Eyesores !

Steyr

So what in the city and surrounds do believe to be an Eyesore? For me its got to be the "Burren Mount" in Salthill next to Bailey Point, what a godawful place, should be knocked immediately methinks.

galvianlord

second you on bailey point. like ceaucescu's palace in bucharest. other than that all of the left side of merchant's road as you come from the house hotel. and that building on the corner of the canal at wolfetone bridge, across from raven terrace - the old atlanta.

tristanc

Well, I'm not sure I was terribly fond of the giant pile of scrap metal that I used to look out on when I lived on the docks. Tho in all fairness, it was there before the apartment buildings were.

Robbo

Pretty much every development that festoons the Western Distributor Road. The worst kind of cookie cutter developments with little thought or planning.

brianthebard

For a moment I thought this thread was about me....thankfully not.

snubbleste

Portmore at the Spanish Arch
The height of new developments on Lough Atalia road

Chewing gum on the streets

dloob

The Imperial hotel on eyre square

JIZZLORD

Redhairedguy

only joking, mucho for him

ErnieBert

GMIT will look dated in a few years.

cornbb

The Bal in Salthill stands out like a sore thumb from the local architecture. Plus the whole area of shopping centres around the Headford road there is awful, half of them should be knocked. The hordes of crusties in town don't do much for me either.

Hotwheels

"Burren Mount"

The "Burren Mount"... an eyesore!! ...many's the good flaking match took place there...Ahhh them were the days, a few pints..a few slaps..and off to Del Rio's for chips...:D

ronnie3585

The Burren Mount gets my vote too. It looks like it could be the setting for the next Saw film! I don't think those manky curtains have ever been changed.

13

heh, nobody mentioned eyre square yet?

ErnieBert

Sasha on Shop Street is not in keeping with the rest of the street.

What must the foreign tourists think?

cornbb

ErnieBert wrote: »

What must the foreign tourists think?

In fact a lot of foreign visitors I've spoken to really like the fact that the centre of Galway is largely free of the homogenisation of town centres that is common across the UK and Ireland. Usually in a place the size of Galway the city centre is indistinguishable from the next town over. We have a few of the big names on Shop St. like McD's, Carphone Warehouse, Foot Locker, Boots etc but there are a good number of local businesses too, maybe more than most towns of a similar size.

Mrs OBumble

Housing estates where there appear to have been about three designs used to build hundreds of houses, with precious little attention being paid to landscaping etc, and big green areas out in the middle of roads with no shrubs and totally unsuitable for kids to play on due to the traffic.

Doughiska and Knocknacarra spring to mind. As do bits of Merlin Park and some suburbs along Headford Rd (whose names I can't spell!)

ronnie3585

Yea Doughiska is a disaster but I think that they have made a complete mess of Barna with the new housing estates - no town planning whatsoever:rolleyes:

axiom32

i have to say those houses along the canal across for the cop shop are just feckin terrible and the one at the start of Nuns island......nah actually jus jealous wud love to live there

St. Marys college sittin up there on a hill lookin down on the town all high an mighty that for sure is my pick looks like a dentention center/ asylum

Bass Cadet

Steyr wrote: »

So what in the city and surrounds do believe to be an Eyesore? For me its got to be the "Burren Mount" in Salthill next to Bailey Point, what a godawful place, should be knocked immediately methinks.

Jaysus, where to start... the whole of the docks, that monsterousity at the spanish arch (the one with apartments and restaurants (not the museum)...that prison like building on Headford rd that houses Argos...that sh!tty apartment complex they built at wolfetone bridge between dominic st and the arch, absolutely appauling...I could go on and on and on...

Bass Cadet

axiom32 wrote: »

St. Marys college sittin up there on a hill lookin down on the town all high an mighty that for sure is my pick looks like a dentention center/ asylum

huh?? That was designed by a famous architect of the time (name escapes me)...fine looking building in my opinion. Perhaps the later additions are brutal but the original building is fine architecture

JIZZLORD

Bar No. 8 looks skanky

Steyr

Bass Cadet wrote: »

that sh!tty apartment complex they built at wolfetone bridge between dominic st and the arch, absolutely appauling

Actually wudnt mind an apartment there myself looking out, now if it was angled better you would get to see the Claddagh/Spanish Arch better, they seem to be looking at the fire station.

