Why is Dublin such a shιtty city?

Jeremy Sproket

Dublin is a dump. It really is. It kills me to say it but our national capital is an embarrassment and a total disgrace. It must be such a let down for what tourists are expecting coming here. I always encourage tourists to head to Cork and Kerry and Conemara and to stay out of Dublin. As soon as they land they should catch the first bus out of Dublin.

We have scummy, scaldy young lads with cotton sweatpants handing around on the street, smoking and littering and loitering around.

Equally scummy girls, loitering, swearing and making the place look dirty.

Filthy addicts with less teeth than a geriatric hen hanging around.

Get on the hop on, hop off bus .... sit on the upper saloon and you'll see over walls, just wrecks and waste and piles of rubbish. There is little architecture to behold in our "Fair City".

The streets are strewn with litter.

Walls are graffitied.

The Luas is a no go on certain sections as are certain sections of the streets.

There are beggars (most illegitimate) on most roads and streets.

Our main promenade (ie, O'Connell Street) is a kip, there's no way to put it. Plastic shop fronts, cheap and tacky fast food outlets, pound shops. More scum loitering around.

I have been to every EU capital and a handful of other European capitals. I can safely say Dublin is the biggest shιthole of them all. It's sad to say, but it is. Nicosia is a close contender, as is Chisinau. But Dublin is hands down the worst.

I live in a northside Suburb on the DART line and I can't say anything other than Dublin is a dump.

alz007

I cannot disagree with anything you have said there OP

For Forks Sake

I think this may be the first time this topic has been broached on Boards, bravo OP

ongarboy

Why are you living in a place you despise? Life is too short to spend the rest of your life in a place you so passionately hate. It surely would make you miserable to just choose to continue living here?

Incidentally, most friends, tourists and visitors or work colleagues abroad over on business that I have met rave about the city so they are not seeing or encountering to any same degree the city you describe and experience.

I'm a relative blow in of almost 25 years and I love the city. Its not perfect, has plenty of problems, some magnified by the pandemic but it is still a city with plenty of charm. I still haven't tired of it and still discover new gems around the place on a near monthly basis. If I hated the city as you do, I'd move.

Esel

Get it all off your chest, caller.

Maybe you should move back to Sweden, OP.

You certainly don't seem to be able to find a single thing you like about Ireland.

Why are there so many sh1tty trolls of late?

policarp

Owen Keegan would not agree.

EmmetSpiceland

Dublin is great. End of story.

Dubmany

OP, Dublin certainly has problems but it's not as bad as you present it and lots of people like living here. If it's so bad here then maybe you should move back to Sweden or to another EU country that you prefer.

Beats Banagher

Prominent_Dawg

I would have to agree with op

policarp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242631#Comment_118242631

Large cities have problems.

Ubbquittious

Which city is really that great? I have yet to find one. Any place you shove a load of people into a small space you're going to have problems. Even if those problems arent obvious when you first arrive

corner of hells

What's the difference between Greta Thunberg and the OP ?

One is a climate activist , the other is an annoying fcuk.

DrumSteve

Every time I read one of these threads, I can't help but think of that time I visited a Favela.

pgj2015

Ask for directions in most European cities and the locals will gladly help. Ask in Dublin and have your head bitten off by some wannabe hard man with no manners, looking at ya disgusted, like you caused them such an inconvenience by asking.

Given the preferential treatment that Dublin has gotten (and still gets) over the decades, at the expense of the other 25 counties, it does leave a lot to be desired.

Swaine

Don't forget how expensive it is, the traffic and the awful Dublin accent. Only time worth going to Dublin is to the airport to leave the country.

All in all, the place is an utter kip.

Greyfox

OP, nobody is forcing you to live here, don't slag off my home as I love it as much as I love my family.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242738#Comment_118242738

That’s just not true though is it ? Dublin people by and large are very polite and willing to help. You’d have to be pretty unlucky to meet someone with the attitude you describe.

