Dirty, dreary, expensive, nothing to do

wakka12

I cant believe people in Ireland actually lived in places that looked like only 25 years ago. That video of sheriff street looks almost apocalyptic

Fritzbox

farmchoice wrote: »

no thats dublin, sherrif st area.

Or maybe he was just joking - hard to tell?

Paddy223

Let's face it the city is a dump. Was only down at Connolly station the last day and my god the state of the place. I only would leave my college campus to go out for a night with friend's to be honest. if I met someone that wanted to know a good city to live in Ireland I would say Galway. Traditional pubs and friendly bar staff, nice streets, friendly buskers and less crackheads about. Also some of the hospitality in some of the places in Dublin is shocking, for example if you walk into a bar in most places they would slam a pint down in front of you and angrily ask for 5.30 or more for something that is more than likely recycled from the slop tray into a barrel. I'm not Dublin bashing here but, just giving my honest opinion.

topper75

Mezzotint wrote: »

...I'd agree with some of the commentary on it being drab and run down. If you have a walk from say Smithfield through to Capel Street, that's entirely accurate. Or, go for a wander around Parnell Street, Dorset Street or something like that...

Crying out for investment/gentrification. Could be wonderful. I'm a Limerick guy and these districts always mystify me when I visit Dublin, considering the sums of money changing hands for sites and buildings not very far away in the more 'reputable' districts. Northside inner city needs some big love and soon.

wakka12

topper75 wrote: »

Crying out for investment/gentrification. Could be wonderful. I'm a Limerick guy and these districts always mystify me when I visit Dublin, considering the sums of money changing hands for sites and buildings not very far away in the more 'reputable' districts. Northside inner city needs some big love and soon.

This is why I find all the recent controversy surrounding the apparent gentrification of Dublin to be way over the top. Considering the wealth that is in Dublin, it is remarkably ungentrified. Injection clinics beside major tourist spots, hundreds of social housing blocks scattered throughout the city even wealthy area, the city main street looking the way it is, huge working class districts of housing just outside the city centre like Crumlin..hardly any luxury or gated communities... Dublin has a very very long way to go before it could ever be considered to be experiencing gentrification on the scale of most western cities. In fact I'd say its one of the least gentrified wealthy cities in the western world

Bobby Baccala

Paddy223 wrote: »

Let's face it the city is a dump. Was only down at Connolly station the last day and my god the state of the place. I only would leave my college campus to go out for a night with friend's to be honest. if I met someone that wanted to know a good city to live in Ireland I would say Galway. Traditional pubs and friendly bar staff, nice streets, friendly buskers and less crackheads about. Also some of the hospitality in some of the places in Dublin is shocking, for example if you walk into a bar in most places they would slam a pint down in front of you and angrily ask for 5.30 or more for something that is more than likely recycled from the slop tray into a barrel. I'm not Dublin bashing here but, just giving my honest opinion.

Ya sound homesick paddy, must be all the pollution getting to your head.

Elmer Blooker

wakka12 wrote: »

A traffic free Dublin is my dream..maybe some day. Would be one of the nicest cities in Europe if it was pedestrian

Dream on. The best the 'experts' can up with is to chop down trees and take away people's front gardens to make the roads wider for even more traffic. An underground for Dublin is not going to happen as long as the car lobby and the NRA is running the country. Has anyone else ever noticed that we can build roads with a ruthless efficiency (funding never a problem) in a country where nothing works but try improving public transport or building a children's hospital and its a different story altogether.
More cars = €€€€€€€€

meeeeh

I don't think gentrification is right description for what is happening in Dublin. It's more commercialization. The individuality is being lost. Whatever one might think of Una Mullally and I often find her annoying her articles about lack of alternative and creative culture are valid.

wakka12

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Dream on. The best the 'experts' can up with is to chop down trees and take away people's front gardens to make the roads wider for even more traffic. An underground for Dublin is not going to happen as long as the car lobby and the NRA is running the country. Has anyone else ever noticed that we can build roads with a ruthless efficiency (funding never a problem) in a country where nothing works but try improving public transport or building a children's hospital and its a different story altogether.
More cars = €€€€€€€€

Yeh I dont expect to see any pedestrianised cities in Ireland in my lifetime and Im 23. It really just comes down to the culture and the significance of cars in our lives, and less to do with funding or political willpower. It's why none of these are built in Britain either outside London, because the car is valued in their culture too as part of daily life, nothing to do with infrastructure investment theres many other impressive infrastructural projects being funded , so metros could easily be built in those cities too to reduce the car usage.

