The minister responsible for the nation's drugs strategy hunkered down behind a rubbish bin in a dark laneway to look at the large number of used needles, empty packages of citrus powder, used condoms and human blood and excrement.
It is one of the many places that addicts use to inject themselves just metres away from busy shopping areas.
The discarded heroin syringes littering the back lanes of Dublin city centre showed that a new approach is needed in dealing with drug addicts, said Minister Aodhan O'Riordain.
His tour of the back streets was to underline the need for medically-supervised injecting centres where addicts would be less of a danger to themselves and to others.
"Lives can be saved if we can end the practice of addicts shooting up in places like this," he said.
Acknowledging that hundreds of addicts are shooting up in such grim circumstances in the city is "an admission of failure," he said.
They are a sign that Ireland needs to follow the example of several other countries in opening supervised and safe injection centres for long-term drug addicts, he added.
Mr O'Riordan spent yesterday morning walking back streets including the North Lotts between Middle Abbey Street and Bachelor's Walk, Harbour Court back alley off Marlborough Street, and an excrement-stained laneway underneath the windows of the Department of Health, off Hawkins Street.
His guides were Tony Duffin, director of the Ana Liffey Drug Project, and Paul Duff, a team leader with the drug project who spends his days offering care and advice to addicts on the streets.
Source: Alan O'Keeffe, Irish Independent, 02/12/15
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