ParkRunner

Have to agree OP. Don’t know how anyone can afford to raise a family in Dublin and have a good life. I left last year just before the pandemic and will never go back to live there

Pinch Flat

Dublin lacks cultural finesse. Yeah everyone going out and getting gee eyed. But beyond that there's not much.

Thelonious Monk

It's just a reflection of the whole country, some of it's good, some of it's bad. The rest of Ireland love hating on it but everywhere in the country has the same problems just on a smaller scale.

WoollyRedHat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242741#Comment_118242741

Ah yes, the one homogeneous accent that is of Dublin.

Naos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242764#Comment_118242764

... it is a bit **** though compared to a lot of EU cities.

Pub scene is amazing, some nice streets in town, there is a lot of scumbags but most people are nice but it doesn't compare with a lot of places.

Example: Krakow has a population of around 800k people. Its far, far nicer than Dublin.

Potential-Monke

Not a fan of it myself. But when you don't like some place, you'll only see the negatives. Tbh, I dread ever having to go there. The traffic is the worst, by and far, and if you're not completely alert and ever so slightly aggressive, you'll be bullied around the place. The public transport is shocking at best, so luckily any time I ever need to go there there's a Luas stop nearby where I'm going and I park in Cheeverstown. I'll have to echo the unhelpful Dub element, I reckon about half my interactions were with a stuck up/proud Dub who looked down on everything and everyone not Dublin. And yeah, the accents do my head in.

But, thankfully, I don't live there. I did for like, 2 months at one point but left very quickly. Country living is where it's at. Quietness, darkness, stars in the sky... bliss.

Xander10

Dublin centre centre and O'Connell Street are dire. But head out to howth, dun laoghaire, the Dublin mountains and there are places worthy of tourist visit.

Larbre34

Most of Dublin and I mean the vast majority, is excellent.

Clean, safe, pleasant surroundings, good community activity, good air quality and lots of light.

Of course I would agree with the OP that some areas are shabby and have skobie characters knocking around and petty crime is an issue. And, that stuff does annoy me, but then I travel to some other cities and I realise how good we actually have it.

Ever been to Washington DC? Or Marseille? Or Liverpool? Ever scratched beneath the surface of Barcelona or Lisbon or Budapest or Milan?

Naples, Beijing, Mexico, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur, Glasgow, Bratislava, Riga, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bangkok, Antwerp...all big working cities I've spent time in and all places I would chose to live in far less than Dublin, for all the reasons at the beginning.

Not that I think we should accept Dublin as it is, there is much to be done, as you'd expect in any growing city, but to write it off as entirely a dump, is bull.

Dublin is far from perfect, but the image being presented by the OP is distorted. There are a few rough spots, mostly around the O’Connell St area and a bit of the North Inner City, but most of the rest of the city centre is fine.

I think it’s easy to see only the negative in a place you’re familiar with and only the positive somewhere new.

I have family living in Ranelagh - gorgeous place. Sandymount - beautiful. Lower Glasnevin up to Griffith Avenue - extremely pretty. Clontarf - gorgeous. Donnybrook, Milltown, Ballsbridge... yeah I agree that parts of the city centre are dodgeville, and the characters sauntering around: ditto - but to say Dublin as a whole is a dump, is just stupid.

BurgerFace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058220383/why-is-dublin-such-a-sh%CE%B9tty-city

Have you been to Washington D.C. ?

You know the capital of the "free world".

You should check it out. You'll be crying for a kebab and a grope from some gamey little thing from The Liberties as opposed to a blade in the liver or a bullet for your trainers.

