Cities for everyone!

Harry Palmr

Droghada wants to be a city, Sligo wants to be, Kilkenny is a fake city and now Ennis thinks it's got what it takes. This bull's hit has to end. City status should count for something in terms of scale and potential in a national context, not be bestowed on a whim to please local politicians and land owners.

Quantum Erasure

If anywhere is granted city status, it should be Swords. And not just because it sounds cool either..

The J Stands for Jay

Quantum Erasure wrote: »

If anywhere is granted city status, it should be Swords. And not just because it sounds cool either..

Sounds good, they can have Waterford's city status.

riffmongous

Why should city status count for something? It's a fairly meaningless title nowadays considering the disproportionate size and influence of Dublin

L1011

Some of our actual cities don't even have their own councils now - that, and town councils for suitably large towns, needs to be fixed first.

Quantum Erasure

Quantum Erasure wrote: »

If anywhere is granted city status, it should be Swords. And not just because it sounds cool either..

The city of Swords sounds cool.

Shame it’s in swords

McGaggs

McGaggs wrote: »

Sounds good, they can have Waterford's city status.

The oldest one in Ireland?


Lol.

RobbingBandit

In my time it was a Fiefdom ah I miss being a nobleman

The J Stands for Jay

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Droghada wants to be a city, Sligo wants to be, Kilkenny is a fake city and now Ennis thinks it's got what it takes. This bull's hit has to end. City status should count for something in terms of scale and potential in a national context, not be bestowed on a whim to please local politicians and land owners.

Hmmm, Sligo and Ennis aren't even in the top 10.

The J Stands for Jay

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The oldest one in Ireland?


Lol.

It's always fun to slip a dig in. Waterford people get very animated by an perceived slights against their area.

For Forks Sake

Could be worse, above in Nordieland, Lisburn and Newry were granted city status based on some sort of raffle

blanch152

The focus needs to be on Waterford, Cork, Galway and Limerick to achieve a greater counter-balance to Dublin.

After that, and subject to that success, the boosting of other centres - Sligo and Athlone in particular - should then take place.

Omackeral

City centre location. The neck of them!

The J Stands for Jay

blanch152 wrote: »

The focus needs to be on Waterford, Cork, Galway and Limerick to achieve a greater counter-balance to Dublin.

After that, and subject to that success, the boosting of other centres - Sligo and Athlone in particular - should then take place.

Is it wise to focus on Galway with its traffic problems, or is it something that could be fixed with a bit of work?

dave 27

Only 3 for contention should be Dundalk, Drogheda or Swords. All about 40k or above, anything below that is a non runner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland_by_population

Dundalk over Drogheda as county town and probably has a larger natural metro population but that being biased!

biko

We should revoke city status for all in Ireland, including Belfast and Dublin.
Make Ireland towns again!

randd1

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Droghada wants to be a city, Sligo wants to be, Kilkenny is a fake city and now Ennis thinks it's got what it takes. This bull's hit has to end. City status should count for something in terms of scale and potential in a national context, not be bestowed on a whim to please local politicians and land owners.

There's only two proper cities in the country; Kilkenny and Galway.


The other "cities" are nothing only rubbish strewn oversized housing estates full of tracksuit wearing scobies.

The J Stands for Jay

randd1 wrote: »

There's only two proper cities in the country; Kilkenny and Galway.


The other "cities" are nothing only rubbish strewn oversized housing estates full of tracksuit wearing scobies.

Only difference to Galway is that they wear crusty jumpers.

El Tarangu

dave 27 wrote: »

Only 3 for contention should be Dundalk, Drogheda or Swords. All about 40k or above, anything below that is a non runner.

Both of their town charters will be rescinded when they are amalgamated into 'Louth Mega-City One'.

El Tarangu

dave 27 wrote: »

Only 3 for contention should be Dundalk, Drogheda or Swords. All about 40k or above, anything below that is a non runner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland_by_population

Dundalk over Drogheda as county town and probably has a larger natural metro population but that being biased!

Tallaght should be top of the queue, so - in 2016 it was at 76k, set to overtake Galway.

Sunny Disposition

Why not just let towns call themselves cities if they want to? It won't hurt anyone.

chosen1

Omackeral wrote: »

City centre location. The neck of them!

Sligo have been at this for as long as I can remember. There are signs in the town pointing to city centre and it's written on the local bus service also.

I don't think it should be given on population alone though. I live in Swords and I'm familiar with Tallaght too and people are mentioning these for potential city status based on their population.

Both are essentially villages at heart consisting of mainly a main street and sprawling housing and industrial estates around it. Not denying Swords a good town with many services but the reality is that they are suburbs of Dublin.

