Most miserable and grim towns and villages in Ireland

Darksoul · 20-04-2020 06:21PM

Mountrath looks like a right ****hole.

Clonmel1000 · 20-04-2020 06:22PM

ItAintMeBabe wrote: »

The whole of Tipperary, total kip.

Agree with Shannon, had so much potential but it’s just a town that’s completely dead and looks absolutely grim.

The whole of Clare, total kip.

kitkatman · 20-04-2020 07:30PM

ten years ago, I spent three months touring around South America and most of the so called towns and villages at face value were no more than shanty towns on physical appearance. Inside the shops/hotels they were fine. There seemed no pride in appearance.

Compared with South America, most of the Irish towns do have a structure. The old estate/planted towns of the 17th/18th centuries still hold a charm, although they are not conducive to modern traffic.

I would be older than most on this thread and can remember the state of the Irish towns from the 1970s and 1980s and back then small factories could be located in most towns manufacturing something or other. The likes of the cheaper Asian countries destroyed these factories from a cost point and these industries have never been replaced. The result the younger generations left and the older folk were unlikely to invest in upgrading a run down town.

The single biggest kip in Ireland, has been and will continue to be is Tipp town.

Back in the day a handful of towns were noted for the Traveller presence which instantly negatively impacted those town's reputation.

I guess over the last 20-30 years the bigger towns and cities and local authorities have pushed the next generation of travellers or half travellers to the smaller towns on the margins and the problem has spread.

Is there a town or village in this day and age devoid of a traveller presence?

Samsgirl · 20-04-2020 07:41PM

Have the misfortune to live within 15kms of Tipp town. It's an utter ****e hole.

Up to last week it smelled like one too with the smell of waste coming from the creamery.

Only way forward for the town is to bulldoze it and start again.

pgj2015 · 20-04-2020 07:54PM

The one and only (hopefully last) time I passed through Athy, I felt like fr Kevin in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjISA-FIIA

Doctors room ghost · 20-04-2020 07:58PM

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Headford is fairly desolate alright but Athenry? It's a heritage town with a lovely castle, abbey, arch etc. It has redeeming features compared to some of the right kips around rural Ireland like Strokestown or Tipp town. Athenry's close to Galway city too and house prices there are high, albeit slightly too far from the city if I was looking

Athenry is a one horse town and the same horse is lame and a bout of colic going.
90 percent of the shops and pubs are gone out of it and Galway’s own dr evil has a stranglehold on what’s left.
It’s an awful pity cos it was a cracking town but it’s gone back something terrible

Better Than Christ · 20-04-2020 08:05PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Harsh. It's a fantastic middle class place with a few undertones of lower class scattered around but this is way off as a statement. There's houses in Bray selling for millions. It's got diversity and like everywhere, depends on where you're located. Sounds like you spent the day in Fassaroe...

"A few undertones of lower class"? It's like a scene from The Walking Dead. And I'm talking about the main street and the Dart station, not Fassaroe (which, incidentally, is far from the worst part of Bray).

Deleted User wrote:

Agree the town itself and main street is struggling post recession but so is every town since the last recession. They are due a Stella Cinema and a new shopping centre and if done right, I'm totally confident can replicate the success of the sea front.

It got worse during the recession, but it's been struggling since before the celtic tiger. I'm not sure an overpriced cinema will save it.

ArnoldJRimmer · 20-04-2020 08:23PM

Better Than Christ wrote: »

"A few undertones of lower class"? It's like a scene from The Walking Dead. And I'm talking about the main street and the Dart station, not Fassaroe (which, incidentally, is far from the worst part of Bray).

Bray is pretty consistent with every county's largest town. Mullingar, Tralee, Letterkenny, Drogheda, Navan. All can be pretty rough, but have redeeming qualities too, it just comes with a larger population of scrotes. I like Bray, nice seafront, the Harbour Bar is great and some decent dining options

I've never been to Tipp town, but given this thread, and its last incarnation, it sounds like its the winner. Granard, Ballbay and Swinford are the most depressing towns I've been to in Ireland

Del.Monte · 20-04-2020 08:33PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

Did someone just say Dromod was a kip? lol its a lovely village.

