Hostel witness

Most people who live in Dublin have never been through the door of Kinlay House, on Lord Edward Street. That's because it's a hostel for the backpackers we see every day: rucksacked folk walking to and from stations, swigging water and consulting maps and guidebooks.

It's early morning, and people are still sitting over breakfast in the sunny dining room before dispersing for the day.

Patricia Rey, Antonio Quintas, Carol Alermandez and her son Christopher (7) are all Spanish. It's their first visit to the Republic, and all have big smiles and bad stories. Their opening conversation is not about sightseeing, it's about theft.

"Every one of us has had something stolen," says Alermandez, straight away. Only some of these thefts occurred on the streets - others have been thefts by fellow backpackers - but "Dublin is dangerous", says Rey, who recounts the story of a friend who had a bag snatched in Christ Church last week, by two boys who approached to ask for a cigarette.

Someone else had to go home when all their money was stolen. To be a tourist in Dublin, even one with a modest backpacker budget, still requires one to be ever vigilant.

Quintas, who wanted to come to the Republic because his sister had liked it, has been working in a factory for a few weeks while living in the hostel. He's soon heading on to London.

When asked what his favourite place in Dublin has been, he says it was the library. Trinity? "No, no," says Quintas, patiently. "Tallaght library: the best one I've ever been to. Write it down."

All of them were attracted here by the chance of speaking English in a "friendly" country, and they say it has proved to be so, but at the top of their impressions of Dublin, along with theft - "do you mind if we tell you the bad bits, too?" - is that of people begging. "There are so many people begging. I didn't expect that," Quintas says, and the others agree.

Martha Lanza, Elena Greggio and Barbara Ludovico are Italian students, travelling together. They have their rucksacks on, ready to depart for the west. "Maybe Connemara, we will see."

It's the first time here for them, too, and they will be here for six weeks in total, with a fortnight still to go. They've spent the past 10 days in Dublin, looking for waitressing work, but have given up and are heading back out of the city.

"We are usually living in cities, so we prefer to go other places here," says Lanza. "We prefer the west," agrees Ludovico. "I love the sea." They've been to Galway, Doolin, Inishmore, Tralee, Ennis, Dingle and Kilkenny, and have hitched a lot.

Their favourite place in Dublin was St Stephen's Green: for Carol Alermandez it had been the Phoenix Park.

They comment that in Dublin they've met mainly Spanish and Italian backpackers, who don't seem to move outside urban areas, while everywhere else it's been mainly Australians, Americans and New Zealanders.

"For us, the sky here is very incredible and beautiful," says Lanza. "In Italy, there isn't this sky. Sometimes we just stop and look at it. I wish I could explain it better."

Joe Nott and Jayne Devlin are English, here on a first visit for 10 days to go to a wedding in Westport. "We want to get out of Dublin fast," says Devlin, "and spend as much time camping and being in small places as we can." They are going to hitch to Westport.

It's their first full day in the Republic; they spent the previous night walking round Dublin.

"There's a buzz about it, but it's quite scary. It feels very closed in," says Nott.

"We walked a lot in Temple Bar. It's really full on; people right in your face," says Devlin.

"The busker was blowing a whistle to get people's attention," Nott puts in, marvelling at this direct approach.

Devlin looks at him. "That wasn't a busker," she corrects, "that was a beggar."