Bass Cadet

cornbb wrote: »

In fact a lot of foreign visitors I've spoken to really like the fact that the centre of Galway is largely free of the homogenisation of town centres that is common across the UK and Ireland. Usually in a place the size of Galway the city centre is indistinguishable from the next town over. We have a few of the big names on Shop St. like McD's, Carphone Warehouse, Foot Locker, Boots etc but there are a good number of local businesses too, maybe more than most towns of a similar size.

Going off on a tangent but it's probably the only good thing that the city council planning dept have enacted, any shops along the city centre streets have a certain criteria to meet appearance-wise. Even though its a disgusting hole, Mcdonald's exterior doesn't look as bad as it does in other cities/towns..don't know how sasha got away with it right enough

Bass Cadet

Steyr wrote: »

Actually wudnt mind an apartment there myself looking out, now if it was angled better you would get to see the Claddagh/Spanish Arch better, they seem to be looking at the fire station.

I'm sure they're fine apartments but the exterior looks like they started off with a good idea and then decided to put in the cheapest and most plastic-looking fittings, windows and cladding they could find. If it wasn't in such a prominent place it wouldn't be so bad but it's right beside the Fisheries tower (which is a wee gem) and the river flowing towards the arch and claddagh. for where it is, it looks vulgar

sgthighway

The Stage Door sticks out like a sore thumb in Woodquay.

A lot of the Hospital Buildings are EyeSores. Have you seen Pedriatics, Ambulance Service & Nursing/Library Buildings. There like something you use as a set for the next sequel to Hostel.

Bass Cadet

sgthighway wrote: »

A lot of the Hospital Buildings are EyeSores. Have you seen Pedriatics, Ambulance Service & Nursing/Library Buildings. There like something you use as a set for the next sequel to Hostel.

Do you mean the Nursing quarters at UCHG? (closest to the traffic lights). Probably one of the best examples of art deco architecture in the whole county. Fine building which would be restored to its original glory if they could afford to give it a lick of paint

axiom32

Bass Cadet wrote: »

huh?? That was designed by a famous architect of the time (name escapes me)...fine looking building in my opinion. Perhaps the later additions are brutal but the original building is fine architecture

i know its ur opinion and thats fair but cud u point out why this building wud be noted for its architecture cos it seriously jus looks like a box (original build) maybe its the stonework used that does it for ya ....

jkforde

The Headford Road must be the most soulless craphole in any town in this fair state of ours and is enhanced no end by soulless creatures worshipping at their chosen consumer palace of pleasure. Eyesores all round.

Bass Cadet

Bass Cadet wrote: »

Do you mean the Nursing quarters at UCHG? (closest to the traffic lights). Probably one of the best examples of art deco architecture in the whole county. Fine building which would be restored to its original glory if they could afford to give it a lick of paint

I agree, it does need some tidying up to do it justice though.

Steyr

Also Una Taafes fomer residence on Shop St, all painted gloomy grey, wont someone please sort that out. Another fine collection of eyesores are the rundown houses just slightly up the hill behind the billboard across from the G hotel, i think there are 3 of them.

Along Bohermore across from the cemetary is looking bad these days, many of the houses are boarded up awaiting re-development.

Pretty the whole of Barna is an eye sore

Fracture

Steyr wrote: »

Actually wudnt mind an apartment there myself looking out, now if it was angled better you would get to see the Claddagh/Spanish Arch better, they seem to be looking at the fire station.

I used to live in the top floor of that building, not the one with the circular part at the corner but the one next to it on the left (Looking straight at Ladbrokes), sweet apartment, really nice inside.

Bass Cadet

axiom32 wrote: »

i know its ur opinion and thats fair but cud u point out why this building wud be noted for its architecture cos it seriously jus looks like a box (original build) maybe its the stonework used that does it for ya ....

Well in fairness, it's not just my opinion. Its a famous building in architecture circles due to the style of architecture that it employed at the time (1910) at least this is what a local architect told me and yes, the stone has a big part to play in that. A similar one is in Ballinasloe (as far as I know, might be wrong). If you think that building is an eyesore you must have very sore eyes walking around the city! :pac:

axiom32

A similar one is in Ballinasloe (as far as I know, might be wrong)

maybe u are but cud it be the asylum st Brigits, which has the same unwelcoming characteristics as St. Marys and is what i was tryin to point out in the first place that St. Marys isn't a building i wish to cast my eye on therefore an eyesore to me.

hal9000

They need to move those oil tanks in the middle of the docks.... hopefully very soon.
Also doughiska looks like its just come out of a war.

