Carlow residents furious after Russian TV report

derailed

Any thoughts on this Russian TV Report? Is Carlow a shadow of what it used to be? A few arguments for and against this but some very selective footage included.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIgba64WJls

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/carlow-residents-furious-after-russian-tv-report-29920772.html

Morf

Furious? No.

Does it give a fair representation looking at two streets? Not really.

Is Carlow in a very bad spot with regards to businesses? I'd say yes.

Does people defending Carlow/Ireland regardless of some good evidence to the contrary surprise me? No.

Laois_Man

You might say it's very selective footage, but the footage includes the towns main street where there's boarded up/derelict buildings aplenty. Most people just passing through the town will see nothing of the town centre but Barracks Street which is worse again. And young people are leaving in their droves. It's not exactly a report full of blatant lies. Although pointing out that Charlotte Street is now nothing, as if it ever was something other than a side street, is a but ridiculous.

I had an American visitor to the town in November who tried to be nice about her impressions of it by referencing how in her town, if something becomes an eyesore, they just pull it down and something new goes up.....but here, you guys really try to preserve the history. Says it all.

radharc

Maybe it's just me but I think Carlow town is doing better than a lot of similar towns in the country. Tullow & Dublin streets are struggling all right but that's because the town centre has moved away from them. Off the top of my head Portlaoise, Mullingar, Enniscorthy, Athy etc have all fared a lot worse in the recession.

road_high

Carlow has been hammered by the reccession alright but saying that too there a lot of positives from recent years too; the M9 is a massive boost, Teagasc HQ has expanded, MSD have a new modern plant in the town.

Retail wise I think it's more bad planning than actual lack of business. The council should have focused and promoted more development in/around Tullow st rather than sending it all to outlying retail parks and the Fairgreen sc. A whole host of business have gone, many to the suburbs like Super Valu.

Mister Man

I wouldn't have said furious myself. I do think that the report was a bit on the unfair side.

I don't deny the fact Carlow is in a bad place. Lots of places closing, buildings going un-used/boarded up.

At the same time, why couldn't they have taken the camera crew over to Fairgreen, or even a few feet away to Tullow street, where they're still shops and pubs a plenty.

The report makes the town out to be empty. I do remember when I was a very young lad going into the pub on Charlotte Street after church. Even back then, when times were a lot better, the street had little more then just the pub.

It shines a bad light on the town by not showing anything else, but at the same time, it does make light of the fact lots of areas are going un-noticed and un-used. Personally, they could have done a better job by highlighting the large build now vacant from the closer of Homebase/Dome or other larger buildings in a better area.

Mister Man

I wouldn't have said furious myself. I do think that the report was a bit on the unfair side.

I don't deny the fact Carlow is in a bad place. Lots of places closing, buildings going un-used/boarded up.

At the same time, why couldn't they have taken the camera crew over to Fairgreen, or even a few feet away to Tullow street, where they're still shops and pubs a plenty.

The report makes the town out to be empty. I do remember when I was a very young lad going into the pub on Charlotte Street after church. Even back then, when times were a lot better, the street had little more then just the pub.

It shines a bad light on the town by not showing anything else, but at the same time, it does make light of the fact lots of areas are going un-noticed and un-used. Personally, they could have done a better job by highlighting the large build now vacant from the closer of Homebase/Dome or other larger buildings in a better area.

Agent Coulson

To be honest two of the buildings shown were boarded up even during the boom when money for anything was plentiful.

The pub and crottys have been boarded up since the early 00's so they reallly aren't down to the crash or the austerity measures Ireland had to take to get out of recession.

I see they didn't film over by lower tullow street and the fountain or the fairgreen where most of Carlow now shop.

To be honest who would be out on a wet ****ty morning walking the streets unless the wanted to be on tv camreas.

Carlow2011

Another perspective of Carlow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrMHut6wRWY

BattleCorp

In fairness, anybody driving around Carlow town centre will see a hell of a lot of boarded up places.

And it's not just the town centre. Down around Dunnes stores is pretty much the same. And out near homebase.

There are success stories such as MSD but there is an unreal amount of places empty.

So no, I wouldn't think that the article was very unfair to Carlow.

mathepac

"The three-minute report has more than 10,000 views on YouTube since it was uploaded on December 22."

10,000 of these viewers were from Dublin, 1 was from Russia and the other was Carlow's last remaining resident.

road_high

There was 3 large retail parks developed in Carlow and to be fair there wasn't the population or business there to sustain all 3, even in the good times there were many vacant units. Never saw the need for Homebase, 4Home, as well as Woodies, Doyles and the few independent stores around. Not to mention the ones in Tullow, Bagenalstown and KK.

SV

BattleCorp wrote: »

In fairness, anybody driving around Carlow town centre will see a hell of a lot of boarded up places.

And it's not just the town centre. Down around Dunnes stores is pretty much the same. And out near homebase.

There are success stories such as MSD but there is an unreal amount of places empty.

So no, I wouldn't think that the article was very unfair to Carlow.

Homebase and the likes was never exactly bustling with business. There is still Supermacs, Currys and a pet store out there aswell, the place is plentiful busy.

Also Dunnes? That's still open, along with the other shops around there..the only place that's closed there is The Dome and that was only recently.

slimjimmc

SV wrote: »

Homebase and the likes was never exactly bustling with business. There is still Supermacs, Currys and a pet store out there aswell, the place is plentiful busy.

Also Dunnes? That's still open, along with the other shops around there..the only place that's closed there is The Dome and that was only recently.

There a number of vacant units there, afaik some were never occupied. 4Home DIY & garden centre is sitting there empty and starting to look a bit dilapidated. Dunnes even opened Dunnes Home in a unit beside the main store but it didn't last long and is now vacant.

AlanS181824

We were talking about this today in Heritage Class while we were looking at pictures of Carlow/Graiguecullen from the '60s.

AlanS181824

slimjimmc wrote: »

There a number of vacant units there, afaik some were never occupied. 4Home DIY & garden centre is sitting there empty and starting to look a bit dilapidated. Dunnes even opened Dunnes Home in a unit beside the main store but it didn't last long and is now vacant.

Dunnes Home as far as I know is now just where the clothes section inside Dunnes. But then again it might have been in the Building next to it.
There's 4Home that's been abandoned for years, the Dome and the 5 or 6 never used business premises. All that's left is the Ivy Rooms, Dunnes, the Chemist and that Clothes shop.

Morf

2 car dealerships and the vehicle-testing place.

fits

We need a completely new set of councillors. Years of poor management planning and decisions have absolutely wrecked the town in particular. The town is dying and drastic action needs to be taken.

ForstalDave

The penny's development needs to go ahead it would bring life back into carlow and would make carlow a big shopping town

BattleCorp

I don't think Carlow is unique. I'd say most mid-sized towns in Ireland are the same.

Morf

ForstalDave wrote: »

The penny's development needs to go ahead it would bring life back into carlow and would make carlow a big shopping town

Shopping town for who though?

ForstalDave

Morf wrote: »

Shopping town for who though?

Lots of people around carlow, plus the motorway would make it easy to get to

Morf

ForstalDave wrote: »

Lots of people around carlow, plus the motorway would make it easy to get to

I don't think there's the disposable income to just stick in more shops and expect people to throng to them.

As shown by the amount of closing businesses and empty units.

I think fast food does well in poor economic conditions but generally most businesses not as much. Always exceptions though.