Portarlington - has it gotten rougher?

Sigard

Everybody's home town changes over time, and nowhere is perfect. But is Portarlington getting rougher? These days there's only a few pubs I'd frequent, unlike 5 or 6 years ago. Today I heard about an incident with some scumbag mouthing off in the supermarket when he was politely informed of the queue he had skipped by. It's not exactly the collapse of civilisation, but it's still saddening to hear about a loudmouth idiot ruining someone's day. Anyway, back to my original question. Is Port a rougher place to live nowadays, or is it all in my head :rolleyes:

gogo

There was some thing on the telly about phaeophilla (cant spell, but you get the drift). They sey up some site to monitor people, trying to see what area's logged on to it. Friend was telling me this btw so cant be specific, and not googling it either, but someone in portarlington looked up the site fifteen times:eek::eek:
I look up books on the net, because I like reading, if your looking up kiddie porn, then my guess is your into kiddie porn. basically that puts a stop on me ever hanging around port to be honest. God knows who your talking to in the shop.
Aside from this, im sure Port has as much anti social behaviour as any other small town. was going to tramore today and a gouger was in the garage we stopped in trying to get free petrol,:p as you do. when the man wouldnt give it to him he roared the place down, then roared at all of us to give him a smoke on the way out. "Has no one got a fcuking smoke..." Sad thing about this was two young kids got out of the car and stood waiting for him while he fcuked everyone out of it. He was only in his twenties and weirdly had no shoes on.
Either way, its everywhere. Welcome to modern Ireland!:(

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Wasn't there a shooting at a hotel there not so long ago?
Also heard a very bad story from a man who was in the same group as myself on a trip to England. Said that he was coming out of a Supermarket in the town and had shopping in one hand and his 4 yo child in the other, a few young(15/16) scumbags hopped the fook outta him, with his child in his arm. All because he asked them politely enough to stop drinking on private property, fcuking pricks of the highest order.

Also heard that there's been an influx of Dubs from rougher parts of Dublin who seem to be causing havoc in one estate in particular.

roxiesmammy

also 2 stabbings in last couple of weeks.

cant blame the dubs most of the scum i know about are born and breed in port

miss5

I would be very cautious going out there to be honest, I would say it's definitely
one of the rougher towns in Laois.

roxiesmammy

but its only a few, the majority of people in port are lovely, including teenagers. there is 1 or 2 FAMILIES that are the problem, including the parents

sydthebeat

roxiesmammy wrote: »

also 2 stabbings in last couple of weeks.

cant blame the dubs most of the scum i know about are born and breed in port

completely agree... it pisses me off no end to hear hicks go on about 'the dubs' moving in and making the place rougher when all the stories about anti social behaviour, fighting, stabbing etc are all perpetrated by locals with family names we all are well aware of....

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

BUBBLES1978

LISTEN......peoples!! born and reared in the town all 31 yrs of me and i can honestly say port is no better or worse than any other small hick town that is in ireland

there has always been an eliment of scummdiggery in port and yes its the 2 who wont be named families that are breeding these little scummers.

we also have lots of other " litttle fockers who are hell bent on running amock in the town and these lads and lasses are from all areas of ireland and have moved to lovely port (not just dublin lads there is more to ireland that that great county!!!)

so in answer to your question why yes port has sadly gotten a little rougher but it is STILL a lovely town to live in having chosen to stay here and not move further a field with my child in tow i dont feel afraid of these little bas*erds and i have had the pleasure of 1 or 2 of them trying to threaten and put it up to me but its how you handle them thats the key!!!!!:D:D:D:D

connundrum

I remember having this same conversation about 5 years ago on this very forum, and everything (barring the shooting) above had been mentioned back then.

I have tried to search for specific crime figures for Laois area, but can't find anything relevant apart from reading of Gardai stating that crime is down in the Laois/Offaly area year on year.

This may not represent the truth of whats happening on the ground as unreported crimes > reported crimes.. which is usually the case. Add that to the perception that people are less and less inclined to report a crime now anyway due to the feeling that little or nothing will come of it, or that reporting a crime may instigate a backlash from the alleged criminal.

'The youth' of today are most certainly a whole lot more aggressive, belligerent and unconcerned of the consequences of their actions. I think that the majority of what people see day to day is petty enough, but the fact is that all of these petty incidents do add up and will create a general feeling of insecurity.