It hasn't been the same since the delightful meat plant closed - it was breathtaking - literally.

pgj2015 · 20-04-2020 08:35PM

Del.Monte wrote: »

It hasn't been the same since the delightful meat plant closed - it was breathtaking - literally.

There are some really nice houses in it, that have great views of the shannon, quiet village, no scumbags wrecking it and causing trouble, there are a lot of people with holiday homes there.

heldel00 · 20-04-2020 08:38PM

Ballybay, Co. Monaghan.

ShamNNspace · 20-04-2020 08:44PM

I don't know why Irish in general don't want to live in towns? All those floors over shops and pubs left empty. Lovely little townhouses just boarded up.. Why cant derelict shops be repurposed as living spaces?too many gaudy neon signs I'd ban em.. I wonder were the authorities overzealous in applying rules from Brussels? 8 butchers in a small galway town when I was growing up now only 1 barely surviving. 3 bakerys now all gone.. Newsagents all gone.. The town Cross taken down an moved to a church where no-one can admire it. A dirty black high rise carpark like a prison on the way into the town. It's our own fault we let it happen

Rufeo · 20-04-2020 08:55PM

Casey78 wrote: »

Blanchardstown

I used to live there a long time ago. I thought it's a right busy spot. Unless it's gone downhill in recent years.

20-04-2020 08:55PM

ShamNNspace wrote: »

I don't know why Irish in general don't want to live in towns? All those floors over shops and pubs left empty. Lovely little townhouses just boarded up.. Why cant derelict shops be repurposed as living spaces?too many gaudy neon signs I'd ban em.. I wonder were the authorities overzealous in applying rules from Brussels? 8 butchers in a small galway town when I was growing up now only 1 barely surviving. 3 bakerys now all gone.. Newsagents all gone.. The town Cross taken down an moved to a church where no-one can admire it. A dirty black high rise carpark like a prison on the way into the town. It's our own fault we let it happen

Because people in general are far bigger **** than they used to be, so it’s a good idea not to have them living too close to you.

Rufeo · 20-04-2020 08:56PM

heldel00 wrote: »

Ballybay, Co. Monaghan.

There are some nice lakes around Ballybay. There's a mart near the town as well. I don't think it's that bad of a spot.

Mocha Joe · 20-04-2020 09:00PM

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Athenry is a one horse town and the same horse is lame and a bout of colic going.
90 percent of the shops and pubs are gone out of it and Galway’s own dr evil has a stranglehold on what’s left.
It’s an awful pity cos it was a cracking town but it’s gone back something terrible

Who's Galway's Dr. Evil?

Doctors room ghost · 20-04-2020 09:08PM

Mocha Joe wrote: »

Who's Galway's Dr. Evil?

Who took over most of the town mocha lately?
He was also mentioned lately on here for price gouging.

Mocha Joe · 20-04-2020 09:17PM

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Who took over most of the town mocha lately?
He was also mentioned lately on here for price gouging.

Pat Joyce?

armaghlad · 20-04-2020 09:25PM

corks finest wrote: »

Larne is grim,as is Craigavon

Craigavon has improved somewhat but in its day (about 25 years ago) it was literally like Beirut and nobody (government wise) cared about it.

Whole housing estates lay derelict and unoccupied, some estates completely flattened because the design was so bad they barely lasted 20 years. Of the estates that did survive you had rows of houses burnt out, travellers camped out wherever they wanted, horses grazing, joyriding, house breaking, arson, drug dealing against a backdrop of sectarian killings in the late 80s/early 90s.

Now not many will believe this but it was voted the most desirable place to live in NI a year or two ago.

dh1985 · 20-04-2020 09:35PM

Del.Monte wrote: »

It hasn't been the same since the delightful meat plant closed - it was breathtaking - literally.

