Limerick - don't believe all you read!

vibe666

OK before I start this little tale, i think it only fair to say that 3 years ago i wouldn't have known Limerick from Letterkenny.

I've only been in Ireland 2.5 years and have only really spent that time in Dublin apart from the odd weekend away in the likes of Donegal or visiting the g/f's folks in Kells.

anyway, in that time I'd heard nothing but horror stories about what goes on in Limerick. stabbings, shootings and just about everything else bad you could think of.

then a couple of months ago, my work started talking about continuing a project i was part of in dublin and moving it to their Limerick offices.

initially i said no way and started looking elsewhere for a job, but as it got closer and closer to the start date i had nowhere else to go, so I was stuck and had to go down. in my favour they had got a pretty good package together with good fixed rate (no receipts required) expenses that i was even making a bit of profit on.

I've since rented a house with a fellow work mate who's also on the same project and it costs us a quarter of what the hotel was and we have a nice 3 bedroomed house for the duration, complete with my PS2 and his XBox as well as washing and cooking facilities and a garden.

it's ina studenty area so while the summer holiers are here it's dead cheap and pretty quiet too.

and the poeple at work and around town are very nice and everyone has been friendly (even with me not being irish).

i have to say that I'd be more than happy to live in Limerick permanently. I even feel safer here than i do in dublin and haven't even seen a hint of trouble. it's a lovely place.

a couple of time's i've looked like a bit of a spa hanging on the edge of a kerb waiting to cross the road only to have people stop and let me across, although I'd have to question the person that did it for me at a busy roundabout and nearly caused a crash in the process. :rolleyes:

all in all, limerick is great. it has everything you could possibly want. a nice decent sized town centre, not huge, but more or less everything you could want. a 12 screen cinema 5 minutes outside of town, nice people a friendly atmosphere some good nightlife and the girls seem to outnumber the men by quite a bit, so even you ugly ducklings are in with a shot even if you're shooting out of your league.

all i'm saying is give it a go. don't pay attention to the bad press Limerick get's, it's really not like that at all. much worse goes on in dublin believe me.

i've been here nearly a month now, and it's been great, aside from having to leave my g/f in dublin and only seeing her at weekends, although she's coming down here tonight as i type this to have a look around. and save me coming back up to dublin.

2.5 hours on the train and yopu're here. b&b from about 30 quid a night and plenty to see and do. well worth the trip (€42 return on the train in case you're wondering).

jor el

True, true. I always thought the stories about Limerick were made up so as to take the attention away from Dublin with it's spiraling STD/Drugs/Crime/House prices/anything else problems. When I lived in Dublin, in 1998, there were stabbings, shootings (drive-by and the regular kind), drug busts and so on in my area (admitedly this was the Mulhuddert/Corduff area), all of which you'd hear of locally but never got a mention on the news. Then I moved to Limerick a year later and I've never seen any violence, except the odd push n' shove outside Supermacs. The majority of that shijt here seems to be limited to the gang/family feud that has been going on for so long.

mike65

Originally posted by jor el
The majority of that shijt here seems to be limited to the gang/family feud that has been going on for so long.

Exactly, so like in Dublin or any town/city if you're in the wrong area its hell but elsewhere you'd feel perfectly safe. That said there are some significant chunks of Limerick which seem VERY run down and grim.

Mike.

vibe666

i know, it's mad that it's got such a bad reputation.

funniest thing was when i heard how that whole feud thing started.

something to do with kids arguing in a playground and parents getting involved, rival drug dealings and escalations from there with stabbings and shootings abound.

but very much restricted to the areas those families live in. if you believe the news reports its rife all over the place, which just isn't true.

P.S. did you notice the thing about how many girls are around?

where I'm working it's even worse, about 8 to 1! it's a good job i'm not single or I'd be up to all sorts of mischief. :eek:

Pacifico

So you've been living in Limerick how long? A month :rolleyes:.

How anyone can like this dump i'll never know.

I've since rented a house with a fellow work mate who's also on the same project and it costs us a quarter of what the hotel was and we have a nice 3 bedroomed house for the duration, complete with my PS2 and his XBox as well as washing and cooking facilities and a garden.