Ready4Boarding

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

The best the 'experts' can up with is to chop down trees and take away people's front gardens to make the roads wider for even more traffic ... Has anyone else ever noticed that we can build roads with a ruthless efficiency (funding never a problem) in a country where nothing works but try improving public transport or building a children's hospital and its a different story altogether.

BusConnects is a generational attempt at improving the bus network but you ridicule its planners and overstate the significance of CPOs and tree felling. Have you considered that people like you are part of the reason we don’t have the infrastructural improvements you desire? Building a road through a field is a lot less complex than a metro under a city.

meeeeh wrote: »

I don't think gentrification is right description for what is happening in Dublin. It's more commercialization. The individuality is being lost. Whatever one might think of Una Mullally and I often find her annoying her articles about lack of alternative and creative culture are valid.

Where is the widespread commercialisation? What exactly is being lost? Mullally’s most recent eulogy to a dying Dublin was the closing of the Bernard Shaw. But that was like fifteen years old in its final guise, was owned by some pub magnate (making considerable profit from it) and was routinely breaking its license agreement concerning outdoor amplification. She’s preoccupied with the loss of (loosely) cultural spaces, as though cut at the root, never to return. But it has always been this way: the type of gritty place that she celebrates finds its home in underdeveloped parts of the city. When higher rents push them out, they sprout up elsewhere. The centre of Dublin remains strikingly similar to the Dublin of twenty years ago.

It’s conspicuous that Mullally’s default for Dublin is the form it took during her college years. For her, Dublin’e decline began post Crash, not when the ESB demolished the Georgian terrace for its HQ, or when a corner of Stephen’s Green was demolished for the shopping centre, or with the loss of Wood Quay, and so on. Previous losses of heritage are part of Dublin’s history but the Bernard Shaw’s closure points to a terminal decline. It’s shortsighted.

cgcsb

Dublin's decline began with he act of union, at which point it was one of the biggest cities on Earth. It's rejuvenation only came in the early 2000s and it's been quite the change all things considered. The population of central Dublin only returned to positive figures around 20 years ago after centuries of decline. We're about 50 to 100 thousand apartments short of an affordable city to live in, which is out main problem. And we're about 80 to 100 years behind the rest of Europe in terms of provision of public transport.

Increasing the population in the centre is crucial. The streetscape will only improve if people live there day to day instead of commuting to Kildare where they vote.

Thelonious Monk

I actually really like Capel St. It's just a shame they have f**king parking on both sides of such a narrow st. Combined with the eternal traffic jam down the middle of the street it really takes away from the good things about the street.

Ready4Boarding

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I actually really like Capel St. It's just a shame they have f**king parking on both sides of such a narrow st. Combined with the eternal traffic jam down the middle of the street it really takes away from the good things about the street.

It's the same with South William Street. Removal of a small amount of parking would make such an improvement to the pedestrian experience.

Thelonious Monk

https://twitter.com/urbanthoughts11/status/1186276069550235649

Thelonious Monk

Ready4Boarding wrote: »

It's the same with South William Street. Removal of a small amount of parking would make such an improvement to the pedestrian experience.

you'd have to ask yourself why on f*cking earth they don't just remove parking from both streets? who in their right mind thinks oh I'll drive to town today and park on South William St??

suicide_circus

Richard Hillman wrote: »

To be fair, it's a bit crap. Not much history, rubbish architecture, non unique food, very expensive hotels, ****e weather. All we have are pubs and our nanny State governments want rid of those for Vegan and Coffee places.

plenty of history.

architecture - correct, anything not built by the brits is pretty dreadful

non unique food - correct in so far as the vast majority of eateries are selling non irish cuisine

very expensive hotels - not sure about that

sh*te weather - correct but should surprise no one

Ready4Boarding

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

you'd have to ask yourself why on f*cking earth they don't just remove parking from both streets? who in their right mind thinks oh I'll drive to town today and park on South William St??

