Discussing the issue at the most recent meeting of South Dublin County Council, Social Democrats councillor Justin Sinnott said he passed by “40 stickers” on one road alone.
“Before this, I noticed there’s been a spike in conspiratorial-type stickers on lamp posts, bus stops, post boxes, road signs and bins, you name it,” he said.
“These range back to Covid, from anti-vax messaging to anti-immigration and more.
“I see one in Rathfarnham village that says going toward a cashless society is a way for the government to control us,” he added.
Cllr Sinnott said he has sympathy for the council in having to deal with these strong stickers and various graffiti that can be “really hard to remove”.
He suggested an online portal for residents or councillors to highlight where stickers or graffiti may be prevalent to ensure these locations are checked and cleaned up promptly.
“I know how busy the council is and certainly don’t want to do more work for them, but prioritising the area is clean and tidy and a place where people can be proud of, is key,” he said.
“This graffiti and stickers are really taking away from how nice the area is. It just looks dirty.”
Sticker remnants spotted on a post box in Rathfarnham
On the other side of the city, councillor Ray McAdam said graffiti in the north inner is a “scourge” on the locality.
“In my part of the city, we could have anywhere from 25-30 streets a week where we would have to arrange for graffiti to be removed. It’s unsightly,” he said.
Cllr McAdam said there is a distinction between street art and graffiti, and mentioned his concern around the “increasingly” politically motivated graffiti showing up around our city.
“Some has been seen recently that has been threatening toward individual political figures which is really reprehensible,” he said.
“We also see some stickers similar to advertising for drug paraphernalia and how to access drugs on public streets, which is concerning.”
He also acknowledged the work of Dublin City Council waste management services who he says “do a very good job” in the area when there is a need to do it.
DCC provides a graffiti removal service for public property. According to their website, racist, offensive or political graffiti will be removed within 48 hours.
The north inner-city councillor said the problem is one that is “difficult to tackle”, but one that he doesn’t think has worsened.
However, he thinks it’s important to make sure where there is an incident of graffiti, the city council removes it as quickly as possible.
There has also been argument made that streets or areas where the city could have street art walls would be a good opportunity for talented artists to showcase their skills.
Artist FionnuaIa Halpin is one of those who works with businesses, schools, community groups and Dublin City Council to bring high-quality art to streets and neighbourhoods.
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