Granted there are some nice new apartments in Limerick now especially some Student villages.

and the poeple at work and around town are very nice and everyone has been friendly (even with me not being irish).

Agree with you here Anyone i've encountered in work or school have been friendly also

i have to say that I'd be more than happy to live in Limerick permanently. I even feel safer here than i do in dublin and haven't even seen a hint of trouble. it's a lovely place.

Lovely? Thats a bit strong. What exactly do you find lovely about it?

all in all, limerick is great. it has everything you could possibly want. a nice decent sized town centre, not huge, but more or less everything you could want

"Town" is tiny. And full of Scumbags. Wait till you get mugged you wont feel so safe walking around.

2.5 hours on the train and yopu're here. b&b from about 30 quid a night and plenty to see and do. well worth the trip (€42 return on the train in case you're wondering).

Yeah i'd like to do this also. In the opposite direction

btw funny story about limerick train station i just remembered.

So i'm getting off a 6 o'clock train from Dublin to Limerick. Walking off the train down the platform and into the station. Hmmm.. Noticed alot (Unusually high) number of scumbags, all about 15 years old max, there weilding sticks and other Medevil weapons . They proceded to attack passengers getting off the train. Turned into quite a brawl.

Great fun though : I love Limerick

billy the squid

I am happy that you have had a pleasant experience of limerick


BUT


wait until you are here for a while, reality will sink in.

Firstly the feuds did not start because of children in a playground that it not quite true. It started after an act of vandalism (slashed tyres) and it went on from there. Then when drug dealing was added to the equasion people started to get greedy.

You are living in a studenty area that is nice. I could get you a house for €15 a week rent. its in a lovely area called O'Malley park. just make sure there are no females left on their own in the house when you move up there.

I was born here and apart here and from 1995 i have lived here and I hate the place. It is one of those towns that if you end up here it is next to impossible to get out of it. The feuding has quietened down now because most of the people are involved are behind bars or in the UK in hiding.

what i am saying is that the ratio of scumbag to normal person is higher in limerick than it is in any other city in ireland.

pork99

Originally posted by Axel


So i'm getting off a 6 o'clock train from Dublin to Limerick. Walking off the train down the platform and into the station. Hmmm.. Noticed alot (Unusually high) number of scumbags, all about 15 years old max, there weilding sticks and other Medevil weapons . They proceded to attack passengers getting off the train. Turned into quite a brawl.

Compulsory sterilisation for certain people would eventually solve that problem.

I was in Limerick for a year as a student, I didn't think it was too bad. No worse than Dublin anyway. But that train station incident sound really bad. How quickly did the cops get there? Thats a situation were you really want to see the cops quickly arrvive mob-handed - a few dozen b.i.f.f.os - and beat the vermin to a bloody pulp.

The was a guy who used to stand on a corner in O'Connell St down there and shout "whore" at random women by-passers. He also occassionaly punched guys in the face. But he was left alone instead of being taken away never to be seen again which would be the correct thing to do.

gerkiely

It's funny that only the people from Limerick are slagging it off .They are the people who give Limerick a bad name. I am from Limerick (originally from Moyross by the way). I am 28 years old and I have never been mugged or attacked in Limerick. And as for the railway station incident, it sounds a little far fetched to me. I appreciate the positive comments made by most of you. As you have said there is alot going for Limerick.

Pacifico

Originally posted by gerkiely
I And as for the railway station incident, it sounds a little far fetched to me.

It happened

gerkiely

When exactly??

billy the squid

I find the railway station incident hard to elieve. anyway there is all new glass structures on the entrance to the platforms so would be harder for an angry mob to get onto the platform i imagine. how long did it take the guards to get there.

The was a guy who used to stand on a corner in O'Connell St down there and shout "whore" at random women by-passers. He also occassionaly punched guys in the face. But he was left alone instead of being taken away never to be seen again which would be the correct thing to do.

that particular individual was locked away after punching a child if i remember corectly. but it was several years of him hurling abuse at people and thumping them before the guards could be dislodged from the dock road statoil to do something about him

It's funny that only the people from Limerick are slagging it off .They are the people who give Limerick a bad name

probably because they see more of the crap that goes on in limerick than your average outsider

I am from Limerick (originally from Moyross by the way). I am 28 years old and I have never been mugged or attacked in Limerick.

