Poorest town in Ireland

LuasSimon

Where is the poorest town in Ireland ? ... forgetting about city suburbs like moyross or darndale but a town or village . Towns can be poor without been crime ridden but normally poor leads to crime . The west coast is normally bad for emigration but had tourism although this is in the hands of a few business owners . The upper midland counties Longford , Westmeath , Roscommon have not much employment either .
Looking at property prices Strokestown and Castlerea in rosscommon are lowest .
I’ll go for strokestown so to start the debate

Blazer

Tipperary town....its a ****hole as is and has extremely high welfare recipients and adult illiteracy.

freshpopcorn

I always found Tipperary town kind of miserable!

Kitty6277

Came here to post about Tipp town, glad to see others got in before me :pac:

Badabing

Bridgetown in South Wexford was a bit of a kip a few years ago.

razorblunt

Birr. They can't even afford the heating.


Not long those humblebrags in New TwoPotHouse.

JohnnyFlash

Edenderry would appear to have a very large population of scumbags, knackers, junkies, and dirtbirds.

freshpopcorn

Kitty6277 wrote: »

Came here to post about Tipp town, glad to see others got in before me :pac:

I haven't being there for a while now maybe it's better with the Dunnes/etc but before the best part used be passing Pierse Motors!

Kitty6277

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I haven't being there for a while now maybe it's better with the Dunnes/etc but before the best part used be passing Pierse Motors!

I live here (for my sins), if anything it’s gotten worse!

LuasSimon

Be interesting to know what Town has the highest unemployment rate ? ...these figures are distorted seeing as travellers dont work and any area with a lot of travellers will be unemployment black spots .
There must be towns and villages with no travellers in the west that just have no jobs

theteal

I've a few friends from Strokestown. They all live on the outskirts of London. That might signify something. . . .

jimgoose

Another mention of Tipperary town here. It's a pity to see a once-bustling farmer's town go downhill so. It's strange to compare it with Midleton, which would appear to be a very similar sort of setup - small-ish, tidy farming town, about the same distance roughly to the larger city, and yet Midleton is booming.

Harry Palmr

There are CSO figures for this to some degree.

Towns of 10,000 plus, so decent sized in Ireland. The the poorest as measured by median household income is Longford 29,224
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-gpii/geographicalprofilesofincomeinireland2016/incomeinireland/

Tipp is too small for this list and I agree with the consensus!

kneemos

Passed through Arklow one night a while ago,looked mostly boarded up.
Wouldn't know it well though

Blazer

Harry Palmr wrote: »

There are CSO figures for this to some degree.

Towns of 10,000 plus, so decent sized in Ireland. The the poorest as measured by median household income is Longford 29,224
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-gpii/geographicalprofilesofincomeinireland2016/incomeinireland/

Tipp is too small for this list and I agree with the consensus!

Yep I remember the last consensus and Longford had the highest unemployment and adult literacy rates with Tipp Town just behind them.
Which explains a lot really.
The problem then is obviously you get a typical class of people which feeds the problem and propagates it further.

Gimme A Pound

It's kinda a tricky one as some towns are absolute sh1t-holes yet in areas of wealth. E.g. Mitchelstown. What a grim kip. My friend teaches there - rife with problems disproportionate for such a small town. Yet right in the Golden Vale.

jimgoose wrote: »

Another mention of Tipperary town here. It's a pity to see a once-bustling farmer's town go downhill so. It's strange to compare it with Midleton, which would appear to be a very similar sort of setup - small-ish, tidy farming town, about the same distance roughly to the larger city, and yet Midleton is booming.

Who compared Tipperary Town to Midleton? They haven't a clue whoever they are!

rossie1977

It's 5 years old but decent map which highlights most disadvantaged areas. Going by that Ballaghaderreen is poorest town or at least was in Roscommon

topper75

Blazer wrote: »

Tipperary town...

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Tipperary town...

Kitty6277 wrote: »

Tipp town...

OK - that is diagnosis out of the way.

What about treatment. What effect would a bypass have? Can programmes be introduced in schools to break a cycle? Can the IDA and local politicians push to bring in a decent-scale FDI employer?

Woke Hogan

In terms of wealth it must be somewhere in Donegal. It's a totally neglected part of the country.

Culturally: Dublin. In my experience it appears that anti-intellectualism and mawkishness run riot down there. Love Island addicted sopheads.

n97 mini

Used to be Bunclody. Dunno if it still is.

https://www.thejournal.ie/rural-towns-economy-ireland-1410348-Apr2014/

Harry Palmr

Just on Tipp town, open this up and type the name in and then note the income indicator by colour

http://census.cso.ie/edmap12/

Blazer

topper75 wrote: »

OK - that is diagnosis out of the way.