Especially when the received wisdom why the street isn't pedestrianised is the number of car parks in the area.

Elmer Blooker

Ready4Boarding wrote: »

BusConnects is a generational attempt at improving the bus network but you ridicule its planners and overstate the significance of CPOs and tree felling. Have you considered that people like you are part of the reason we don’t have the infrastructural improvements you desire? Building a road through a field is a lot less complex than a metro under a city.

Taking gardens from people is not buiilding a road through a field, its stone age neanderthal 'planning' when other cities are pedestrianising streets.
It was tried before and failed, have a look at North King Street for example.
Whats so complex about building a metro? Other cities can do it. The port tunnel is a success story as it took heavy goods vehicles out of the city centre so it can be done if the will was there but it isn't.

It's the same with South William Street. Removal of a small amount of parking would make such an improvement to the pedestrian experience.

South William Street will never be pedestrianised because of access to the Brown Thomas and Drury Street car parks and the interests of motorists come before those of pedestrians in this city.... every time.

meeeeh

Ready4Boarding wrote: »

Where is the widespread commercialisation? What exactly is being lost? Mullally’s most recent eulogy to a dying Dublin was the closing of the Bernard Shaw. But that was like fifteen years old in its final guise, was owned by some pub magnate (making considerable profit from it) and was routinely breaking its license agreement concerning outdoor amplification. She’s preoccupied with the loss of (loosely) cultural spaces, as though cut at the root, never to return. But it has always been this way: the type of gritty place that she celebrates finds its home in underdeveloped parts of the city. When higher rents push them out, they sprout up elsewhere. The centre of Dublin remains strikingly similar to the Dublin of twenty years ago.

It’s conspicuous that Mullally’s default for Dublin is the form it took during her college years. For her, Dublin’e decline began post Crash, not when the ESB demolished the Georgian terrace for its HQ, or when a corner of Stephen’s Green was demolished for the shopping centre, or with the loss of Wood Quay, and so on. Previous losses of heritage are part of Dublin’s history but the Bernard Shaw’s closure points to a terminal decline. It’s shortsighted.

I'm talking about indentkit burger joints, cafe's, eateries which are all the same and offer very little variety in the busiest parts of Dublin. Add to that the usual fast food joints and you get the idea only corporations can afford rents there.

It's not about one pub it's about city planning and preserving what makes Ireland different to the rest of the world. Or do you think Ireland is all about fast food and shopping in multinational chains? Maybe you can add different Paddywhackery souvenirs to that.

Stop moaning ffs

Nobody’s mentioned the massive rash of hotels and student accommodations going up everywhere all over the city. Often at the price of losing cultural spaces. What’s the point in building that for tourism when there’ll be eff all left to them to come to?

John_Rambo

wakka12 wrote: »

I cant believe people in Ireland actually lived in places that looked like only 25 years ago. That video of sheriff street looks almost apocalyptic

That's the movie set for The Boxer in 1997. The derelict Sheriff st. flats were used as a location for the movie, that's why there's burnt out cars and lots of Belfast provo graffiti. I lived around the corner at the time.

lawred2

Rufeo wrote: »

Yes Dublin is very expensive. Way too expensive.

Have you tried anywhere else?

Stop moaning ffs

John_Rambo wrote: »

That's the movie set for The Boxer in 1997. The derelict Sheriff st. flats were used as a location for the movie, that's why there's burnt out cars and lots of Belfast provo graffiti. I lived around the corner at the time.

Thank you!! I thought I was losing my mind. The whole Bobby sands/h block thing was big news here but the city wasn’t plastered in ira graffiti anything like it was in the clip attached

Ready4Boarding

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Taking gardens from people is not buiilding a road through a field

Which is why the project has stalled. I was referring to the successful construction of roads, almost all of which take place in rural areas, given that urban presupposes a road.

its stone age neanderthal 'planning' when other cities are pedestrianising streets.

Lol, pedestrianise Merrion Road?

Whats so complex about building a metro? Other cities can do it.

Oh dear...

South William Street will never be pedestrianised because of access to the Brown Thomas and Drury Street car parks and the interests of motorists come before those of pedestrians in this city.... every time.

