Car stolen from tourists on their first day in Dublin has been found

The car was located in Dublin's north inner city, not too far from Sean McDermott Street from where it was taken.

A member of the public found the car this morning and reported it to gardai.

It is not clear if anything was taken from the car.

Gardai are continuing to investigate the incident.

The couple's visit to Ireland was left in ruins after their car was stolen on their first day in Dublin.

Sebastian Smulders (33) and Lena Weiss (24) decided to visit Ireland on a camping trip but lost all their belongings, as well as their passports, when their car was taken.

For Sebastian, from Berlin, it was his first time in Ireland, but Lena, from Vienna, had been once before and could not wait to come back.

"We arrived from Liverpool in the early hours of last Tuesday morning and looked for a place to park, but parking in Dublin is very expensive and we found a place in the car park of Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott Street," Sebastian told the Herald.

"We parked at around 11 or 11.30am and paid €6 in a pay and display machine to park for the day."

The couple then set about exploring the city, taking in the Guinness Storehouse and the musical Once.

"We were having a great day and then around 11pm we went back but the car was gone," said Sebastian.

"Some of my clothes were strewn around the car park in the mud, and our cooler box was broken up, but everything else was gone. We could see broken glass, so we had an idea that it had not been towed away.

"All of Lena's clothes, her iPad, my camera, our camping equipment and our passports were gone.

"We didn't know what to do, and our cell phone batteries had died, so we asked some local people if we could use their phones to call the gardai.

"We asked three people, but they just grinned at us and walked away.

"Then a man, I think he was Polish, helped us call and report it to the guards."

There has been no sign of the car, a left-hand-drive 2007 black Opel Astra estate with German plates, since it was stolen.

Sebastian and Lena are hoping that someone might have spotted it and can help them find it.

"We had planned to travel all around Ireland and dreamed of waking up and seeing the fantastic landscapes, but we have spent last week in Dublin instead," said Sebastian.

"We've rented a car now and might get some travelling in before we go home on Friday.

"We have been staying at a friend's house in the city and have met so many really nice people, it has nearly made up for having the car stolen.

"Still, it is a bad experience, but we would hope to come back again and maybe have better luck next time."