Blame? Society/parents/schools.

Solution? Who knows, as there doesn't seem to be any overall plan to get these kids/youths into shape. You'd hope that by the time they hit their early 20's they would have straightened out a bit i.e. employment, relationship, car/house purchase etc.

It seems that a whole wave of youths are letting this normal transition (teen to adulthood) pass them by, and they are standing still, not taking responsibility for their own actions, causing mayhem on a small scale, and generally leeching off society.

Boot camp for all methinks!! Or mandatory military service if you fail to gain employment between the age of 18-20 (excluding college students)

/God that were a bit of a rant, soz! :pac:

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I wasn't "blaming the Dubs", I just made a statement that they're supposed to be being a bit of a disturbance in one of the estates, I heard this FROM A DUB, from a self-admittedly(that a word?:P) rougher part of North Dublin, who moved to Port before all the rest of them.

kmart6

gogo wrote: »

I look up books on the net, because I like reading, if your looking up kiddie porn, then my guess is your into kiddie porn. basically that puts a stop on me ever hanging around port to be honest. God knows who your talking to in the shop.

That is a very simplistic attitude to have to something so vague. For all you know one of your bests friend could be looking up stuff like that, if you don't know your not going to have an issue, yet because you heard one person in a town of thousands looked up what essentially is disgusting stuff you feel that's no reason to hang around the place!! You won't be able to leave your house if that's your views on it!

the wizzard

As a kid, well over 30 years ago, we used to spend weekends in Port with friends. A big escape from Dublin. loved the place and still have good friends around the town. About 8 or 9 years ago, by coincidence, I was asked to work as a doorman in a club in the town. Great, just like being home I thought. Wrong. The violence and crap that went on there put places I had worked in London and Birmingham in the shade. It was rough. And the perpertraitors. An even mix of locals and "blow ins". But, I must add, I also, around theis time worked in Carlow, Kildare and Kilkenny. They were just as bad. So its not just Port, it's Ireland in general.
ps. I still love the place!!

Marleene

I had to reply to this because I am shocked how rough port is lately.
Im a "blow in", i live in port 5 years and love it.
Over the last 5years people have commented to me about port being rough but I never seen anything and always defended it.

Roll on 5 years and with a baby only a few weeks old the things i have seen while up doing the night feds has shocked me.

There was what you would call a riot a few weeks back, neighbour across road is openly selling drugs, other neighbour leaves most nights at 1 am is back around 5am uses 3 different cars sometimes has a other person with him so can guess what there at.

Anyway maybe I have too much time to think but the thing that really broke me was a young lad repeatly boxing a girl in the face outside my house i was really upset not something i like to watch.

I went down to the guards and told them. Didint make a bit of differences because 2 nights later there was another fight in estate.

I thought i lived in a quiet estate, i very rarely lock the car often leave wallet on front seat, never lock front door when in house or sometimes go to neighbours and leave door open.

Now i feel so unsafe and to be honest im afraid in house all day on my own, i dont even feel i can go down town for walk on my own either.:(

kmart6

Marleene wrote: »

Anyway maybe I have too much time to think but the thing that really broke me was a young lad repeatly boxing a girl in the face outside my house i was really upset not something i like to watch.

I went down to the guards and told them. Didint make a bit of differences because 2 nights later there was another fight in estate.

Eh sorry but what the hell were you expecting them to do, sit there all night on the off chance another fight might happen? Were you able to tell them exactly who was fighting? Why didn't ou ring them straight away instead of going down to the station, which you presumable didn't do immediately or you may have been able to prevent it yourself!!

Marleene wrote: »

I thought i lived in a quiet estate, i very rarely lock the car often leave wallet on front seat, never lock front door when in house or sometimes go to neighbours and leave door open.

That's just naive to think you could do that, your living in a housing estate in a town, not a lone house in the country where that is safe to do!

Marleene wrote: »

Now i feel so unsafe and to be honest im afraid in house all day on my own, i dont even feel i can go down town for walk on my own either.:(

Your afraid in your house but afraid to leave, that doesn't seem like a problem with the town!! There's no hassle around the place during the day, so saying your scared to wak to town is just extreme!

gogo

kmart6 wrote: »

That is a very simplistic attitude to have to something so vague. For all you know one of your bests friend could be looking up stuff like that, if you don't know your not going to have an issue, yet because you heard one person in a town of thousands looked up what essentially is disgusting stuff you feel that's no reason to hang around the place!! You won't be able to leave your house if that's your views on it!