Are.your sure that's not rooskey you are talking about with the meat factory
Dromod is the village two mile down the road. Pretty nice village with a harbour on the shannon and well landscaped green areas

Liamo57 · 20-04-2020 09:43PM

Daingean in Offaly - Kip.

snotboogie · 20-04-2020 09:44PM

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

Passage West has come on leaps and bounds over the years. Locals care about the place, Tidy Towns, newish local Market too. Greenway is very nice, and in a few years time, with proper investment, I can see it and Monkstown becoming a minor tourist attraction - especially now that they're so close to the Ringaskiddy port and Glenbrook ferry for Cobh (also big with tourists)

Huge potential in our harbour towns in Cork to be fair. But yes, neglect for the past few decades have caused them to look and feel rough.

Agreed, Passage is a bit rough around the edges but calling it the worst town in Ireland is an absolute joke; nice greenway, right by the ocean, accessible to both the Cork City and harbour pharma economy. It's down near the bottom of Cork City suburbs (at the moment, ageeed it's got potential) but there are dozens of towns in North and East Cork that are far worse off and that's before you even start talking about the truly bleak spots up the country.

cml387 · 20-04-2020 09:55PM

Weepsie wrote: »

I'm not reading through the thread, but if it's not been mentioned, my nomination is Granard

In the very first post.

Isn't it the home of Pat The Baker?

shaveAbullock · 20-04-2020 09:58PM

tastyt wrote: »

Far far worse towns in tipp unfortunately

Tipp
Templemore
Roscrea
Carrick
And Clonmel ten times worse for drugs

Exactly, I have no idea why anyone would pick Thurles and ignore those nearby towns.

Is Thurles run down? Yes
Is it infinitely better than many of the surrounding towns? Also yes.

The thing is, except for a few ares with extreme crime rates you can make a nice life for yourself in just about anywhere in Ireland.

TheRiverman · 20-04-2020 10:22PM

FintanMcluskey wrote: »

If my job requires hotel stays, I will choose a night in Athlone over Ballymahon.

One positive for Athlone is that the hotels are very good.

Mad_maxx · 20-04-2020 10:25PM

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Athenry is a one horse town and the same horse is lame and a bout of colic going.
90 percent of the shops and pubs are gone out of it and Galway’s own dr evil has a stranglehold on what’s left.
It’s an awful pity cos it was a cracking town but it’s gone back something terrible

Mr j

Mad_maxx · 20-04-2020 10:29PM

armaghlad wrote: »

Craigavon has improved somewhat but in its day (about 25 years ago) it was literally like Beirut and nobody (government wise) cared about it.

Whole housing estates lay derelict and unoccupied, some estates completely flattened because the design was so bad they barely lasted 20 years. Of the estates that did survive you had rows of houses burnt out, travellers camped out wherever they wanted, horses grazing, joyriding, house breaking, arson, drug dealing against a backdrop of sectarian killings in the late 80s/early 90s.

Now not many will believe this but it was voted the most desirable place to live in NI a year or two ago.

Didnt think the tinkers would settle or even stop off in craigavon ,even the fcuking lampposts are protestant there and in nearby portadown

Casey78 · 20-04-2020 10:31PM

Liamo57 wrote: »

Offaly - Kip.

Agreed

armaghlad · 20-04-2020 10:36PM

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Didnt think the tinkers would settle or even stop off in craigavon ,even the fcuking lampposts are protestant there and in nearby portadown

Big traveller population there. A couple of sites. Craigavon would be mixed with slight catholic majority. Has a strong dissident republican presence (CIRA). The last police officer shot there by a sniper 2009

20-04-2020 11:13PM

Better Than Christ wrote: »

"A few undertones of lower class"? It's like a scene from The Walking Dead. And I'm talking about the main street and the Dart station, not Fassaroe (which, incidentally, is far from the worst part of Bray).

It got worse during the recession, but it's been struggling since before the celtic tiger. I'm not sure an overpriced cinema will save it.

I think you need to get out more. Like any town, the main street has a diverse mix ...it's no different to walking down a busy street in Dublin. There's lovely houses and suburbs within Bray. I think you need to understand there's a population of over 40,000 people and with a property range from a few hundred thousand up to a couple of million, you get that diversity which is really important.

If you judge anywhere from just a train station and a main Street in a large town then you've problems. I'd love to know what you think of Blackrock Village and dart station too or even Greystones too on a busy evening...🙄

Most miserable and grim towns and villages in Ireland

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