Impact from Dublin riots seen in city spending over usually lucrative Black Friday weekend

Katy Thornton

City spending was almost halved as a result of the riots.

It should come as no surprise that the riots that occurred in Dublin on Thursday, November 23rd, had an impact on city spending for Black Friday.

An analysis of in-person spending on Bank of Ireland debit and credit cards in Dublin 1 and Dublin 2 for this normally lucrative day (November 24) showed spending almost halved compared with Black Friday in 2022, down by 46%.

Spending in Dublin City centre remained significantly impacted on both Saturday and Sunday, November 25 and 26, with spending down by 27% on both days compared to the equivalent in 2022.

The aftermath of the Dublin riots

CEO of Bank of Ireland Retail Ireland Susan Russel said this of the impact:

“Our thoughts are with those injured and affected by last Thursday’s appalling events, especially the children and their carer at Parnell Square, the members of An Garda Síochána who worked to protect the city during the night, and communities and businesses in Dublin City.

“This violence hurt Dublin. It was bad for everyone who lives, works, studies, visits, and does business in the city.

“We’ve been doing business in Dublin for 240 years, and today we have thousands of customers and colleagues in the city centre. This year we’re especially proud to be part of Dublin City Council’s Dublin Winter Lights initiative. This will see our College Green building lighting up spectacularly during December, along with some of the city’s other landmark buildings. Dublin is a great European city, and I hope as many people as possible visit over the coming month.”

Many Dublin retail businesses faced break-ins on the night of the riots, including Arnotts, Foot Locker, and more. Countries have also warned their citizens about travelling to Dublin in the wake of the violence.

Tropical Popical owner Andrea Horan took to social media to plead with residents and tourists alike not to give up on Dublin in a heartfelt post.