Following a series of violent attacks in the capital, Dublin City buskers feel "worried" their equipment and earnings will be stolen.

That's according to Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland (MEAI) spokesperson Rebecca Cappuccini, who spoke to Lunchtime Live this week about the future of busking in Dublin.

MEAI have been reporting the issue of violence against musicians for "quite some time", Ms Cappuccini said.

"We've had a meeting with the Lord Mayor's House about it," she said. "We've also raised the issue and concerns while having a new thing about nightlife in Dublin."

"There has been a rise in people getting in touch with us with worry.

"Musicians carry a lot of very expensive equipment with them, which they're worried might get stolen.

"There's been a good few thefts already of musicians' equipment – which is their livelihood effectively."

Buskers

Ms Cappuccini said buskers no longer want to busk later at night.

"If musicians feel unsafe, then punters and people going to gigs probably feel unsafe, and it probably has an impact on the turnout for gigs," she said.

"I can tell this is an issue that's been going on for a long time and hasn't been looked at."

Band busking in Temple Bar, Dublin (Kevin Foy / Alamy Stock Photo)

Mick, who has been a busker on Henry Street for 14 years, said he has noticed a "dramatic" increase in theft.

"They come up, and they'll punch you and take your money as you're busking – it happened to me last week," he said.

"I do a gig on a Friday and I finish at 10:00pm and normally I'd float through Temple Bar to see who else is playing around.

"I stopped doing that because of the young lads hanging around ... It is very scary."

'Night creatures'

Mick said the problem gets worse as the night goes on.

"I used to do 11am until 1pm in the morning, and then I'd have a break and I'd do maybe [until] 6pm – I stopped doing that because of the way things are," he said. "It's the night creatures."

"When I finish [a gig], there's a taxi waiting right outside. I won't even walk around town anymore late at night."

Mick said he believes it will come to a stage where buskers finish in the early afternoon.

"The city centre will become a no-go zone," he said.

Culture

Ms Cappuccini said any progress made in Irish late-night entertainment will only happen if issues around safety are tackled.

"Unless an issue like this is actually looked at correctly and impactfully changed or altered, of course, it's going to have an impact," she said.

"Who's going to feel safe to go to a late-night show in Dublin?

"Not only does this affect songwriters and other artists but it affects people actually coming to support the art being created and showcased."

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Main image shows a busker in Temple Bar, Dublin (Stephen Saks Photography / Alamy Stock Photo)