Was Dublin better in the 80s?

Macytoby

A taxi driver over the weekend said that it was. Something along the lines of “we didn’t have money, but we had each other” and “the ordinary joe soaps can’t make a living anymore”.

Did he have a point or was he talking through his hole?

dzsfah2xoynme9

Yeah but wasn't there a heap of drugs and ghettos...

Macytoby

Ali Rough Muddy wrote: »

Yeah but wasn't there a heap of drugs and ghettos...

Sort of like now then?

murpho999

He said normal joe soaps couldn't make a living whilst driving in his de-regulated non closed industry taxi?

No, it's much better now.

Better social scene, shops, restaurants, social conditions, job opportunities, transport, roads, houses.

Look along the river quays as an example, was just run down warehouses in the 80s.

TheValeyard

Macytoby wrote: »

Sort of like now then?

Yeah, but with the bin strikes, problems with the IRA, that 80s recession and Charles Haughey was around.

murpho999

Macytoby wrote: »

Sort of like now then?

Where is there a ghetto in Dublin?

Macytoby

murpho999 wrote: »

Where is there a ghetto in Dublin?

Railway street is pretty much a ghetto except with more drugs.

chrissb8

murpho999 wrote: »

Where is there a ghetto in Dublin?

In his head

ThewhiteJesus

Luke Kelly was still alive

completedit

Not really probably. What makes people happy is a weird thing. We still have the same poxy weather so not sure if it's any different. If H&M and over expensive coffee is what makes a city a cool place to be, then Dublin is killing it.

We always equate the future as better than the past so it makes any conclusions about which time was better hard to decide.

Collie D

It was for my grandparents. They were still alive

matchthis

Everyone knew all their neighbours

mick087

Most people had a Dublin accent in the 80s.
Now most Dubs have this new D4 accent.

JohnnyFlash

It is far better now. It was a rundown kip back in the 80’s. Boarded up shops, lads standing in the doorways of pubs, the pubs were paying protection money to the provos, smog, no where decent to eat etc.

Those true blue Dub sorts always wax lyrical about Dublin in the rare auld times. Sentimental shïtes.

Macytoby

matchthis wrote: »

Everyone knew all there neighbours

Yeah, who cares about tuberculosis when you know your neighbour?

Dubmany

Everywhere in the country was worse in the 80s, you'd probably have to go back to the 50s and before to find a worse decade. Of course this decade isn't looking too good so far with Covid-19.

ThewhiteJesus

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

It is far better now. It was a rundown kip back in the 80’s. Boarded up shops, lads standing in the doorways of pubs, the pubs were paying protection money to the provos, smog, no where decent to eat etc.

Those true blue Dub sorts always wax lyrical about Dublin in the rare auld times. Sentimental shïtes.

Haha smog, that was a nightmare in Dublin every night

murpho999

Macytoby wrote: »

Railway street is pretty much a ghetto except with more drugs.

Except that it isn't and also I don't think one street approximately 450 meters long constitutes a ghetto.

murpho999

mick087 wrote: »

Most people had a Dublin accent in the 80s.
Now most Dubs have this new D4 accent.

How can a D4 accent not be a Dublin accent?

murpho999

matchthis wrote: »

Everyone knew all there neighbours

Yes, they met most weeks queuing for the dole money. It was great.

Macytoby

murpho999 wrote: »

Except that it isn't and also I don't think one street approximately 450 meters long constitutes a ghetto.

You could add Sean Macdermott st to the mix of you want.

And it is a ghetto. I used to live there, it’s probably the biggest ****hole in the country.

Darndale is pretty much a Ghetto as well. You could argue Joblesstown is as well.

mick087

murpho999 wrote: »

How can a D4 accent not be a Dublin accent?

Who said it wasnt a Dublin accent?

murpho999

Macytoby wrote: »

You could add Sean Macdermott st to the mix of you want.

And it is a ghetto. I used to live there, it’s probably the biggest ****hole in the country.

Darndale is pretty much a Ghetto as well. You could argue Joblesstown is as well.

So according to you disadvantaged areas are ghettos?

They were also disadvantaged in the 80s so is nothing to with Dublin being better or not.

Class MayDresser

Better now imo. Back then you'd wheel down the window and do a glugger into the Liffey, nowadays you can hock one out the window nobody gives a shiite.

banie01

Tell said Taxi Driver and any other dope afflicted with the good old days nostalgia, to cop the fúck on!

They can start here.
https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-crime-state-papers-2494610-Dec2015/

Then read into the reports such as the Report on Crime 1984, that show Gardai as swamped and ineffective whilst our own criminal and paramilitary elements ran fairly rampant.