BurgerFace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242809#Comment_118242809

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242741#Comment_118242741

Don't go to Cairo, Athens, Tangiers, Naples, Las Vegas, Mumbai, Paris, San Francisco, Miami, Rio, Cape Town, on your week away. You'll be yearning for a loudmouthed taxi driver and a kebab from Zaytoon.

riclad

What's a legit beggar? A homeless person ? Is there legit beggars in London or Paris, covid is not helping, young lads used to go down a lane , now they just piss against the nearest building. Every city has litter, is the council doing enough or are just Irish people just lazy, dropping cans on the street. I read los Angeles America some parts of new York are being taken over by homeless camps tents on the streets there's dozens of tents next to million dollar apartments I hear other city's you can't walk 20 yards after 8pm without being offered drugs in Las Vegas men ask you on the street you would you like to meet an escort prostitute here's a brochure

I think the city council cannot refuse a shop opening on occonell Street fast food joints can pay the rent If I met a tourist I'd say stay away from the city centre apart from grafton Street

There's at least 5 types of Dublin accent posh dart middle class working class etc most tourists go to temple bar or the Guinness hop store i doubt they hang around the gpo dublin is a big city rathmines is totally different from Dorset Street yes the city centre does not look great I don't know what the solution is

Maybe start providing housing for more homeless people I don't think there's a legit beggar in dublin no one is starving

There's plenty of soup kitchens every day at the gpo free food for anyone that needs it

Some people will say dublin was worse in the 80s full of derelict buildings it was not a rich city it has gentrified alot in the last 20 years

Look on YouTube dublin 1980s

kowloonkev

I blame Ryanair. They give fools the chance to fly off for a short weekend to European cities and they come back after a day and a half thinking they are cultured and know it all. The fact is the OP hasn't a scooby doo about anywhere except Dublin. He wouldn't have a notion of the problems in all the cities where he spent 36 hours.

Dublin is very popular with similar thinking foreign knobheads who come for a stag weekend and think it's the bees knees.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243002#Comment_118243002

Had to do a conference thing there a few years ago. What an unmerciful kip! Crazy, in your face, rich/poor divide. And the Five Guys was diabolical. Couldn't wait to get out.

To the poster that mentioned Mexico City, despite the rich/poor divide, at least when I was there (early-mid 00s) Mexico City wasn't that bad once you knew where to go. But I am biased.. did you ever arrive in a city and feel at home right away? D.F. was that for me for some inexplicable reason.

I will reserve judgment on Dublin until weather modification devices are widespread and commonplace.. everything feels different in the sunshine...

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243112#Comment_118243112

I get what you're saying in a way.I know the exact people you're talking about.

I lived more of my adult life outside of Ireland than in it but even if I hadn't I'd see that Dublin is a kip.

It has some good points but overall its an embarrassment of a capital city.Any time I've had friends from abroad and had to meet them in Dublin I'd bring them out to get p1ssed and hope for the best.This worked in most cases and they'd think its a good party city.

Any time I had friends travelling to Ireland and I wasn't there I'd tell them get out of Dublin as soon as you land and hit for proper parts of Ireland.Cork or Galway if they're looking for a bit of buzz,Mayo,Clare or Donegal if they want the traditional experience.

I realise that if I was from Dublin I'd feel a need to defend it/emphasise the positives etc but most irish people whether they admit it or not know on balance its a sh1tehole that's not representative of the country of Ireland.The fact is was a bigger kip in the 80s doesn't really come into it.

whomitconcerns

I'm living out of Dublin 6 years, and not from Dublin originally. But have lived in a few other capital cities and visited a lot of them.

Dublin has bad elements, but not even close to being as bad a half the cities around even the ones you mentioned. Manager yourself and where and what you are doing and 99.999% of time you'll have no issues in Dublin, and it's not ugly and yes I have brought people on the open bus tour, and it's great.

Travel a bit more op, see some other cities, live somewhere else for a while and get some real perspective

whomitconcerns

I will agree on one item. Anyone wearing cotton tracksuit bottoms and white socks stuck into trainers should be automatically banned from the city centre. :)

irelandrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243132#Comment_118243132

I'm not from Dublin and I don't currently live in Ireland. But there is loads to do in Dublin besides drinking. Its not my favourite city ever but its far from the worst. Any colleagues i have that visited Dublin loved it.