Quin_Dub

Other than being able to say "We're a City!!" what exactly does city status bestow??

Is there increased access to resources or funding or anything else?

whisky_galore

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Other than being able to say "We're a City!!" what exactly does city status bestow??

Swelled heads on the inhabitants.

nolivesmatter

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Could be worse, above in Nordieland, Lisburn and Newry were granted city status based on some sort of raffle

A 'city' with a population of 26000. The word has lost all meaning.

I wrongly thought you were taking the piss when you said raffle.

dave 27

El Tarangu wrote: »

Tallaght should be top of the queue, so - in 2016 it was at 76k, set to overtake Galway.

Tallaght, Blanch etc are suburbs or suburban towns, cant really include it as its part of Dublin, i would nearly say the same with Swords, just a bit further out really

El Tarangu

dave 27 wrote: »

Tallaght, Blanch etc are suburbs or suburban towns, cant really include it as its part of Dublin, i would nearly say the same with Swords, just a bit further out really

Well, I don't necessarily disagree, but they fulfil at least as many of the criteria as these other towns do (Tallaght has a court house, Swords is the county town of Fingal and is the seat of the county council).

Drogheda and Ennis are just as much suburbs of larger nearby cities as Swords or Tallaght.

Big Ears

nolivesmatter wrote: »

A 'city' with a population of 26000. The word has lost all meaning.

I wrongly thought you were taking the piss when you said raffle.

If you think Newry is bad, Armagh City has a population of around 15,000.
That's the equivalent of Tullamore being a city !

nolivesmatter

Big Ears wrote: »

If you think Newry is bad, Armagh City has a population of around 15,000.
That's the equivalent of Tullamore being a city !

These cities must have had a few very disappointed tourists over the years.

blanch152

McGaggs wrote: »

Is it wise to focus on Galway with its traffic problems, or is it something that could be fixed with a bit of work?

A good question, but Galway is compact enough at the moment that walking, cycling and buses could become the primary modes of transport.

The J Stands for Jay

nolivesmatter wrote: »

These cities must have had a few very disappointed tourists over the years.

Yes, I would be disgusted if I visited a historical castle, just to discover that there wasn't enough people living around it.

nolivesmatter

nolivesmatter wrote: »

These cities must have had a few very disappointed tourists over the years.

Cities in the US can have 1000 people. It’s just a charter. Historically in Europe a town with a cathedral was designated a city. Generally that would be a big city or the biggest in the area but not always. I bet Armagh was relatively big back in the day.

Kilkenny has a COI cathedral.

El Tarangu

Deleted User wrote: »

Cities in the US can have 1000 people. It’s just a charter. Historically in Europe a town with a cathedral was designated a city. Generally that would be a big city or the biggest in the area but not always. I bet Armagh was relatively big back in the day.

Kilkenny has a COI cathedral.

Armagh was (and indeed still is) the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland.

suicide_circus

Dublin is a city, a small city but a city.

Cork, just about.

Galway & Limerick, youre really pushing it now.

Waterford & Kilkenny, no.

Galwayguy35

McGaggs wrote: »

Is it wise to focus on Galway with its traffic problems, or is it something that could be fixed with a bit of work?

It doesn't help that they put all the big employers into the one area and the public transport is rubbish so naturally people will continue to use their cars as long as this is the case.

Apoapsis Rex

If its on the weather map, its a city

Marcusm

nolivesmatter wrote: »

A 'city' with a population of 26000. The word has lost all meaning.

I wrongly thought you were taking the piss when you said raffle.

As opposed to the City of London’s whose population is less than 10k?

goose2005

Deleted User wrote: »

Cities in the US can have 1000 people. It’s just a charter. Historically in Europe a town with a cathedral was designated a city. Generally that would be a big city or the biggest in the area but not always. I bet Armagh was relatively big back in the day.

Kilkenny has a COI cathedral.

Ireland is unusual in that the right of being a 'city' is granted so sparingly.

nolivesmatter wrote: »

A 'city' with a population of 26000. The word has lost all meaning.

I wrongly thought you were taking the piss when you said raffle.

In England and Wales, anywhere with a cathedral could call itself a city, even tiny St David's (pop 1,600)

Big Ears

goose2005 wrote: »

In England and Wales, anywhere with a cathedral could call itself a city, even tiny St David's (pop 1,600)

The strange thing about that is they end up with exceptionally large towns, such as Northampton, Middlesbrough, Bournemouth and Huddersfield which aren't cities.

Meeoow

Cities are just towns for people who can't face reality.

Mad_maxx

Athlone would be a strong contender for city status in the next two decades ?