What'll happen to poor Josephine's?

Amtmann

For decades it's been the customery stopping point for many a traveller and bus between Cork and Dublin. From the big dusty pot holed parking area for coaches to the crowded rest-rooms and deli counters in her buildings, Josephine's of Urlingford was a symbol that you were half way to where you wanted to go.

When I was a student in Dublin in 2000, I regularly bussed it back to Tipp. In those pre-Kildare and Monasterevin Bypass days, the journey to Cork was horrendously unsatisfying -- and Josephine's, God bless her, didn't help, because I only wanted to go as far as Cashel, so the stop in Urlingford served to prolong my agony rather than soothe it. Cork-bound people and smokers did breathe a sigh of relief, however!

So with the anticipated opening of the newest piece of the M8 and the consequential bypassing of Urlingford, what'll become of the famous pit stop?

road_high

It will still survive but do much less business. There is a junction on the M8 for Kilkenny north of Urlingford, if it had been south of the town it would have been better for Joesephines but more hassle for commuters.

I never likied it anyhow, poor over priced food..guess thew CIE buses will still stop there though. And they might be glad of the few trucks yet , so those signs may disappear. Bit to do yet on the new road, they're workin only now on a flyover outside of Urlingord.

Amtmann

mfitzy wrote: »

It will still survive but do much less business. There is a junction on the M8 for Kilkenny north of Urlingford, if it had been south of the town it would have been better for Joesephines but more hassle for commuters.

I never likied it anyhow, poor over priced food..guess thew CIE buses will still stop there though. And they might be glad of the few trucks yet , so those signs may disappear. Bit to do yet on the new road, they're workin only now on a flyover outside of Urlingord.

I noticed that. In fairness, the rest of the road is pretty much ready to roll asides from that overbridge. I'm still hoping for a late October opening. Then I'll never pass through Urlingford again.

patrickc

yeh bring on the urlingford bypass

seems like toughers outside carlow is suffering too since the carlow bypass opened

murphaph

Everyone thought Toughers between Naas and Newbridge would close when the bypass opened but he's done fine.

Probably would have been a lot busier without the bypass but still busy enough to have expanded down the years.

corktina

there wont be any need to have a stop half way on a 160 mile MWay journey...only just over two hours

I could never understand why they didnt schedule the stops at Joesphines so you could jump ahead to a departing service if you didnt want the stop-over...too late to do it now!

Amtmann

Those following the service area threads might have read a rumour posted by me that McDonalds are building a restaurant between exits 9 and 8 (i.e. the Cashel bypass) on the M8 northbound.

Well, a conflicting rumour posted on the Tipperary forum suggests that the cute owners of Josephine's are moving everything to Cashel!

:eek:

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Those following the service area threads might have read a rumour posted by me that McDonalds are building a restaurant between exits 9 and 8 (i.e. the Cashel bypass) on the M8 northbound.

Well, a conflicting rumour posted on the Tipperary forum suggests that the cute owners of Josephine's are moving everything to Cashel!

:eek:

The sneaky devils...

Of course you can replace the ':D' with a ':mad:'...

If this rumour does happen to be true, it's a bit of disgrace. They can't just assume that they're allowed to shove their food outlet onto a motorway and whoever gave planning permission should be shot.

YES, have your Josephine's Restraunt, McDonalds etc. but as part of an MSA. Much better for everybody that way, rather than sprawled, random outlets spread across junctions.

Amtmann

Just an initial qualifier: it is only a rumour.

But assuming it's true, it is entirely the NRA's fault. They didn't have foresight enough to provide a basic, essential service and the market did the job.

I worry now that a PPP company won't be bothered to build an NRA service area at Cashel, since straight away the number of potential customers has been halved.

Then there's the certainty that hideous new advertising signage will appear at exit 9 and 8 to attract people to the Josephine's/McDonalds/whatever it is.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

But assuming it's true, it is entirely the NRA's fault. They didn't have foresight enough to provide a basic, essential service and the market did the job.

Entirely correct. Instead the NRA flapped about for two years sporadically changing its mind every now and again about whether we needed service areas before it came to the mind-boggling confusion that yes we DO need service areas. :rolleyes:

I worry now that a PPP company won't be bothered to build an NRA service area at Cashel, since straight away the number of potential customers has been halved.

I worry that too. Although as I've said before, the service station should be near Urlingford in the first place. Cashel is a ridiculous location given its proximity to the Kilworth MSA. But Halcrow Barry are working on the EIS, so there's no changing that now...

Then there's the certainty that hideous new advertising signage will appear at exit 9 and 8 to attract people to the Josephine's/McDonalds/whatever it is.

A certainty indeed. Signage that will be overly frequent and cobbled together by the advertising companies without any reference to the TSM.

In fact, on a related sidenote, I don't really think the TSM matters to many people anymore. If it did, we wouldn't have seen the atrocious one-panel-per-lane gantries that ruined the N7, M50 and N2 for several years. If it did, we wouldn't have "Start Of Motorway Regulations" signage using the wrong font. If it did, we wouldn't have incorrect motorway patching and poor use of parentheses all over our signage.

So what's to stop them putting complete inappropiate advertising signage? Pretty much nothing. The signage companies can get away with producing any old crap now...

G_R

just thought ye might like to know that Josephine's restaurant has closed and all staff have been laid off.

one member of the ex-staff has told me that they are giving the garage and the Wimpy outlet a few months to see how they perform and a decision on their future will be taken then.

L1011

Seeing as they manage to maintain a Wimpy in the Applegreen in Celbridge - in a business park, not on an bypassed route and unsigned from the motorway - it should be possible to keep the one in Josephines going...

Still very cheap for fuel, I went for an insomnia-buster drive a few nights ago and it was 92.8 when the cheapest around home was 93.9 and Tescos was 95.9!

road_high

dannym08 wrote: »

just thought ye might like to know that Josephine's restaurant has closed and all staff have been laid off.

one member of the ex-staff has told me that they are giving the garage and the Wimpy outlet a few months to see how they perform and a decision on their future will be taken then.

Not surprising. Not exactly on the Georgina Campbell goodfood guide is it .

This is what happens when a town is bypassed, especially a one horse one like Urlingford. If it had been at the other end of town close to the M8 junction it might have had some chance. Wonder were they so fussy with the no HGVs sign the last few weeks. Doubt it somehow.

G_R

MYOB wrote: »

Still very cheap for fuel, I went for an insomnia-buster drive a few nights ago and it was 92.8 when the cheapest around home was 93.9 and Tescos was 95.9!

its down to 89.9c now

so is pierce kavanaghs garage at the other end of the town.

(both are 86.9c for diesel)

Amtmann

Are busses still stopping there?

G_R

Furet wrote: »

Are busses still stopping there?

yip

AugustusMaximus

I'm amazed the place closed so soon.

Next place to go will be Corbetts Court between Fermoy and Mitchelstown.

Amtmann

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

I'm amazed the place closed so soon.

Next place to go will be Corbetts Court between Fermoy and Mitchelstown.

That place is a bloody deathtrap at the moment. Kilcoran Lodge is still doing decent local trade I hear.