.Vlog in text:
Folks we are here with Bernie and Bernie is visually impaired yeah and he’s been on the streets of Dublin for how long on half years and uh do you usually back uh like around here around this around here around the con Street I do all right and you were saying to me that uh Dublin got a bit bullied the people bully you oh yeah they bully me entire lives they do yeah they do and people believed them yeah they do what do they say they say I’m not blind I’m a con arst and a fake and a pH but I’ve have a lot of good friends too that don’t like it either yeah all right yeah Bernie and U well tell me about yourself like you you you were born in Dublin right I was born in Dublin and um I had sight I was born born normal had sight but I got older I lost them became hold on hold on can you repeat that cuz we are here in the busy street cuz sorry I’ll turn around this way as I got older I started losing eyesight I got F impair yeah because a man is homeless doesn’t mean he’s abusing this substances I’ve been in and out of hosts and I’ve been living in tents um so all together probably on the streets probably 5 years you say I’m not blind I’m a con artist and a fake and a phony I went into care of the hsse and I went from care home to Care Home High proportion of them are probably drolics like and crack Al crack cocaine you the problem and and heroin I when I was a kid that I had to get my sisters out of the house because the house went on fire and I was the only one that could was the rest of them all underneath me my Ag and my M my dad and my little brother died in the fire I’m an alcoholic but I haven’t drank in 9 once and uh I went to a bad time with drink and that and got to dogs and that and just um you just get on with her right what about like schooling did you do schools I went to remedial skills I did special skills yeah I did so right have you got family I do inde I got family I had a brother who was down syndrome who died from the gene already right yeah oh sorry to hear that Daddy but you just get on with it it’s all right it’s known as Lawrence Moon Beetle syndrome rare gen genus our defect yeah all right and Bernie yeah uh how is to be homeless in Dublin I’m not actually generally homeless I have a place but it’s condemned I’m trying to get it done up but um I’m staying with friends on enough the moment am you know that kind of way all right how to be to be begging on the streets of it’s got harder it’s gotten really hard really hard there’s not a lot of tax there’s not a lot of robberies lately yeah it’s got very vicious and but there’s a lot of still good people in this town good heart there is you know what I mean yeah but there’s an a lot of bias and discrimination as well which is sad too you know what I mean what kind of discrimination you talking about discrimination like sometimes I’ve up and got foreign people say you’re not this you’re not that the I’ve of gotten Irish people that would pick on foreign people as well I’ve often talking foreign peop that would come here not much English or our lost and re-educate them and retach them how to speak and all that how to be human again you know what I mean yeah all right yeah and you not being able to see but you still see these things I still see the soul in there and the Heart in there that’s there I maybe a bit lost but it’s still there to come out yeah Will AG brilliant brilliant Bernie uh do you see a lot of drugs on the streets of Dublin huh do you see a lot of drugs oh yeah big time it’s got worse it’s destroying people big time it is yeah all right it’s getting bigger the problem right it is it is indeed getting bigger the problem there’s a lot of people that are getting hooked and and they’re getting lost and there’s a lot people that have had friends that are on drugs and have are not friends anymore that robbed me and all you know what I mean and there’s an a lot of good friends that have had addictions and they’re still good friends and they’re putting up with the the same problems too as well in the city you know I mean yeah but they’re trying to get themselves s day and day out you know what I mean yeah all right M um what about like handouts how is the situation when it comes to handouts some are good some are bad are they places to to get to help there is a lot of places but the problem is there’s not enough in this town there’s not enough for people they’re running out that’s the truth to they’re not get they’re not getting to everyone they’re running out stuff yeah that’s that’s the problem like they’re good people that do it you know I mean good volunteers and people yeah dear that’s the problem too mhm yeah can you name a few organizations that help I can indeed I can name a few um there’s the the the van does be around the car in degression hotel there’s the Dublin Simon there’s the Vince and the Paul there’s Outreach there’s the GP um there’s the place over in Pier Street the lighthouse they do bus there on the weekends and then there’s a face most and brother Luke’s he does as well yeah which is brother Kevin’s now yeah you know quite quite a few you get you get around yeah I’ve been around there yeah I’ve been around s there’s a lot there yeah all right my friend yeah and is there any advice you could give to people who mess with drugs or like about to you know thinking that homelessness is cool homeless isn’t cool over it’s not cool at all it’s harder it’s rough and it’s terrible especially for women it’s harder but there’s a lot of good people out there if you if you’re thinking of a trying and get anywhere indoors not out here in the streets try and get yourself somewhere SED whatever you have to do couches floor as you name it not the streets that’s the TRU that’s a big time even someone’s place even if you’re in a um a condemned building which an awful lot of people are we look ill for each other as well which an awful lot of friends are and even our homes that are condemned we’re still trying to get them done up by the DCC and there’s an awful lot of people out there are being evicted by the government which is is disgrace as well you know what I mean is that the case yeah that is the case the M that is the true case yeah there’s a lot of people out here that the sameed should be able here either there’s one or two and enough that our friends are in wheelchairs as well trying to struggle and survive as well what the government has done to our benefits as well you know what I mean too and that’s the TRU as well but most of the time I usually talk to people it’s not just money you know I mean yeah do people chat to you stop and chat yeah it gives him personality gives him hope gives support yeah that yeah cuz you’re quite chatty person you like to chat don’t you we all right Bernie uh is there anything else you’d like to add to the interview yeah I’d like tell the interview that we’re not all we’re not all we’re not all um what’s the word we’re not all just down and out bombs that just look for money all the time some of us have personalties some of us had jobs in our life some of us had careers families you name we didn’t all end up like go here in the street begging you know we still have a life in there somewhere but a lot of is to do with drugs like that’s the problem too have you got any uh problem with like substance abuse yourself I I used to be a heavy drinker I’m not really anymore yeah I just drink now and again that’s it yeah what’s your favorite uh alcohol cider I used to be heavy Spar Drinker not anymore yeah you don’t drink Guinness no can’t touch it I actually like it myself yeah everyone’s different honey everyone’s different yeah all right my friend thanks for that interview I wish you all the best no from nice to meet God bless you God bless you too darl thanks for the interview good one nice one cheers you too swear you too

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