What's your favourite city in Ireland and why?

Hitman3000 · 03-08-2018 12:24PM

topper75 wrote:

Given that the vast majority of inhabitants are sound and not scummy, how exactly did Limerick earn such a rough reputation? How did the scum manage to characterise the city in the minds of other Irish people?

There was only a few rough estates in Limerick and I'd go further to say it was only a handful of families that gave these estates the reputation they got and ergo the rep the city got. Stab city was coined by the media. The people in Limerick should have fought back against the scumbags instead of allowing them free reign.

Cookie_Monster · 03-08-2018 12:29PM

Belfast / Derry are not in Ireland:

Aside from that Galway is my favourite. Great vibe, great bars, nice and compact.

03-08-2018 12:32PM

Castletown (hardy Bucks style)

Stephen15 · 03-08-2018 12:32PM

Visited Derry once on a day trip from Donegal and I wasn't impressed at all. It felt like a very a grim place full of council estates with murals and tricolours, poundshops, dodgy looking takeaways and abandoned looking buildings it was also freezing cold in the middle of August.

road_high · 03-08-2018 12:33PM

DickSwiveller Returns wrote: »

I love Limerick, though. My grandparents live in the city and I always find the locals very down to earth and friendly.

Defo second this. I don't got to Limerick all that much but the people always strike me as very friendly with no airs or graces- I remember stopping for lunch in one of the big shopping centres and just chatting away randomly to a lovely older couple. You just wouldn't get that in Dublin or Galway, people are lot harder and more cynical. Limerick reminds of a city full of country people (in a good way that is).

road_high · 03-08-2018 12:36PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

Visited Derry once on a day trip from Donegal and I wasn't impressed at all. It felt like a very a grim place full of council estates with murals and tricolours, poundshops, dodgy looking takeaways and abandoned looking buildings it was also freezing cold in the middle of August.

I hate to agree with this- but I didn't like Derry at all- again a day trip from Donegal for me too. I was sort of taken aback at the amount of pawn shops, cash converters and tough looking people everywhere. To find a decent restaurant for lunch wasn't easy. I live in Kilkenny which is a much smaller place but reckoned it was leagues ahead in terms of pubs, nice shops and restaurants and ambience.

03-08-2018 12:38PM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Belfast / Derry are not in Ireland:

Aside from that Galway is my favourite. Great vibe, great bars, nice and compact.

Ireland is an island on which both Belfast and Derry are situated, so both cities are indeed in Ireland.

DickSwiveller Returns · 03-08-2018 12:39PM

road_high wrote: »

Defo second this. I don't got to Limerick all that much but the people always strike me as very friendly with no airs or graces- I remember stopping for lunch in one of the big shopping centres and just chatting away randomly to a lovely older couple. You just wouldn't get that in Dublin or Galway, people are lot harder and more cynical. Limerick reminds of a city full of country people (in a good way that is).

Yes, sums it up perfectly.

yourdeadwright · 03-08-2018 12:40PM

I don't get the love for Belfast, It's come on know doubt but its still got a very strange vibe about the place, Iv been a number of times in the last few years and just can't warm to it,
Kilkenny and Galway are great just amazing atmosphere's In both ,
Not a fan of Cork City I can't put my finger on why, its just not very charming
Dublin can be great if you have an afternoon to wander around the south side of the city,
Haven't been to Derry yet but should get up there this year .,

Hector Bellend · 03-08-2018 12:44PM

Flying Fox wrote: »

Ireland is an island on which both Belfast and Derry are situated, so both cities are indeed in Ireland.

They're U.K cities on the island of Ireland.

road_high · 03-08-2018 12:45PM

Hector Bellend wrote: »

They're U.K cities on the island of Ireland.

You wouldn't advertise that too loudly in most parts of either city- not unless you wanted to keep both kneecaps that is.

Hector Bellend · 03-08-2018 12:46PM

Dublin because it's home.

Other than that it's a throw up between Galway and Kilkenny. Theyre both easy to get round even compared to Dublin

Enniscorthy deserves an honourable mention

Hector Bellend · 03-08-2018 12:46PM

road_high wrote: »

You wouldn't advertise that too loudly in most parts of either city- not unless you wanted to keep both kneecaps that is.

