Benburb Street, originally known as Barrack Street was one of the city's most notorious red-light districts. At one end there was a British army barracks which is now Collins Barracks Museum but was the Royal Barracks. This barracks was the oldest inhabited barracks in Europe, and at one time the largest.

Unlike the other red light areas in Dublin Benburb Street's sex industry was a 24 hour seven days a week business and I was very much aware of this because as I passed through the area on my way to work at various times of the day [because I worked shift] I could see the girls in action servicing the needs of long distance truck drivers.

On morning I was walking along the street at about 6am and one of the girls asked me if I could repair her calculator as it was not working … I do not know how she knew that I was an Electronics Engineer. I was able to repair it on the spot.


I never did like walking through the area late at night and I still avoid it at night.

Because of the construction of the Red Line Tram Service the girls and the trucks had to move [to where I do not know] so now in 2017 the area appears to be much more pleasant but a degree of caution is necessary because there is much drugs related anti-social behaviour in the area.