Most miserable and grim towns and villages in Ireland

whisky_galore · 21-04-2020 12:04PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Balderdash. This type of laziness is why our towns don't have a few trees and hence tend to appear bleak and barren and unfinished.

Never have I ever heard of tree sap messing up a car?? Yes there is a little bit of work clipping the big ones and picking up leaves, but that surely is the point of paying taxes. Maybe take the money out of some of those useless quangos instead.

A tree is for life, not just for Xmas. If you had wide boulevards like other countries fair enough, but many Irish towns are unplanned, quite poky, never had trees, unsuited to trees that, guess what, grow big and on top of all the work that council have to do I don't think they're justified.

A tree or part of it falls, who picks up the tab? They need room, roots break up pavements, roads, undermine foundations and underground services.

Edgware · 21-04-2020 12:27PM

jackboy wrote: »

Tipp is famous for atrocious towns. Just wondering, is there a town in Tipp that could be considered nice?

Garrison towns like Clonmel and Templemore have a special "dive" about them

the_syco · 21-04-2020 12:34PM

G-Man wrote: »

Thankfully now there are many great local volunteers and some money from councils or local bluechips to invest in towns and improve this.. That said - I see no evidence Intel has improved Leixlip or Tara Mines done the same for Navan... Or even tourism, look how shoddy the tourist villages look on wet winter days..

TBH, Intel has put a decent bit of money into Leixlip & Maynooth.

Off the top of my head, Intel has put money into the Rye river. They stock it every so often, so it's good for people fishing. They've also put money into making the land around Louisa Bridge, such as the spa, and the Royal Canal walk look nicer. I think they've supplied the volunteers with the resources to do more.

Harry Palmr · 21-04-2020 01:02PM

Tipps problem might be that it's too big an area with too small a population and far too many towns of a certain size which are too close to each other. So no one location becomes "the place" and gains enough economic heft to lift itself out of the mire. Only Clonmel comes close at 17,000 and it's probably too close to Waterford to expand industrially while the rest are smaller than Tramore (by way of comparison) which is basically a dormitory town with a big beach.

Faith+1 · 21-04-2020 01:09PM

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

I've never been to Tipp town, but given this thread, and its last incarnation, it sounds like its the winner.

I agree. I've never been but I'm gonna make it my business to visit it one day, It can't be bad

Harry Palmr · 21-04-2020 01:18PM

Tipp town gets it's bad rap because it is a miserable small town but also sat on the N24, there's no relief road never mind a bypass so the place is terrible for traffic backing up - all down to one lousy set of traffic lights on the very narrow main street.

chrissb8 · 21-04-2020 01:21PM

Better Than Christ wrote: »

I'd be inclined to cut a lot of the other grim towns some slack because they don't have the sea, the mountains and the capital city on their doorstep.

I actually can't understand this line of thought. Bray is excellent, partially excluding the main street, the whole place has everything you need. The levels of scum have dropped so low as well it's a completely changed town. I was a resident for over 20 years so I've seen its evolution. While I would have definitely agreed with you in the past it just isn't the case now or has been for the last 5 or 6 years.

Bray is now a place of growth and it's changing to reflect that. A shopping centre, new modern large health care centre, new houses being built and further debates on land being used to make apartments. It will continue to change and grow with the influx of people seeking somewhere located on the dart line. Am I missing something others aren't? or am I deluding myself every time I go to the seafront on a sunny day and see the place rammed out of it?

smelly sock · 21-04-2020 01:22PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Tipp town gets it's bad rap because it is a miserable small town but also sat on the N24, there's no relief road never mind a bypass so the place is terrible for traffic backing up - all down to one lousy set of traffic lights on the very narrow main street.

You think it's bad now? Bypass it and it would become 10 times worse over night. Any remaining shops etc would shut.

I don't think tipp is as bad as Granard, Kilcock, Carnew, Edgeworthstown or Athenry tbh.

21-04-2020 01:25PM

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

You're wasting your time, cars take priority over everything in Irish towns, that's the way most people want it

Until 20 years down the line some expensive consultant flies over from London and tells them that pedestrianisation and tree planting are the way to make the towns appealing for people to spend their time and money in.