Even though it's a fact?

PlaneSpeeking · 03-08-2018 12:48PM

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Even though it's a fact?

It's not. It's one side of a complicated argument.

The wrong side, obvs.

Voodoorasher2 · 03-08-2018 12:57PM

tho I have not been to all the cities.

(I was Voodoo_rasher until I lost my password)

I am also the Antichrist

Stephen15 · 03-08-2018 12:59PM

I have to say many of our 'cities' particularly Cork and Limerick feel like they are just trying to imitate Dublin with the same shops and general atmosphere rather than being trying to be unique and different. Galway does try but the entire city centre of Galway just feels like Temple Bar.

Prospectors · 03-08-2018 01:04PM

biko wrote: »

Besides Galway? I'd say Belfast.

I spent 4 years in college in Galway and it remains top of my list for nightlife and entertainment. It's just got a great buzz about the place.

jobbridge4life · 03-08-2018 01:08PM

1. Dublin
2. Limerick
3. Cork
4. Waterford
5. Belfast

I'd include Kilkenny but then really would have to start looking at towns of a similar size.

I love Waterford, so, so much potential but i feel it is still recovering from some massive blows.

MarkY91 · 03-08-2018 01:12PM

Strabanimal wrote: »

The only modern shopping area we have is Victoria square and it's really nothing special. Plenty of people from Belfast travel from there to Derry or Ballybofey to do their shopping.

The places you are visiting are all in the better parts of South Belfast (literally the only good residential areas in the whole city), I live there (plenty of robberies), but I'm surprised you haven't seen all the smicks in the city centre yet.

Does snicks mean scumbags? I don't claim it to be a city without scumbags. But the Victoria Square area looked really nice. Maybe I'm just bored of Henry Street in Dublin and how crap it looks.

Belfast surely has a gritty side to it in parts which in ok with as it ties in with your recent past which of course is an interesting period to learn about so I guess that's why I don't mind.

MarkY91 · 03-08-2018 01:18PM

topper75 wrote: »

Given that the vast majority of inhabitants are sound and not scummy, how exactly did Limerick earn such a rough reputation? How did the scum manage to characterise the city in the minds of other Irish people?

I think myself perhaps that Limerick has big problems marketing itself. They have put all their external image eggs in the rugby basket. Which is limited in size.

I'm fond of all the cities. They all have their pros and cons. However, I couldn't choose a favourite anymore than I could choose a favourite child.

I've never been to Limerick but growing up, it's always been known to be a hellhole full of scumbags and a place to never visit. But the more I read about it as an adult, it sounds like a pleasant enough place and I wouldn't mind a visit when out west.

I too would love to know why it's got such s bad reputation of being a kip full of scum.

Taytoland · 03-08-2018 01:21PM

Strabanimal wrote: »

Mine has to be Derry.

Me and my gf from Belfast both love it.

The peace bridge, all the shopping, little-to-no chavs, the walls, the guildhalll, the boats, the lack of smokers, insane amount of good restaurants, cityside and waterside, lots of history, the walls, really friendly people. I could go on.

Coming from Belfast to Derry every 3 months it's insane the difference. It's just so peaceful and quiet there. Stressfree.

It's full of chavs, gangsters, terrorists, criminals, what are you on about? You must have missed them trying to burn the place down last month.

JordanPrice · 03-08-2018 01:28PM

Dublin is my favourite city.
My opinion is strictly based on nightlife as I haven't really travelled down the country for any other reason.

Church on Tuesday · 03-08-2018 01:31PM

road_high wrote: »

You wouldn't advertise that too loudly in most parts of either city- not unless you wanted to keep both kneecaps that is.

He's probably just a guy that has a problem with the North and people from there in general. Both cities are on the Island of Ireland so both count.

My favorite city? Dublin.

