Dancing Strolling in the moonlight.
Unable to sleep due to a recent bout of insomnia, local man Leo O’Shaughnessy found himself wide awake at 3am. Finally giving in to the fact that sleep wasn’t on the agenda, he pulled himself from the bed to look outside and lucky for us he did, because he managed to capture some gorgeous footage of a deserted Dublin.
Knowing how rare it is to have the city to himself, Leo quickly got dressed and set off exploring – trusty companion in tow.
“Unable to sleep and with the dog staring at me with that ‘if you’re awake, I’m awake look’ on his face I realised that my insomnia and the lockdown offered me a very rare opportunity to see a foggy Dublin without any people in it. So my trusty companion & I set out for a walk.
“Immediately the silent city devoid of people or cars seemed otherworldly. Walking up James Street I was at once struck by how ‘lit’ the city is. Light leaking into the sky from every corner made for a spooky sight in the fog, although are all of them really needed?
Confirming that “there was absolutely nobody about”, Leo said he saw two other people during his 90-minute walk – along with four taxis and private cars. According to him: “This was truly an abandoned city.”
His route took him from Christchurch – which looked “almost like a mountain appearing out of the fog” – down Castle Street to the side of City Hall. Next it was onto Dame Street which seemed “very lonely and downmarket” and past what Leo described as “the saddest sight of the night”… a completely dead Gay Spar.
Then down Dame street which seemed very lonely and down-market without the throngs of people that normally fill this space past the saddest sight of the night, a completely dead Gay Spar. pic.twitter.com/urfz9Xtnfr
— Leo – Israel is engaged in Genocide (@leoie) March 2, 2021
The duo also managed to hit Temple Bar, the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College before heading on down Westmorland Street, over O’Connell Bridge and up toward the Hapenny Bridge and finally down Essex Street to the Dublin City Council offices.
Concluding that “walking the city alone was a spooky experience”, Leo finished by saying:
“The anger at bad decisions and bad planning by our council meant that I arrived home somewhat deflated. Still worth the trip.”
Getting quite a lot of attention over on Twitter, the thread has been shared far and wide since Leo posted it last night with comedian Dara O’Briain amongst those to have reposted it – claiming that he is very envious of Leo’s moonlit stroll.
“This thread is gorgeous. Foggy, deserted Dublin at 3am. I envy making this walk.”
Header image via Twitter/Leo O’Shaughnessy
