Man (26) injured in horror homophobic attack on Dublin Bus has his nose aligned

Mark Sheehan (26) updated followers on his Twitter account on his progress since he was head-butted by another passenger as he was returning from a night out with friends in the city.

Taking to social media, he posted pictures of his face alongside an image of gifts left for him on his return to work.

Although he had his “nose aligned today, one of the worst things I've ever felt,” he has been uplifted as he was “showered with love”.

“Had my nose aligned today, one of the worst things I've ever felt,” he tweeted. “The bone is shattered, and the cartilage is warped. It is likely going to need operating down the line. In better news, I'm back to work. I need the distraction, and I have been showered with love on return.”

He has received numerous messages of support with one reading: “Looks like you have the very best of friends and colleagues who think the world of you. Wishing you the very best with a continued recovery Tai.”

Another adds: “I am constantly wishing you the best Tai. I am sending you all the positive vibes in the world directly to you. You are incredibly strong, and I think I say this for everyone, we all have your back.”

While one person added: “So glad to see you're recovering Mark. Take good care of yourself. Hope for all good things for the future.”

in a series of earlier tweets, Mark told how he was left shaken by the unprovoked attack on a Dublin Bus is recovering from his ordeal today although he says he has been left shaken by the incident.

“Last night, just before 4am, I was attacked on the 15 bus in Tempelogue. A group of young men sat behind me and proceeded to mock and jeer at my friends and I for the duration of the journey out of town,” Mark tweeted.

“I used my earphones to drown them out, and when taking them off to place back in the case I heard even more insults. "Queer" "emo freak" "f****t" to name a few. I turned around and said to act their age.

“This prompted one of the young men to kick the earphones from my hand and across the bus.

"I immediately tried finding them as we were at our stop, and was being laughed at by what felt like the whole bus while crawling to find them.

“My friends were just insisting we get off as they were terrified, and I tried pleading with people to find them. I was asking why he kicked them from my hand. This resulted in another person to start threatening me.

“At this point I was leaving the upper floor and the person who had kicked me ran up and headbutted me.

"I looked down and saw blood covering my shoes. I went down to the driver asking him to call the gardai immediately and not to move the bus.

“He told me to get off before they come down and cause more trouble. No one intervened and the driver took off with the attacker still on the bus. I am completely shook up by this. I spent the following six hours in the hospital.”

Mark added: “I don't understand why they singled us out and antagonized us so much. I have lost my property and potentially have a broken nose. I am to go for a scan after the swelling subsides.”

This morning, Mark thanked people for their “ words of encouragement”. He added that after a sleepless night, reading all the supportive messages “helped me not to spiral”.

“I am very sore and swollen. My mind is racing constantly and analysing what I could have done differently.

“Today will be spent recollecting the events with my friends who were onboard. I have some hazy memories from the headbutt and adrenaline. I want to recount every word said so we can understand how it possibly escalated to this.

“What I can say for sure is no one should be antagonized when clearly scared. No one should have to fend themselves when just trying to go home. I should not have been mocked, kicked and headbutted. Scumbags like that should not be let on in the first place.”

Earlier this month a 29-year-old man was set upon by up to 10 young males and badly beaten at the Luas stop on George's Dock.

These another incidents prompted the National Bus and Rail Workers Union to call for dedicated security.

However, a spokesperson for the National Transport Authority said that while incidents take place from time to time, according to a 2021 customer satisfaction report most passengers feel safe on board.

According to the NTA, the vast majority of the 240,000,000 bus, tram and train journeys every year are completed without any problem.

And as for a distinct policing unit for transport, the NTA said it believes the current approach of transport operators working closely with An Garda Síochána is the best option.