You really don't know what you're talking about. The BT car park only exits at the bottom of SWS and could easily turn cars back to Exchequer/Wicklow. Drury Street Car Park is in Drury Street!

meeeeh wrote: »

I'm talking about indentkit burger joints, cafe's, eateries which are all the same and offer very little variety in the busiest parts of Dublin. Add to that the usual fast food joints and you get the idea only corporations can afford rents there.

It's not about one pub it's about city planning and preserving what makes Ireland different to the rest of the world. Or do you think Ireland is all about fast food and shopping in multinational chains?

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Nobody’s mentioned the massive rash of hotels and student accommodations going up everywhere all over the city. Often at the price of losing cultural spaces. What’s the point in building that for tourism when there’ll be eff all left to them to come to?

The flaw in both your arguments is that what you bemoan has largely not pushed anything of worth out. The cafes and eateries (which are not all the same!) have brought Dublin from a culinary backwater to somewhere that can compete with most cities. Hotels and student accommodation have almost exclusively been built in drab areas of the city. Preserving Dublin should not mean preserving squalor. The centre of the city is almost unchanged.

lawred2

Pubic transport in Dublin is definitely a weak point. Especially Dublin bus. It barely works for locals but that is dependent on the locals being well aware of what to expect. But what's a tourist supposed to do with that?

The amount of times I've seen a Dublin bus pull up with the opposite end of the line emblazened across the front of it is laughable.

Just spent the weekend in London. Nevermind the underground. We actually used a lot of bus services. Impeccable. Whatever about Dublin failing to deliver a rail service to be proud of, there is zero excuse for failing to deliver a decent bus service.

meeeeh

Ready4Boarding wrote: »

The flaw in both your arguments is that what you bemoan has largely not pushed anything of worth out. The cafes and eateries (which are not all the same!) have brought Dublin from a culinary backwater to somewhere that can compete with most cities. Hotels and student accommodation have almost exclusively been built in drab areas of the city. Preserving Dublin should not mean preserving squalor. The centre of the city is almost unchanged.

I never said there is no good food in Dublin, I said in busiest areas. When I am tourist I'm lazy, I usually wander around and get food somewhere convenient. I don't want to spend an hour on Google maps trying to figure out where near the GPO I can get decent food. Dublin is a city where the highest bidder and very little else matters. It's grand but if you are planning a weekend away that is not spend drinking I'd go somewhere else. Dublin is nice as part of the package where you visit also other parts of Ireland but as weekend destination it is handy only because there are loads of flights into Dublin airport.

Stop moaning ffs

Just want to add I too think capel st is fantastic. It has everything. The parking though. Just baffling.

wakka12

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Nobody’s mentioned the massive rash of hotels and student accommodations going up everywhere all over the city. Often at the price of losing cultural spaces. What’s the point in building that for tourism when there’ll be eff all left to them to come to?

Usually not though, a lot of new hotels and student accomodations have filled vacant long derelict eyesores which have blighted dublin's inner city for decades. The liberties for instance was an awful decrepit kip until the very recent insertion of some new apartments, hotels and student blocks

Stop moaning ffs

wakka12 wrote: »

Usually not though, a lot of new hotels and student accomodations have filled vacant long derelict eyesores which have blighted dublin's inner city for decades. The liberties for instance was an awful decrepit kip until the very recent insertion of some new apartments, hotels and student blocks

That’s a good example. Be interesting to see how that integrates. Student accommodation are insanely expensive and mostly populated by foreign students if the two right next door to me in D7 are any guide. It’s gentrified around here but liberties and Thomas st really really isn’t.
So how will the two blend?

wakka12

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

That’s a good example. Be interesting to see how that integrates. Student accommodation are insanely expensive and mostly populated by foreign students if the two right next door to me in D7 are any guide. It’s gentrified around here but liberties and Thomas st really really isn’t.
So how will the two blend?

They probably wont blend, really.I can't imagine students trying to integrate with locals in the area, most are probably on erasmus too for a short time. But surely it contributes more to the community than a hole in the ground? It brings money to shops, numbers to streets and more eyes means more safety in a place with anti social issues.