? What is the genesis of that violence and anger? Is it ultimately an indictment of generational and systemic neglect by Ireland’s national institutions? Is it connected to a denial of dignity and pride? And is it possible to express love for swathes of angry men who tore apart the streets of Ireland’s capital?