So what! I've never been mugged or attacked in O'Malley park, doesn't mean that it is a safe place to be. I have however been robbed in Ballinacurra Weston which is where I am from originally.

Victor

In Dublin, murder is only really a problem in Finglas and on the southside.

Pacifico

Originally posted by gerkiely
When exactly??

Jesus i cant remember "exactly" was shortly afer christmas

I find the railway station incident hard to elieve

It happened i was on the ****ing train!!

Why would i make this crap up?

galwaydude

i Went to college in limerick for 3 years, its a fairly good place apart from the time my sister got mugged by a couple of scumbags a few years back,and yours truly stupdely got involved, was lucky they didnt have knives or something.Thank god they got their justice and behind bars with the rest of the scumbags. other than that its pretty much like any other city,ok it has its dodgy areas but so does dublin, galway , cork etc.
What happened with the train inciddent by the way?

Pacifico

Originally posted by galwaydude
i Went to college in limerick for 3 years, its a fairly good place apart from the time my sister got mugged by a couple of scumbags a few years back,and yours truly stupdely got involved, was lucky they didnt have knives or something.Thank god they got their justice and behind bars with the rest of the scumbags. other than that its pretty much like any other city,ok it has its dodgy areas but so does dublin, galway , cork etc.
What happened with the train inciddent by the way?

I posted a brief description of what happened above.

I'll Try to find a link

galwaydude

ha ha , i didnt read it in full, sorry mate

Raphael

Its like I always say, In Dublin they'll beat you to death because they dont know your face

In Limerick, All the stabbings etc. are gang related, an outsider if completly safe

Dancing duck

I've always found Limerick to be nothing but a (mediocre) joy. Granted, I live myself in Dublin, but I've been there for a bit, at least once a year for say the last 10, and have never had a problem, or even witnessed one out of the ordinary.

Personally I think 'stab city' has a nice ring to it, and may even be purposely degraded by the locals, just to keep the outsiders... out.

I remember one evening however, Halloween of all nights, and my dad took a few wrong turns, and somehow we ended up in O'Malley Park and it ablaze with bonfires and drunk youths throwing inanimate objects in all direction. Felt like nothing more than a helpless creature in the zoo as they peered through the window. But look at me now, didn't I live to tell the tale and tell it well.;)
Pussycats I tell ya, pussycats.

-ADREN-

Ah limericks grand, been here 12 years now, tis fine really.
Havent been bothered myself, saying that you have to be carefull thats the only thing, get dodgy looks at times that if returned, you could be in trouble.

Thing is as people have pointed out, you'll get that where ever you go, no matter what city.

Personaly the best city I have been to in ireland has to be galway, and then Cork.

Coney Island

Interesting thread. I am moving to Limerick this weekend after spending over 4 years in Dublin...I think I have learnt how to avoid skangers by now, if you dont look for troubles then you can be nearly certain that troubles will not find you.

IrishMike

22 years old lived here all my life
never been mugged, never been hassled in any way
nice city good nitelife what more would u want

DEmeant0r

Does Savoy bowl exist anymore? And also how much per game/hour. I remembered it was a nice place to play bowling.

daveg

I spent 3 years in collage in Limerick from 1992 to 1995. I remember thinking after 6 months to a year Jesus why does Limerick get so much bad press. A few weeks later I read/heard about "30 people stabbed in mass brawl outside Savoy nightclub".

Many of my mates were "jumped" walking around town and the collage area (unfortunately there is a "nacker trail" from the Ennis road through the collage area (or at least there was). I myself along with 3 other lads were jumped by 6 guys outside a pub in Limerick city. I had managed to avoid trouble for 2 1/2 years previous to this. One of my mates had a pint glass smashed in his face. Amazingly the only causality was 1 bloody nose. We were dammed lucky.

And then there was the night we were eating chips at the back of Arthur’s Quay, and we saw some unfortunate student get punched in the face by a few knackers. He fell to the ground. We rang the cops and were driven around limerick city trying to identify the guy's who did it. I head a few days later the guy who got punched died in hospital.