Whats vague about kiddie porn?
Of course anyone could be looking it up, but the fact that there is someone 'confirmed' in port to be looking it up would turn me off the town, I never said I would never go there. One person is enough. I have no intention of ever going to port anyway, so no biggie. Your getting very defensive btw, no offence but port has been regarded as a **** hole for as long as I remember, one of my friends moved there a few year back, the first thing he was asked when he told us, was if his mother was an alcohlic and is his father going on the dole, if not why was he moving to port. thats always been the attitude around here towards port. Listen every town has its problems, dont take it personally. Excuse the lack of paragraphs, return button acting up.

JupiterKid

I've only ever driven through Port and I didn't like what I saw. A friend lived there a few years back for a while and told me it was rough as hell.

But many Irish towns have a bad reputation. Why? Because a corrupt and piss poor planning system that allows anyone to be able to built one off rural houses outside of the towns causing an over concentration of council housing in the towns and associated problems. It's not rocket science.

sydthebeat

JupiterKid wrote: »

..........Why? Because a corrupt and piss poor planning system that allows anyone to be able to built one off rural houses outside of the towns causing an over concentration of council housing in the towns and associated problems. It's not rocket science.

thats a comment typical of someone who is ignorant to the issue at hand... typical pub talk to be honest....

the existing council estates in the town are actually some of the less rough areas... st brigids square, derrymore and ballymorris manor are three notably low incident estates compared to the likes of lough gate and kilnacourt (which are not council estates!!)

if you knew the areas that are being referred to around town as being "rough" youd realise that they are NOT council housing estates.

if you knew the policies around social inclusion contained in part v of the planning and development act 2001 you also wouldnt make such a baseless statement.

and linking one off rural housing to urban antisocial problems is simply a stretch too far.... nonsensical... if you knew the sustainable rural policies youd know that "anyone" CANNOT build a rural home..

JupiterKid

sydthebeat wrote: »

thats a comment typical of someone who is ignorant to the issue at hand... typical pub talk to be honest....

the existing council estates in the town are actually some of the less rough areas... st brigids square, derrymore and ballymorris manor are three notably low incident estates compared to the likes of lough gate and kilnacourt (which are not council estates!!)

if you knew the areas that are being referred to around town as being "rough" youd realise that they are NOT council housing estates.

if you knew the policies around social inclusion contained in part v of the planning and development act 2001 you also wouldnt make such a baseless statement.

and linking one off rural housing to urban antisocial problems is simply a stretch too far.... nonsensical... if you knew the sustainable rural policies youd know that "anyone" CANNOT build a rural home..

It's true that I don't know Portarlington in detail but I do know that many, many medium sized Irish towns have serious problems linked to poor planning.

And name me ONE other country in Europe that allows so many one off rural houses to be built (apart from Greece which effectively has no proper planning) and the consequences and major problems that arise? I fully stand over my comments.

Part V hasn't been the wondrous success that was it feted as either. Most developers opted for cash settlements or land swaps with the LA than have the social housing component in their developments. Sustainable? Don't make me laugh...the only sustainable thing about the past few years was the cozy relationship between politicians and developers that got us into the total mess.:rolleyes:

BTW it's the Planning and Development Act 2000 (amended 2002).;)

sydthebeat

thanks for the correction... (the regs are 2001 BTW)

it is completely moot to refer to other european countries when discussing irish planning system. They do not have our history nor do we have theres.... remember much of europe was destroyed due to two world wars so planning had pretty much a clean slate to work with from 47 onwards....

actually UK have a similar rural / urban divide as we do.

as for part V, laois co co never allow cash payments in lieu of requirements. the most they accepted was the provision of part v units on other lands, but they would only accept this situation if they were offered above and beyond was was minimally required by the regs. Speaking through experience here.

also, the only place i referred to the word sustainable was when i stated the title of the rural policies. The developer / politician arrangement wasnt rural... and wasnt sustainable either... as we are finding out to our peril.
I have experienced rural planning ploicies before and after the implementation of these guidelines, and while i can say they are not perfect, they are a hell of a way better than the laise faire, free-for-all that preceded them.