What about treatment. What effect would a bypass have? Can programmes be introduced in schools to break a cycle? Can the IDA and local politicians push to bring in a decent-scale FDI employer?

Tipp is a far bit away from a motorway I think so transportation could be an issue.
Also on the jobs front it would have to be unskilled labour due to the literacy rates etc so effectively you're creating another circle.
Long term investment in education etc , plan an motorway or join another motorway and set up plans for 20-30 years for skilled labour etc.
Sounds highly depressing but this is the kind of long term strategy we need from those muppets in Government.
Bandaids are no good at least not for the long term. It'll be someone else's problem then.

Kitty6277

topper75 wrote: »

OK - that is diagnosis out of the way.

What about treatment. What effect would a bypass have? Can programmes be introduced in schools to break a cycle? Can the IDA and local politicians push to bring in a decent-scale FDI employer?

It could be, but the IDA and local politicians don’t seem to give a shít about Tipp town. For years the local people have been campaigning for someone like the IDA to come in and try and get someone in who’d be a good employer, yet it never happens. About a year or 2 ago, the IDA took control of the retail park that was never opened saying they’d turn it from retail use into commercial business use and then try to get an employer to come in. So far that hasn’t happened and the buildings are still sitting there empty.

It doesn’t help that every single local election people still vote the FF/FG politicians in despite them cribbing that they never do anything. I think a bypass might help, traffic is a huge issue in the town and people are avoiding it because of that, especially at the moment with the massive roadworks going on. I think if traffic was eased by having a bypass, footfall would increase and local businesses would do better.

LirW

n97 mini wrote: »

Used to be Bunclody. Dunno if it still is.

https://www.thejournal.ie/rural-towns-economy-ireland-1410348-Apr2014/

Came here to nominate Bunclody, it still is a kip.
Surrounding area is lovely but generally the whole western Wexford border is something that reminds me of Yugoslavia like 10 years after the war ended.

Harry Palmr

The main road/street is quite distinctive and when I used to be there a fair bit the place didn't seem to down at heel, though as a visitor it's easy to miss what's obvious to the locals.

Ger Roe

The actual statistical indications are best illustrated on the 'Pobal Maps'

Here : https://maps.pobal.ie/WebApps/DeprivationIndices/index.html

You can check for any area in the country and see the level of deprivation on a neighbourhood basis.

These maps : https://maps.pobal.ie/ offer other associated indicators of deprivation or wealth, such as child services and transport options available in all areas.

It's a useful resource that few people seem to be aware of.

JohnnyFlash

Woke Hogan wrote: »

In terms of wealth it must be somewhere in Donegal. It's a totally neglected part of the country.

Culturally: Dublin. In my experience it appears that anti-intellectualism and mawkishness run riot down there. Love Island addicted sopheads.

The ‘salt o da ertt’ true blue Dub is one the greatest pains in the hole you could possibly meet. Big into garlic football, batch loaf, ‘da boookeys etc. Avoid at all costs.

cgcsb

If you google streetview Tipp town you can see a branch of Xtra-vision, havent seen that since I was a kid

Qrt

LirW wrote: »

Came here to nominate Bunclody, it still is a kip.
Surrounding area is lovely but generally the whole western Wexford border is something that reminds me of Yugoslavia like 10 years after the war ended.

Relative of mine lives in Bunclody, and it was the first town to come to mind when I saw this.

road_high

Tipp town came immediately into my head, also carrick on suir. Both very deprived looking- the towns and the people

Qrt

cgcsb wrote: »

If you google streetview Tipp town you can see a branch of Xtra-vision, havent seen that since I was a kid

How recent is the StreetView? There were a few lingering around Dublin too before they crashed.

Kitty6277

cgcsb wrote: »

If you google streetview Tipp town you can see a branch of Xtra-vision, havent seen that since I was a kid

That’s been closed a long time now

LirW

Qrt wrote: »

Relative of mine lives in Bunclody, and it was the first town to come to mind when I saw this.

What bugs me is that Bunclody could be absolutely lovely if it wouldn't be be populated by people that have no pride in themselves or their surroundings.

But look I have a difficult relationship with it, I'd love to hate the place more but I cant, I feel sorry for it because it deserves a lot better.

Always Tired

Woke Hogan wrote: »

In terms of wealth it must be somewhere in Donegal. It's a totally neglected part of the country.

Yep, I live in one of the bigger towns there and it is dreadful in terms of employment opportunities, basically it's all low paid crap jobs, service industry mostly, bit of retail or factory work. Remember reading that Donegal had the lowest average disposable income. If it weren't for the tourists the town would be totally dead

road_high

Kitty6277 wrote: »

It could be, but the IDA and local politicians don’t seem to give a shabout Tipp town. For years the local people have been campaigning for someone like the IDA to come in and try and get someone in who’d be a good employer, yet it never happens. About a year or 2 ago, the IDA took control of the retail park that was never opened saying they’d turn it from retail use into commercial business use and then try to get an employer to come in. So far that hasn’t happened and the buildings are still sitting there empty.