And then there was the night I was at a friend’s house. A friend of theirs (female) called with her face in a pulp. It appears a few women jumped her outside the AIB bank on O Connell street.

There are more stories but I would summarise Limerick as being a good town for shopping/nightlife/student life. The problem is it is saturated with knackers. Vibe I hate to say it but you will probably encounter some during your stay. Best thing to do is become savvy as where not to go.

I made a few good friends whilst in Limerick. I would surmise most Limerick people as clanny and hard to get to know. However when you do get to know them they are generally dead sound.

Best of luck Vibe

pork99

Originally posted by daveg
I spent 3 years in collage in Limerick

Really? Was it photomontage or did you favour the "Objet Trouve" approach?

flyz

I'm another ex UL student (97- 01) and I still have ties with Limerick so am up there on a regular basis.
It's the same as every other city, you have your bad points and you have your good points. It's just a pity the media focus more on the bad points.

I'd feel as safe walking around Limerick City as I would Cork City on any given evening. Personally I think more drunken louts are on Grand Parade in Cork on a saturday night than are on O' Connell Street in Limerick on the same given night.

Limerick has a bad name because of two feuding families. The rest of the city is perfectly safe on any given day (provided of course you don't start strolling through o'malley park or South hill after dark ).

I could give a few examples of incidents in Limerick too but I think anyone who lives in any city for a length of time can do the same.

ChipZilla

Originally posted by vibe666
OK before I start this little tale...

Yeah it is a dump isn't it?

billy the squid

Limerick has a bad name because of two feuding families. The rest of the city is perfectly safe on any given day (provided of course you don't start strolling through o'malley park or South hill after dark

The traveller family responsible for the 15 rapes over the past 4 months are not one of the infamous two feuding families.

and you will also find more than two surnames in the list of families being nabbed for involvment in that particular feud. And thier violence is not always directed at members of the opposite side either. Eric Leamy found that out the hard way.

I personally would give anything to be able to move out of this town. everybody knows everyones business. The chances are that anyone who has mentioned being jumped in this thread probably has a friend who knows who did it.

flyz

Originally posted by billy the squid
The traveller family responsible for the 15 rapes over the past 4 months are not one of the infamous two feuding families.

and you will also find more than two surnames in the list of families being nabbed for involvment in that particular feud. And thier violence is not always directed at members of the opposite side either. Eric Leamy found that out the hard way.

I personally would give anything to be able to move out of this town. everybody knows everyones business. The chances are that anyone who has mentioned being jumped in this thread probably has a friend who knows who did it.

Have a look at the following pdf on Crime Statistics for 2002. Limerick isn't the worst.
It's not the best either but the only point I'm trying to make is that the whole city isn't as bad as the media make it out to be.

http://www.garda.ie/angarda/statistics/report2002/stats2002.pdf

Yes I do agree though that sometimes it's more like a big town than a city when it comes to privacy

Sleipnir

In Dublin you get shot.
In Limerick you get stabbed.

And in Cork you get ignored.

flyz

Originally posted by Sleipnir
And in Cork you get ignored.

In Cork you get the ****e kicked out of you in a drunken brawl

billy the squid

The reason crime statistics in limerick are lower is because people are not reporting it to the gardai.

Like I said everybody seems to know everybody in limerick. If you go to the guards about someone one of two things will happen

1. The person you will report will have a member of their family kick the **** out of you or put in your front window

3. They will rat some local drug dealer up or tell them where some shiplifter is. The guards get someone and leave the person that attacked you off.

The 15 rapes that were reported in the media is a fine example of this. only one of these rapes were reported to the gardai. and the family involved are a bunch of snitches. reporting car thieves and people who sell small amounts of drugs which seems to give them immunity when it comes to their own crimes. And the papers got it wrong with regard to the rapes too. I would guess the number is closer to 40 than to 15.

With all due respect to you I wouldnt put much faith into those garda statistics

pork99

Originally posted by flyz
Limerick isn't the worst.
It's not the best either but the only point I'm trying to make is that the whole city isn't as bad as the media make it out to be.

Going on my subjective impressions I'd say if you want rough try Dundalk :eek:

Sleipnir

Originally posted by flyz
In Cork you get the ****e kicked out of you in a drunken brawl

Only if you're a Dub on holidays!