JupiterKid

What about the issue when Laois County Council voted a few years back at the height of the property bubble to rezone huge amounts of land in and around every settlement in the county for its new County Development Plan? IIRC that decision was overturned by the then Minsiter of the Environment.

That was hardly a sustainable approach to development and planning...

Part V hasn't worked out the way it was originally intended to. Anyhow, with the collapse of the proiperty market the "affordable" housing scheme is soon to be history.

But I digress, back on topic. Portarlington is like most Irish towns of its size. It has its rough elements but this could be ameliorated with better planning.

roxiesmammy

house in st josephs petrol bombed last nite. kids in the house

El Siglo

I detest Portarlington, but the problems here are the same in every small town. Unemployment has completely destroyed the place and in this vacuum; drugs, drink etc... are taking over and as a result we get anti-social behaviour. To some extent I wouldn't go as far as blaming skangers from Dublin for all of the problems but they don't do themselves any favours either. Regarding rough housing estates, definitely the new ones are pretty bad.

HavingCrack

Been to Portarlington once-thought it was a complete and utter dump full of scangers standing on street corners and I haven't returned since then. My least favourite town in the whole of Ireland and I've been to Dundalk.... :P

Sunny86

Ah for gods sake Ports not rough, its just a normal town with 6000 people
sure bad stuff happen, but that happens everywhere .
I'd call moyross, neilstown and jobstown rough i'dcall Port harmless
with occasionall gossip worthy incident

sydthebeat

Theres always been a running joke in Port that when a mouse crosses the street at Kilmalogue, by the time it reaches Bracklone, its an elephant!!!

Port is no rougher now than it was when i was a kid, 20 years ago. It always had its bad eggs, like any town or village does.

Anyone at the family fun day in the park last sunday will realise Port has a lot more going for it than people give credit for.

elvis jones

HavingCrack wrote: »

Been to Portarlington once-thought it was a complete and utter dump full of scangers standing on street corners and I haven't returned since then. My least favourite town in the whole of Ireland and I've been to Dundalk.... :P

Troll:rolleyes:

joe_dunne

Sunny86 wrote: »

Ah for gods sake Ports not rough, its just a normal town with 6000 people
sure bad stuff happen, but that happens everywhere .
I'd call moyross, neilstown and jobstown rough i'dcall Port harmless
with occasionall gossip worthy incident

Ah it's good to see my home town (Neilstown) getting a mention.
My mother has finally sold her house and is getting the hell outa dodge.

Joe Dunne
Bujinkan Portlaoise

connundrum

Sunny86 wrote: »

Ah for gods sake Ports not rough, its just a normal town with 6000 people
sure bad stuff happen, but that happens everywhere .
I'd call moyross, neilstown and jobstown rough i'dcall Port harmless
with occasionall gossip worthy incident

I forgot to add to this.

I lived just outside Port for years, and have lived in Finglas for approx 3 years now.

In the 3 years in Finglas I've had 2 shootings, a stabbing, a suspected car bomb, my wife's car stolen, a weekly fight/scrap outside my door. Add to that the Garda Helicopter circling above head constantly.

Port isn't Finglas, and it will never be (thank God).

There probably is a growth in civil disobedience, drug consumption and vandalism as I noted in my earlier post. Nothing to be unduely worried about though.

1joey

Its defiently got worse every way .Especially houses & businesses (the few that there is left)are been burgled night after night . The police tell you its the same few people thats doing the robberies yet they dont go to jail.Im not saying its the polices fault ,but where is the law.It seems white collor crime & street crime eg crimminals druggies etc are above the law . However if you dont have a tv licence or park in a no parking area you pay a fine or go to jail.
The police say the know the culpits in portarlington ,so do the dogs on the street so why cant they remove these scumbags from the street.
I know portarlington is an employment blackspot ,so is most towns. However even in boom times no new employment came to portarlington,other than house building which has finished and we now see what disasterous effect it has left on our town .
We have no voice in political circles , (then who has).
Look at the Avon plant lying idle . I rem when it closed Mary usless Harney stated that a jobs forum (like Dell I think it was in Limerick) would be set up ( my arsh) it never was or never will.
Port will get rougher and rougher if something isnt shortly done ,it will turn into a myross god forbid.