Chalk McHugh · 21-04-2020 01:28PM

wakka12 wrote: »

Whats so bad about Tipp town? Ive never been, but on google maps it just looks equally depressing to most other midlands towns. What makes Tipp's awfulness stand out?

Yea dont get it myself. Spent a lot of time down there on my summer holidays as a young lad..playing pitch and put, going to GAA matches and going to swimming pool. Two golf courses, also. Good memories. Maybe its different now but i was never bored on my holidays as a kid. Im stickin up for Tipp here. As a Dub its my second county. There are far bleaker places qnd counties out there.

Del.Monte · 21-04-2020 01:43PM

Edgware wrote: »

Garrison towns like Clonmel and Templemore have a special "dive" about them

Ireland is littered with "garrison" towns that's why there are so many kips - Athlone, Mullingar, Longford, Tipperary, Limerick......if only the Irish had been more peaceful.

suicide_circus · 21-04-2020 01:51PM

Waherfird

LillySV · 21-04-2020 01:53PM

Everywhere in Ireland that’s over 40 mins outside Dublin ... Irish govts over last good number of years have shown no interest in locations other than Dublin

dotsman · 21-04-2020 02:18PM

LillySV wrote: »

Everywhere in Ireland that’s over 40 mins outside Dublin ... Irish govts over last good number of years have shown no interest in locations other than Dublin

???

All the nicest places I can think of are more than 40 minutes outside Dublin.

freshpopcorn · 21-04-2020 02:28PM

dotsman wrote: »

???

All the nicest places I can think of are more than 40 minutes outside Dublin.

Unless it has a Starbucks or Costa some people aren’t happy!

21-04-2020 03:49PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Unless it has a Starbucks or Costa some people aren’t happy!

Well duh......its progress isn't it!

I had an argument with someone recently who complained about the church on the top or Croagh Patrick beint a waste and they thought converting it into a coffee shop would be an improvement.

These are the same type of people who can't wait for the Irish language to die out.

whisky_galore · 21-04-2020 04:28PM

Del.Monte wrote: »

Ireland is littered with "garrison" towns that's why there are so many kips - Athlone, Mullingar, Longford, Tipperary, Limerick......if only the Irish had been more peaceful.

Every mid or large town was a so called garrison town.
The troops are gone a century ago, there's no such thing as a garrison town anymore, just progressive towns and stagnating ones.

Casey78 · 21-04-2020 04:38PM

LillySV wrote: »

Everywhere in Ireland that’s over 40 mins outside Dublin ... Irish govts over last good number of years have shown no interest in locations other than Dublin

An ironically Dublin is the biggest kip in the country.

Darksoul · 21-04-2020 05:01PM

Casey78 wrote: »

An ironically Dublin is the biggest kip in the country.

The best thing about Dublin is the roads out of it !

21-04-2020 05:22PM

Casey78 wrote: »

An ironically Dublin is the biggest kip in the country.

Disagree. Depends where you go but I love the south side of Dublin

skooterblue2 · 21-04-2020 05:36PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Disagree. Depends where you go but I love the south side of Dublin

Unfortunately the part of Dublin that get the most attention are arse-ends like the lesser end of Talbot street, Merchant Quay and having to wade through the filth of OConnell Street.

howareyakid · 21-04-2020 06:29PM

maestroamado wrote: »

I have had this debate in the area i live as i wanted to develop a community centre.
There is no interest in any other sport in Ireland only gaa. I had this conversation with people with young families and i was told how great it was they providing.
I agreed great organization and added "but it's the only game in town"
It's that way as that's what we want....

I’m a GAA fan and think that, in many cases, the club is often the lifeblood of a community. Where I live, there’s a good soccer club as well that has a presence in the community. I guess though, for people not interested/not involved in GAA or soccer, social opportunities may be lacking in many rural towns and villages.

freshpopcorn · 21-04-2020 07:00PM

howareyakid wrote: »

I’m a GAA fan and think that, in many cases, the club is often the lifeblood of a community. Where I live, there’s a good soccer club as well that has a presence in the community. I guess though, for people not interested/not involved in GAA or soccer, social opportunities may be lacking in many rural towns and villages.

