Stephen Termini says assault has not changed views on Dublin

American tourist Stephen Termini said he wants to become an Irish citizen, despite being left in a coma following a near-fatal assault on Talbot Street in July.

Termini was discharged from hospital earlier this week, and said despite the incident, he still holds a deep love for Ireland and wants to pursue the path of attaining Irish citizenship.

Speaking to the Irish Independent about the experience, he said the reaction to the incident has been “bizarre.”

“Everybody wants to take my picture and autograph. They were buying me pints all the time.”

“All the people in the country who donated money. I got to thank everybody who I don’t know that dropped five or ten dollars or whatever. God Bless. I wasn’t expecting money. All this money came and I thought ‘What the f*** am I supposed to do with that?”

Termini says the incident has not changed his perception of Ireland, noting that his mother’s ashes were scattered on the Cliffs of Moher and his grandmother was from Mayo.

“You know, when I’m here I feel safe. I love this place.”

“I can’t say anything negative about Dublin because of that (the assault) it doesn’t affect the way I think about this land”.

The New York native said he could not remember anything about the July assault, saying “I can’t tell you a thing. I was looking for somebody. I never said anything to those kids – I couldn’t remember the first two weeks in the hospital.”

The assault on Termini has led to sharp public debate about safety levels in Dublin, with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee devoting resources, including the deployment of armed support units and mounted units, onto Dublin’s streets to tackle the issue.