Joyriding alone was endemic, glue sniffing, and a while host of other minor anti social criminal activities that would leave those moaning about certain out of control youth elements tearing at their breast.

Ireland has come a very long way and is a far, far safer country now than it was even 20 years ago.

Some people tend to think their younger years were times of safety and plenty.

There is far more instant and changeable news nowadays, 24hr news here in the 80's would have involved moving statue montages and burnt out cars surrounded by sniffers :pac:

Think Eastern Bloc Europe, but with great English and pubs

smelly sock

Macytoby wrote: »

You could add Sean Macdermott st to the mix of you want.

And it is a ghetto. I used to live there, it’s probably the biggest ****hole in the country.

Darndale is pretty much a Ghetto as well. You could argue Joblesstown is as well.

Generalisations.

I have good mates from Jobstown, Dublin 8 and in and around Sheriff st. Sound lads and hard working, certainly don't have the narrow minded personality you obviously have.

I despise that toxic attitude a lot of people in Ireland have. Thinking its ok to label cetain areas and all the people that love there.

Macytoby

murpho999 wrote: »

So according to you disadvantaged areas are ghettos?

They were also disadvantaged in the 80s so is nothing to with Dublin being better or not.

Disadvantaged is a very polite term. I always used that term until I moved to railway street. Now I realised that by and large, the locals don’t give a toss about the economy, the environment, the local area or anything outside of themselves.

Macytoby

smelly sock wrote: »

Generalisations.

I have good mates from Jobstown, Dublin 8 and in and around Sheriff st. Sound lads and hard working, certainly don't have the narrow minded personality you obviously have.

I despise that toxic attitude a lot of people in Ireland have. Thinking its ok to label cetain areas and all the people that love there.

Like I said, I’m not snobby. I moved to Railway St with an open mind. The things that I’ve seen and experienced there have completely changed my attitude. Sure there are people who work hard from these areas, but they generally leave.

Dubmany

Macytoby wrote: »

Yeah, who cares about tuberculosis when you know your neighbour?

You're thinking of the 50s, TB was well under control in the 80s, in fact there's probably more TB around today than in the 80s.
Btw, the 50s was always considered the worse decade by the older generations. Proportionally probably more emigration than the 80s and largely uneducated emigrants going to work in low skilled jobs in the UK. At least in the 80s the emigrants we're usually highly educated and got good jobs abroad and many returned to good jobs here in the 90s when the economy took off.

mick087

banie01 wrote: »

Tell said Taxi Driver and any other dope afflicted with the good old days nostalgia, to cop the fúck on!

:pac: Great line im gonna use that one myself :pac:

satguy

Back then,, a working couple could buy a really nice house,, and run a very nice car.

Now you can't even get on the property ladder,, and all your money goes on rent, and bills.

JupiterKid

Dublin, despite its current issues and problems, is in far, far better shape now than back in the 1980s.

In the 1980s Dublin city centre outside of the Grafton St and Henry St shopping areas and the Dublin 2/4 business area was very run down, the level of dilapidation and complete dereliction was unreal. About 45% of the urban space between the canals was derelict or vacant, poverty was much much worse and there were very few options or opportunities for young people except the boat to England or the airplane to the States to find work.

Unemployment was through the roof - over 20% in around 1986, cronyism and corruption was everywhere and the hard drugs problem had hit the inner city areas hard at the time.

Beautiful historic Georgian townhouses were still being torn down for bland ugly office blocks being built since the early 1960s up to the early 80s or worse still, vacant sites. There was very little money in the economy in the 1980s. For a child in middle class suburban Dublin, as I was back then, things were pretty good but my parents constantly worried about money and bills. Crime - especially thefts, muggings, burglaries and joyriding was very high. Nearly everyone’s house was burgled and neighbours’ cars were being stolen for joyriding.

The critical turning point for Dublin came in the 1990s, when first urban renewal and then the economy really took off which began to transform the city. If you look at old photographs of what the area around Christchurch, or North King Street, Smithfield or Parnell St looked like in the mid 80s they were like a wasteland of dereliction. Temple Bar had a few arty, bohemian shops but was pretty run down until the regeneration programme in the 90s.

So no, that taxi driver was talking pure ****e...

Chiparus

Joy riding was rife.
Unemployment , drugs, petty crime , Dublin is far far better now.

sabat

On the extremely rare occasions when I go to see a particular DJ or late gig, or even just a late bar, with a mainly younger crowd present, it's noticeable how little fun they're having compared to people in the past. Even the tackiest suburban Dublin disco-bar of the mid 90s was better craic than the trendiest places today.

banie01

Chiparus wrote: »

Joy riding was rife.
Unemployment , drugs, petty crime , Dublin is far far better now.