Bass Cadet

axiom32 wrote: »

A similar one is in Ballinasloe (as far as I know, might be wrong)

maybe u are but cud it be the asylum st Brigits, which has the same unwelcoming characteristics as St. Marys and is what i was tryin to point out in the first place that St. Marys isn't a building i wish to cast my eye on therefore an eyesore to me.

'Unwelcoming characteristics'? What exactly are 'welcoming characteristics'? If you see old institutions and the like as an eyesore maybe thats saying something about yourself rather than the actual building itself. Victorian architecture is filled with institutions, be it mental, academic, etc. and are some of the finest examples of that type of architecture. If you don't like them fair enough but 'eyesores' they are not

Big, rotten oil tanks in a city centre...now that's an eyesore

WhOtHenNow

hal9000 wrote: »

Also doughiska looks like its just come out of a war.

Ha ha,

gd1987

That old petrol station across from argos, I know its surrounded by boarding but its an awful waste of space. The butchers beside roisins looks pants, as does stranos, actually most of that street is an eyesore!

PixelTrawler

Someone mentioned looking out at the firestation, the firestation itself is an eyesore. Argos building is awful. Headford Rd shopping centre is pretty bad. Docks area, taffes shop, eyre square is a travesity too - the state its gotten into already.

Oh and the new briarhill sc - what a dreadful, dull building. No consistent planning. For example now that the clayton hotel was in, the new sc should have had to look in keeping with what was the most prominent building in the area. Not identical, vareity and all that, but it shouldnt look like a turd that rose from the ground compared to it... Countless examples in the city.

toiletduck

Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, the Cathedral. Hideous.

serfboard

toiletduck wrote: »

Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, the Cathedral. Hideous.

Well, maybe you'd prefer that the old prison was still there?

It was built by Bishop Michael Browne in the 1960's as a monument to God himself. One of the amusing things is, if you look at it from the Salmon Weir Bridge, there are 2 double doors on the right hand side of the building about 20 feet up. Did he think he was going to be addressing the crowds like the Pope?

Bass Cadet

toiletduck wrote: »

Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, the Cathedral. Hideous.

Its definately not hideous imo but much better than what was there before!!

Personally, I wouldn't call this an eyesore...

axiom32

toiletduck wrote: »

Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, the Cathedral. Hideous.

:eek: uve so crossed the line now!!

toiletduck

Ha, seems have! Just compared to other prominent churches in the country, I think it looks awful.

serfboard wrote: »

Well, maybe you'd prefer that the old prison was still there?

Only if they were still executing people in the carpark.

big b

cornbb wrote: »

In fact a lot of foreign visitors I've spoken to really like the fact that the centre of Galway is largely free of the homogenisation of town centres that is common across the UK and Ireland. Usually in a place the size of Galway the city centre is indistinguishable from the next town over. We have a few of the big names on Shop St. like McD's, Carphone Warehouse, Foot Locker, Boots etc but there are a good number of local businesses too, maybe more than most towns of a similar size.

Yep, I really like the fact that Shop St isn't yet over-run with UK chain stores.
Unfortunately, there's plenty of whinging shopaholics out there who give out that they have to travel to shop at said chains & slowly but surely they're starting to appear.

Barna is just hideous, people who've lived there over 5 years must be distraught at what's happened to their village.

jpt77

eh...warty ward...followed closely by an cearnog nua in Moycullen....

I lived in Barna some 11 years and moved out around when all the construction began. My house was right beside the Twelve Pins (the old one). About a year ago myself and my mother drove through this area and was horrified by what has taken place. Where our house used to be is now a housing estate. Fields I used to play in now are housing estates. Hell, pretty much all of what I came to know during my childhood is gone to be replaced by some repetitive and somewhat ugly housing estate.

And the new Pins. Or Twelve. Whatever. That's just an eyesore. It completely sticks out like a sore thumb.

Andrea B.

For me its got to be the "Burren Mount" in Salthill next to Bailey Point, what a godawful place, should be knocked immediately methinks.

Funny. I stopped on prom yesterday and viewed that place. In my opinion that facade and remaining rooms should be under a preservation order. Take a look up at the rooms. Classic 70's stuff with built in radios on walls. Pure time-warp.

Architectually and internal decor wise I doubt there is anywhere in western Europe that a building and rooms like that has skipped an era.

Dfens

Deleted User wrote: »

Along Bohermore across from the cemetary is looking bad these days, many of the houses are boarded up awaiting re-development.

What's the bets that whatever new development is put up in their place eventually is a worse eyesore.

Alessandra

Half of Dominick Street is run down could use a lick of paint. Una Taafes is a definite eye sore as well.