It was a lovely evening in Dublin last night. Gorgeous weather. A fabulous Thai restaurant, with an old friend who had moved back to Dublin 6 years ago with 30 years in Canada under her belt. A move that had its ups and downs but she is fairly settled now. Loads to talk about, loads to catch up on. We had a bit of shopping with us and my knapsack was under my chair and the packages on a nearby chair. We commented briefly when a man on a crutch stumbled against the railing beside us and then moved on.
On coming back from the washroom aboout 15 minutes later I noticed my knapsack was missing, a quick search by staff and nearby patrons confirmed, yes, OMG, the knapsack with my credit cards, medical cards, driver's licence, temporary mobile, about 30 Euro, daytimer, current book, etc. was gone.
We recalled the cripple and his lurch, the restaurant staff played the CCTV and then the manager and a waiter took off down the street in hot pursuit. They intercepted him at another restaurant doing the same bump and grind but no sign of my knapsack. The police had been called in the meantime.
My friend, the dear darling woman, went off to a bank machine and threw all these Euro bank notes on the table to make me feel less destitute (how was I going to get cash with no debit card, h'm?).
Next thing, two ban gardai (women police) show up holding my knapsack. Gobsmacked doesn't begin to describe my feelings when a check of the knapsack showed everything intact. Yer man had stashed it behind a rubbish bin to survey his loot at his own leisure after he had robbed other unsuspecting customers.
The restaurant refused an extra tip for their prompt action and insisted on supplying us with all the free cappucinos we could handle. The police superintendent arrived to tell me how absolutely incredibly lucky I was as robberies in Dublin are through the roof and these crimes happen so quickly that nothing is ever recovered.
I was photographed with the bag for the records, yer man was hauled off in the paddy wagon and detained overnight as a guest of the state.
My thanks to the wonderful Garda Siochana – 3 outstanding women police and to the incredibly kind and quickthinking staff at Koh who went above and beyond the call of duty.
Luck of the Irish? What do you think?
I am pleased that your belongings were recovered. It is horrible to think you cannot go for a meal with friends, without half your attention spent on watching your belongings. As mammy used to say "They would take the sight out or your eye, then come back for the socket"!
ReplyDeletei'm so glad for the positive outcome..what a story
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Gives one a little renewed faith in the workings of the universe when that happens. Not to mention the efforts of restaurant staff and local ban gardai.
ReplyDeleteI do believe in guardian angels. Yours certainly was working overtime. It's just such a sick feeling to know you've been a victim. So glad everything worked in your favor.
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky! Is Bewleys still there? Many hours spent in those red velvet chairs. Our group of hippies living out at Glen Cree (now a school, I think) would all come into town together every week for shopping at the wholesale vegetable market. We'd meet up at Bewleys for coffee before making the drive home.
ReplyDeleteThat mansion had 14 fireplaces, it's on Lough Bray. A fantastic time in my life.
Luck of the Irish indeed. Congratulations. Moral of the story? Be careful of men with crutches! I use a cane all the time!!
ReplyDeleteThe wind was truly at your back, WWW! :-) Pleased to know all is well!
ReplyDeleteIt seems you had a lot of really honest and hard working people on your side. I'm glad you got your knapsack back with everything in it. That wasn't luck, that was the result of diligence.
ReplyDeleteAll around good go!
ReplyDeleteSo glad all worked out well for you. I love Dublin and felt so bad hearing of the robbers. Enjoy the rest of your trip......:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteOh wow - what a positive result - I'm so glad that they caught him, and I hope that he actually gets the punishment he deserves. I hope it doesn't spoil the rest of your stay.
ReplyDeleteGuardian Angels? Gardian Angels on this occasion, I think? Luck of the Irish indeed, you were incredibly fortunate to get everything back in one piece, as the police said the muggers usually take off so fast you have no chance of retrieving a thing.
ReplyDeleteI guess the sky-high mugging rate is partly due to the economic meltdown which has left so many people in desperate straits.
You live inside a story! That sickening feeling when you discovered your belongings missing and the incredulity when the knapsack was recovered are caught in your telling. Hope you return home safely with no more high drama beforehand!
ReplyDeleteWhat a story. It's the world beginning to spin the moment it clicks that all your stuff is gone. Stunned. So many helpful people and a good friend. And then, here it is, back safe and sound. Elation and gratitude. My god, like waking up from a dream. And it's all so fast.
ReplyDeleteGood ending. Good karma.
What a sneaky trick! I wonder how long he'd been using it before he met his comeuppance. Very glad it ended well for you, WWW.
ReplyDeleteI read this a couple of days ago while at work so I couldn't comment. How horrible. Thanks to you, though, I'm being much more careful with where I hang my purse.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief! I just LOVE a story with a happy ending like that!
ReplyDelete