22000 cars stolen in Dublin alone in 1983!

22000....
That's staggering!

Granted you could rob a car those days with a house key and a coat hanger!
But just shows you the regard that property and by extension property crime were held in at the time.

Esse85

The better question to ask is, were people happier in the 80s vs today?

Church on Tuesday

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

It is far better now. It was a rundown kip back in the 80’s. Boarded up shops, lads standing in the doorways of pubs, the pubs were paying protection money to the provos, smog, no where decent to eat etc.

Those true blue Dub sorts always wax lyrical about Dublin in the rare auld times. Sentimental shïtes.

:pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

mick087

sabat wrote: »

On the extremely rare occasions when I go to see a particular DJ or late gig, or even just a late bar, with a mainly younger crowd present, it's noticeable how little fun they're having compared to people in the past. Even the tackiest suburban Dublin disco-bar of the mid 90s was better craic than the trendiest places today.

Yes i agree, the craic SOH is not there, the slagging its all so differernt.
But thats what my dad says about my generation :pac:
We are getting old.

Macytoby

Esse85 wrote: »

The better question to ask is, were people happier in the 80s vs today?

Dunno, but we always reminisce with rose tinted glasses.

FVP3

mick087 wrote: »

Most people had a Dublin accent in the 80s.
Now most Dubs have this new D4 accent.

well thats bollocks for one. The accent has gotten more dublin.

mick087

FVP3 wrote: »

well thats bollocks for one. The accent has gotten more dublin.

Must be i moved to a more posher area then :pac:

JohnnyFlash

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

:pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

It’s true, dude. I worked in more than one of them during my time in college. You were even threatened with a visit from a lovely man who eventually became a Lord Mayor of Dublin if you didn’t pay up.

odyssey06

Nope. Only one All Ireland.

talla10

Had a better soccer team in the 80's :pac:

mick087

talla10 wrote: »

Had a better soccer team in the 80's :pac:

Euro 88. Who put the goal in the England net? :pac::pac:

4068ac1elhodqr

The bigger question is was anywhere (in the world), better back in the 80's?
Thus welcome to natural progression and general improvements to multi-standards of living.

One place globally that is worse off now is Irn, sure didn't they have free flowing locks (even the wimin), rock n' roll, and plenty of western type freedoms, before the old guarde took over for dire oppression, double that with recent sanctions for wanting bigger throwing sticks in their stockpile. n.b Might have been the 70's.

The 70's were cool!: Disco.

Chiparus

banie01 wrote: »

22000 cars stolen in Dublin alone in 1983!

22000....
That's staggering!

Granted you could rob a car those days with a house key and a coat hanger!
But just shows you the regard that property and by extension property crime were held in at the time.

There was so much joyriding they had to send them to the penal colony in the south- Cork

Mad_maxx

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

It’s true, dude. I worked in more than one of them during my time in college. You were even threatened with a visit from a lovely man who eventually became a Lord Mayor of Dublin if you didn’t pay up.

if its who i think it is ? , seeing his face close up would have me paying all the protection money in the world

Mad_maxx

Myah Screeching Jay wrote: »

The bigger question is was anywhere (in the world), better back in the 80's?
Thus welcome to natural progression and general improvements to multi-standards of living.

One place globally that is worse off now is Irn, sure didn't they have free flowing locks (even the wimin), rock n' roll, and plenty of western type freedoms, before the old guarde took over for dire oppression, double that with recent sanctions for wanting bigger throwing sticks in their stockpile. n.b Might have been the 70's.

The 70's were cool!: Disco.

the uk and the usa had a booming economy through much of the 1980,s , that we completely missed it shows what a fcuk up the place was at the time

JupiterKid

This photo will give the OP - and anyone else too young to remember - a little taste of the state of inner city Dublin back in the 1980s...

This is Ormond Quay Lower, near where the Morrison Hotel is now.




Good photo gallery on Dublin city Centre in the 1980s here in this link:

https://www.dublincity.ie/library-galleries1/202

Gregor Samsa

FVP3 wrote: »

well thats bollocks for one. The accent has gotten more dublin.

I grew up on the Northside in the 70s. The accent around where I’m from has definitely got flatter since I was a kid. When I go back there now, the kids in the area definitely speak with a much flatter accent that I or any of my friends ever did.

My grandad was born just off Pearse Street in 1901, and was 7th generation Dublin (a cousin of his spent years doing a family tree). He claimed that the flat Dublin accent wasn’t very prevalent in the city when he was young.

So the accent has definitely got more Dublin in the sense of the flat “howya” type.