CHealy · 03-08-2018 01:45PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

I have to say many of our 'cities' particularly Cork and Limerick feel like they are just trying to imitate Dublin with the same shops and general atmosphere rather than being trying to be unique and different. Galway does try but the entire city centre of Galway just feels like Temple Bar.

What are you on about? God forbid H&M might want to open a store in Dublin and Cork...........the crazy bastards. I could go off and say Dublin is trying to imitate any medium to big regional British city.

wakka12 · 03-08-2018 01:51PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

I have to say many of our 'cities' particularly Cork and Limerick feel like they are just trying to imitate Dublin with the same shops and general atmosphere rather than being trying to be unique and different. Galway does try but the entire city centre of Galway just feels like Temple Bar.

I completely agree, these cities are too small to ever compete with dublin economically or in any regard really, so they try to make themselves very unique in some ways to find gaps in the market that dublin doesnt have

I saw some recent proposal for bonham docks in galway and its great to see some investment there but it just looks like any old block from the dublin docklands dropped on galway, and I know its just an office block like but itd be nice to see a development that contributed to galways unique character rather than making it generic

citytillidie · 03-08-2018 01:53PM

Hector Bellend wrote: »

They're U.K cities on the island of Ireland.

UK - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so yea Derry and Belfast are still in an Ireland, says so in the name of the country

citytillidie · 03-08-2018 01:54PM

Taytoland wrote: »

It's full of chavs, gangsters, terrorists, criminals, what are you on about? You must have missed them trying to burn the place down last month.

Ahh here we go again

CHealy · 03-08-2018 01:56PM

wakka12 wrote: »

I completely agree, these cities are too small to ever compete with dublin economically or in any regard really, so they try to make themselves very unique in some ways to find gaps in the market that dublin doesnt have

I saw some recent proposal for bonham docks in galway and its great to see some investment there but it just looks like any old block from the dublin docklands dropped on galway, and I know its just an office block like but itd be nice to see a development that contributed to galways unique character rather than making it generic

Thats your second post commenting on the size of both Cork and Galway. You can have your sprawling housing estate in Dublin, Im happy out where I am after buying a house a 10 minute walk to the city center, work is a 15 minute drive away, I can be up at Cork Airport in 10 minutes and Iv Kinsale, Youghal and one of the most beautiful parts of the world in West Cork only an hour and a bit away. I like Dublin but people like you ruin it.

Besides, who has ever ever claimed that Galway or Cork is bigger than Dublin? You're compensating for something I say fella.

tonycascarino · 03-08-2018 01:59PM

Galway or Kilkenny for me...Limerick is fine too... Dublin is grand to visit for a day or two but certainly not to live in (for me)

03-08-2018 02:44PM

Just my own ranking which I'm sure many will disagree with:

1. Dublin - laugh at all the people who moan about it being a "kip", sure it has dodgy areas but many very nice areas too. There's a lot more here in terms of social and cultural outlets than any other city in Ireland, which I guess is inevitable when you have a city disproportionately large for the country it's in. I'm from Co. Cork originally but have been living in Dublin for the past four years and it feels more like "home" to me here.

2. Belfast - only ever went here once on a day trip but it's a fascinating place with so much history packed into it.

3. Galway - just has a very nice, laid-back vibe (when it's not overrun with tourists)

4. Cork - possibly a little biased against Cork as I spent three (mostly unhappy) years living there while studying. I got really sick of the place tbh. It's not a bad city by any means but I don't think it's ever really lived up to its potential as the country's "second city" (not including the north). Great place to go if you're a foodie though (which I'm not tbh).

5. Kilkenny - bit of a tourist trap but very pretty, the grounds of the castle are a lovely place to relax.

6. Limerick - a bit like Cork, in that it has more potential that it's never really reached. Partly a consequence of government failing to recognise life outside Dublin, I guess! The whole "Stab city" reputation is a relic of the past but the main streets of the city sadly are underdeveloped with too many empty units.

7. Waterford - maybe I need to give it another go but last time I visited I was struck by the complete absence of any buzz. Seems like there's very little going on there.

Never been to Derry, Newry, Armagh or Lisburn so can't comment on them.

What's your favourite city in Ireland and why?

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