It was chaotic, it was crazy and at one point last night I was thinking someone could pull out a gun; things in Dublin City Centre had gotten that out of control. 

I was on in the middle of O’Connell Street last night when everything kicked off. A bus was hijacked and set alight on O’Connell Bridge, there was a large explosion soon after.

At the other end of O’Connell Street rioters smashed up a luas and firebombed it. Another double decker bus was also set alight on upper O’Connell Street too. 

On Cathal Brugha Street I witnessed a group of youths torch a Garda car as they smashed the windows of a cafe beside the Holiday Inn Express with tables and chairs they had dismantled from an outdoor dining area. 

I then got caught in the middle of a Garda baton charge, one member of the Garda riot police struck me when I held up my arms and roared, “Journalist, journalist”.

When I was picked up off the ground they told me to get out of the area.

But, at that point, I thought there was no way out.

Both ends of O’Connell Street were burning, the crowd were turning more violent, and as I looked around I seemed to be one of the only people who didn’t have their face covered.

It was a terrifying situation.

At this point rioters were throwing anything they could get their hands on at the guards; bricks, bottles, tables, chairs; you name it, they threw it.

A few minutes later I ran in the direction of Henry Street after a Garda told me that was the safest exit out of the area.

As I walked down Henry Street groups were ransacking and looting shops; the windows of Foot Locker were smashed and dozens of people were running off with boxes and bags of trainers and sportswear.

I saw teenagers who looked no older than 15 involved.

The front of JD Sports was also smashed up, some staff who were still inside the store looked on from inside in horror. 

Shortly after this I was back in my car, but I kept thinking how did the Gardaí not see this coming? It was obvious from early on in the evening that something like this could happen.

If I knew this, how did they not?

The State lost control of law and order last night, it was anarchy and I’ve no idea how nobody was killed. 

This morning I was back on O’Connell Street; shop windows were smashed, the shell of two burnt out buses and luas remained and businesses were counting the cost of the damage. 

They should have been busy today for the Black Friday sales, but today was a Black Friday for the Irish capital for other reasons.

Main image: Dublin riots.