There's parts I wouldn't walk alone at night time but there's parts of some European cities i wouldn't go into during the day in riot gear. What those other cities do is push their problem areas to the outskirts whereas Dublin seems to focus it in the area around O Connell street.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243211#Comment_118243211

Yes,I think that's a better idea than watching junkies fighting on o connell Street and on the river walk.Its just one aspect that can't really be solved but other cities do a better job of hiding it and making their main thoroughfares safer/nicer/more attractive.

The fact that they can't even begin to deal with this basic and common issue adds to the consensus that its a kip.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242738#Comment_118242738

I've never once seen anyone refused directions by anyone ever anywhere in this country. I used to drive for a living servicing stuff nationwide before Google maps was a thing. You'd get help anywhere whether it was ballymun or ballinasloe. Why would you make up such abject nonsense. What's the point...

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243132#Comment_118243132

Evidently you know nothing of the location's you are talking about. I'd go as far to say you are doing your friends a disservice by bull shiting them about ireland. They'll leave with a half experience from someone who is clueless. I get them pissed and hope for the best..

Boy genius stuff right there.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243233#Comment_118243233

I know,it's a shame the way Dublin is the way it is but hey ho.

There's lots of nice parts of Ireland too.

Ush1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243223#Comment_118243223

There's no junkies fighting in Cork or Galway?

"We don't see things the way they are, we see them the way we are."

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243254#Comment_118243254

Its not though. Its a shame your friends have to put up with both your ignorance of the place and your hyperbole. But here we are.

Sky King

I would like to see a scenario where a well funded and properly trained and equipped city police force have a zero tolerance approach to scrotes, junkies and general vagabonds in the city. That alone would make an enormous difference.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243262#Comment_118243262

There will always be a % of the population who are junkies,scummers,knackbags whatever,that's just a fact.

That there is a higher % per capita in Dublin is again further evidence that's its a kip.

This is easy enough logic to follow.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118243303#Comment_118243303

How higher of a %?

Have you done extensive research? Because you've said you don't live in Dublin.

Where do you live?

Wibbs

Dublin was a tiny capital city up until relatively recently and for most of its history was a small enclave around the southern bit of the Liffey lacking in cash. Cash came along with expansion in the 18th century, the Georgian bits and bobs being the echo of that, but it was still small and underdeveloped compared to most capital cities in Europe. The industrial revolution essentially passed it by almost entirely. I could never square the notion held by some that Dublin "was the second city of the British empire", because there is a long list of cities in England and Scotland that would have put it in the tupenny hapenny place on that score.

Then some cash and expansion started to come in again in the mid to late 19th century, but it was still relatively small and very much off the beaten track culturally and economically as a European capital city. It had one of the largest slums in Europe at the time. We also didn't have the back and forth of different cultures invading or taking over the way some European cities did. Then we got our independence and cash was again in very short supply and the city suffered from that(as did the countryside) as we went forward under our own steam(never mind that bits of it were shot to feck during that time). We can see an example of some of that in a place like the Natural History Museum. The 19th century cash built it and filled it, but it stayed pickled after that. Today it's an actual museum of a museum. Which has its own charm too of course.

Then it started to rapidly grow in the mid 20th century as people moved from even less well off rural areas into it looking for work and better lives which led to the sprawl of the suburbs around a tiny centre we see today(so I blame the culchies 😜). We didn't have the cash to build up, so we built out and where we did build up in residential areas that didn't go too well.

So yes it's no Paris or Rome, or London, or Madrid, but it has it's own charm because of that. The centre is human sized in many ways, more intimate. It has its problems that's for sure, but so do all of the above mentioned cities and they can have bigger problems with it because of their size and wider histories.

growleaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242716#Comment_118242716

OP is a climate activist?