I find in the last few years lots more clubs and classes, etc have popped up in places. Sometimes they take off but sometimes they are a new buzz thing and the demand may not be their and the people don't really bond that well together and get that community vibe that some people are looking for.

I'm not into GAA now but I know people are who were crap at the game and the clubs seem to keep those who may not be good at the game involved in some way and it sort of builds on that sense of community they've going for them.

u140acro3xs7dm · 21-04-2020 07:04PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Starting to think you just can't afford to live there...or else your ex girlfriend was from Bray/Greystones and dumped you.
Re: Fassaroe, Oldcourt etc, I agree with you but they're the more disadvantaged parts of Bray. Sorry if I offend but that's the truth. The main street is "diverse" as we've already discussed but like any town, you need to embrace it. A lot of empty shops that need to be sorted though, no different to any other town post recession. You're over exaggerating.

Do you think Ballybrack and Killiney are the same place? What about Whitechurch and Rathfarnham? Clontarf and Raheny? Bray is about the size of many South Dublin suburbs lumped into one. You need to give it a break and appreciate how in most parts, it's now a very desirable place to live with Dart access to the city and surrounded by mountains and sea etc. What do you think of Shankill main street??

Starting to think you are the head of the local chamber of commerce.

I'm not saying Bray is the most grim town in Ireland, but if it didn't have the seafront, it would be close. The sheer volume of junkies in the town is unbelievable - openly dealing on the main street. A main street that has too many units boarded up, and even the units that aren't boarded up, arent great. A previous poster said it's like walking down a street in Dublin, that is kinda true, but you are talking Talbot Street or Meath Street - not Grafton Street.

It has a good selection of supermarkets, that's about the best thing I could say about Bray, if you exclude the seafront.

There are indeed some massive houses up the King Edward Road, but those folk aren't your typical Bray person.

JeffreyEpspeen · 21-04-2020 07:08PM

Irish towns are grim in general but Longford and Ballina are among the worst I've travelled through.

howareyakid · 21-04-2020 07:14PM

JeffreyEpspeen wrote: »

Irish towns are grim in general but Longford and Ballina are among the worst I've travelled through.

I’ve often heard Ballina get a bad reputation but I always found the town centre - in any case - very nice. The river is a nice feature and it is well kept as evidenced by pretty good Tidy Towns results if memory serves me correct.

JeffreyEpspeen · 21-04-2020 07:15PM

howareyakid wrote: »

I’ve often heard Ballina get a bad reputation but I always found the town centre, in any case, very nice. The river is a nice feature and it is well kept as evidenced by pretty good Tidy Towns results if memory serves me correct.

I only drove through it so I might be doing it an injustice. Westport was nice by Irish standards when I stayed there.

Chalk McHugh · 21-04-2020 07:17PM

I think most if not all Irish towns have been mentioned here so far. Real uplifting thread in a time of such woe.

JeffreyEpspeen · 21-04-2020 07:20PM

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

I think most if not all Irish towns have been mentioned here so far. Real uplifting thread in a time of such woe.

Irish countryside scenery can be very beautiful but once you enter urban areas it is, by and large, a dreary place at the best of times.

Dull greys, decrepitude, etc.

21-04-2020 07:25PM

whisky_galore wrote: »

Every mid or large town was a so called garrison town.
The troops are gone a century ago, there's no such thing as a garrison town anymore, just progressive towns and stagnating ones.

It's a useful shorthand for people who don't want to take responsibly for the fact that Irish people have run down their own towns in the last 100 years as much as anything.

We have ugly towns because people make choices that lead to ugly towns. We prioritise one off housing (or did) which killed off the population density for the towns themselves, which made them even less attractive places. To facilitate one off housing, everyone has to drive to town, which means more car parking spaces and less greens etc. Irish people, despite what they say, act like they don't have pride in their parish. For example, we moved marts outside of town, but rather than redevelop towns properly, we just ****ed in a load of tarmacadam and landed dead space in the middle of towns. The amount of old market squares that could be lovely parks but are instead carparks is depressing.

Likewise, we let old civic buildings like churches and courthouses decay and eventually knock them for some ugly but utilitarian building. I'd love to see a Government underwritten restoration fund for old buildings to be turned into community spaces.

Most miserable and grim towns and villages in Ireland

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