It doesn’t help that every single local election people still vote the FF/FG politicians in despite them cribbing that they never do anything. I think a bypass might help, traffic is a huge issue in the town and people are avoiding it because of that, especially at the moment with the massive roadworks going on. I think if traffic was eased by having a bypass, footfall would increase and local businesses would do better.

The days of the IDA solving all problems are well gone. An area has to offer things that are attractive to investors like location and a well educated workforce. And a lot of that has to come from the locals themselves

road_high

Always Tired wrote: »

Yep, I live in one of the bigger towns there and it is dreadful in terms of employment opportunities, basically it's all low paid crap jobs, service industry mostly, bit of retail or factory work. Remember reading that Donegal had the lowest average disposable income. If it weren't for the tourists the town would be totally dead

Even tourism in donegal is not that well developed. Leagues behind the likes of Galway, Kerry or Kilkenny. I was pretty underwhelmed by it tbh

cgcsb

Woke Hogan wrote: »

In terms of wealth it must be somewhere in Donegal. It's a totally neglected part of the country.

Culturally: Dublin. In my experience it appears that anti-intellectualism and mawkishness run riot down there. Love Island addicted sopheads.

Literally the opposite is the case. Dublin is head and shoulders the most cultured part of the country by any measure. If you think people in Dublin like love island, go to the midlands.

LirW

Always Tired wrote: »

Yep, I live in one of the bigger towns there and it is dreadful in terms of employment opportunities, basically it's all low paid crap jobs, service industry mostly, bit of retail or factory work. Remember reading that Donegal had the lowest average disposable income. If it weren't for the tourists the town would be totally dead

Don't worry, Daniel O'Donnell got you, he basically owns Donegal.

pablohoney87

I think Strabane has the worst employment figures in the entire EU.

cgcsb

Qrt wrote: »

How recent is the StreetView? There were a few lingering around Dublin too before they crashed.

2018

ToddyDoody

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Big into garlic football

I try to avoid it because of the smell.

I love these articles:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/priced-out-of-skerries-nearby-balbriggan-has-a-lot-to-offer-1.3407525

Yakult

cgcsb wrote: »

Literally the opposite is the case. Dublin is head and shoulders the most cultured part of the country by any measure. If you think people in Dublin like love island, go to the midlands.

Lol culture, do you mean swines who walk around with their tracksuits tucked in to their nikes?

Have you been anywhere else in Ireland?

Bigbagofcans

Yakult wrote: »

Lol culture, do you mean swines who walk around with their tracksuits tucked in to their nikes?

Have you been anywhere else in Ireland?

Generally, people in cities are more cultured, open-minded and not as backward thinking as the more rural folk.

JohnnyFlash

road_high wrote: »

Even tourism in donegal is not that well developed. Leagues behind the likes of Galway, Kerry or Kilkenny. I was pretty underwhelmed by it tbh

I was up there last year and couldn’t get over how backward the place was. Some beautiful scenery, but a very poor tourist product in general - frozen fish in a restaurant half a mile from the sea for example. The people up there seem a bit simple as well.

_blaaz

pablohoney87 wrote: »

I think Strabane has the worst employment figures in the entire EU.

Not for much longer :pac:

lertsnim

I'll echo Tipperary Town. Absolute dump.

tuxy

Qrt wrote: »

How recent is the StreetView? There were a few lingering around Dublin too before they crashed.

Image from 2018, it looks like the onwer has been trying to rent the building which is on the main street for a very long time.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.473847,-8.1606111,3a,75y,163.72h,92.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scmhz8kpbZGxF61aw93q_2g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

_blaaz

Generally midlands and communter town in kildare/meath seem very grim....but special shout out to gorey,bleakest wasteland of the east coast

CBear1993

LuasSimon wrote: »

Be interesting to know what Town has the highest unemployment rate ? ...these figures are distorted seeing as travellers dont work and any area with a lot of travellers will be unemployment black spots .
There must be towns and villages with no travellers in the west that just have no jobs

Strabane in west Tyrone is usually known as having one of the highest unemployment rates in the north. Big town. They all live in the bookies

cgcsb

Yakult wrote: »

Lol culture, do you mean swines who walk around with their tracksuits tucked in to their nikes?

Have you been anywhere else in Ireland?

No, I mean the far superior cuture; fashion, art, design, food, theatre (entertainment in general) etc.
pointing to a few poor people who you view as being unfashionable is hardly evidence of such a ridiculous statement.

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

The people up there seem a bit simple as well.

A lazy critique. Blanket assertions never serve one well.