Spot on about Dublin. I had my hands in my pockets anytime I was in a packed room. It’s a hive for thiefs. The Artful Dodger would have been in his element there.
Talking about small town Ireland generally though. We don’t have the same extent of petty crime that exists in England. The US is on another level altogether. Everyone armed to the teeth. A mass shooting is greeted with a “meh”. Ireland is very rural and community based. I had never seen bars on ground floor windows, or perspex screens in shops. Liverpool was an enormous shock to the system. Fantastic friendly people, but there is an undercurrent of crime committed by scallies and organised criminal groups. In the north of Ireland we’ve had the troubles, but really that can skew perceptions (especially when you see bombs/shootings in the news).