Ah Castlebar...

Shiminay · 09-01-2008 6:06pm #1

I was back in my home town of Castlebar last week (ok, I'm officially from Breaffy, so shoot me

) and I was delighted to see there's still nothing to do there except go to Mulroys second rate cinema / bowling alley / etc or the usual crap pubs.

Does anyone ever think there'll ever be anything worth doing in the town. Ever?

My housemate described it best: "Castlebar is like a black hole that sucks away all your ambition and drive and turns it into the shape of a pub" (he moved there from Dublin when he was 6 and has been back in Dublin for college for 3+ years).

My mates who work in the TF said that they're lucky to see 50 - 60 people in the night club on a weekend and Mantra seems to be jammed with reds (as in necks). I worked there about 10 years ago and it was the same back then. You'd think with all the vast amount of shops and things that have gone into the town in recent years there'd be some manner of decent night club?

Thoughts/comments/objections/outrage?

prendy · 09-01-2008 6:09pm

agreement....i shudder at the thought of going out at home!

Bob the Builder · 11-01-2008 11:05pm

Ever since the intro's of certain laws like the smoking ban(which I agree with), and the Children not allowed into the pubs after 9pm law(which I dissagree with to a certain extent), things began going downhill faster than ever.

de5p0i1er · 14-01-2008 8:43pm

The night life will never change until the urban council give permission to build another night club and they won't do that as Mc Hugh is friends with the FF crew and Jennings is friends with the FG crew so the have a word in the ear when ever anyone trys to change anything.

isthatyoudave? · 03-02-2008 6:39pm

big up the reds.....We all meet in Rockys first then on to mantra! Check shirt and cords rule!:D

offaly1 · 04-02-2008 10:26am

isthatyoudave? wrote: »

big up the reds.....We all meet in Rockys first then on to mantra! Check shirt and cords rule!:D

Never been out in castlebar....but check shirts and cords are just a midlands thing i take it now!! typical "Farmers" as they would say down the country!

been to a few pubs in swinford...ok maybe just a couple,it was grand, although it would have helped if i knew more people!!!:p

donmeister · 11-02-2008 6:34pm

such a pity that new elverys on main st. didnt turn into a massive nightclub!that would have been great!oh wellz..............

themadchef · 12-02-2008 12:38am

donmeister wrote: »

such a pity that new elverys on main st. didnt turn into a massive nightclub!that would have been great!oh wellz..............

True, Castlebar badly needs a decent night club...I wonder why Castlebar feels it needs two Elverys? That place was great when it was Bolgers:D

Shiminay · 12-02-2008 11:15am

I was the Santy in Bolgers one year (14 years ago when I was just 16!!!) - great craic*

Also: Castlebar is Stauntons/Elverys home town, they gotta represent!

Bring back Unisport West

* may not strictly be true

donmeister · 12-02-2008 12:50pm

all in all,castlebar is ****,for nights out,entertainment in general,lol,but recently with the springin up of these huges shops,like harvey normans,argos,next etc means than mayo people dont actually have to go to galway to get a decent pair of jeans!haha! i liked castlebar more when the place wasn't full of foreigners,bit racist,but hey its true

benbulbin · 12-02-2008 1:05pm

What ever you think of Elverys it is better than what was there for several years, the site had so much potential yet was left as an eyesore to rot on the towns main st.

The new shopping area that has grown up around Tesco and the other retail parks are great for the town, it's now the main shopping location outside of Galway and Sligo. However it's a shame the area looks as if everything has been designed around car parks, with the exposed location it's not always the nicest place to visit or walk around. Market square also seems very cold and un-inviting, why do we insist on using concrete and dark stone everywhere given our wet and windy climate! Do our ever planners think about creating people friendly environments when they grant all these developments.

Main st no longer feels like the heart of the town and has become very dull with little to attract people in. It would be good to see the town council come up with a plan to pedestrianise and maintain a busy main street with good quality urban design and facilities to create an attractive center.

Shiminay · 12-02-2008 1:57pm

Pedestrianising Main St's been talked about for at least 10 years if not more. It may or may not work though, I dunno, traffic still seems to be retarded in Castlebar (I found it to be as bad at peak times than anything I've seen in town here in Dublin). The street itself could do with a bitta life though.

There's definitely a lot of scope to improve the look of the area around Tesco/McDonalds/Homebase et all but I fear they may have left it too late for it to look like anything more than an afterthought (which it clearly would be at this stage).

themadchef · 12-02-2008 7:04pm

Have to agree Castlebar is great for shopping these days. I'm wondering though, whats the deal with Penney's?. I always went to Penney's whenever i went shopping in C'bar. Thing is, since all the major shops are right at the other side of the town now, i.e. Homebase, Tesco, Next, Shaws and Argos to name a few. I find i never bother trecking across town for one shop.

I barely ever frequent mainstreet (banks if necessary). I wonder why Penney's don't move. They are bound to be feeling a loss of trade (obviously i'm not the only one who avoids that end of town now).

Another thing i noticed is the new Aldi did not seem to be as busy as the old one, location, location, location. People often used to park there, do the family shop and run off and do the other few errands they had or just skip across from Tesco for a few bits and bobs. Now you have to go there speciffically and drive and park further into town to do the rest of your shopping...wonder if it's going to turn out to be a bad move?

Bob the Builder · 12-02-2008 9:44pm

themadchef wrote: »

Now you have to go there speciffically and drive and park further into town to do the rest of your shopping...wonder if it's going to turn out to be a bad move?

Yes, i noticed that.

I go to the €2 shop & Heatons, but besides that, I never go shopping anywhere away from Link Road and around there...

donmeister · 13-02-2008 12:03am

themadchef wrote: »

I barely ever frequent mainstreet (banks if necessary). I wonder why Penney's don't move. They are bound to be feeling a loss of trade (obviously i'm not the only one who avoids that end of town now).

Its a matter of pride,your forgetting this is where Castlebar had the 'original' shopping centre,haha, remember gavins bakery/coffee shop,pennies,super valu,the shop and jewellers??....ahh good memories....i tink?there too damn stubborn to move lol

Shiminay · 13-02-2008 12:52pm

They might also have been locked into a long term lease with whoever built that shopping centre (Tony McHugh, wasn't it?).

One thing that really sums up the whole Castlebar experience for me was the internet café place opposite the town hall tried to get some gaming going in their upstairs bit but neglected to get any PCs capible of playing games and didn't even have the machines connected to the internet! I went in with a couple of mates and after waiting literally 5 minutes for Battlefield 2 to load, I went back down stairs and asked for my money back. I nearly smashed the place up on principle

I was just completely un-able to process this - how on earth could you advertise your place as doing networked gaming without internet connections and the ability to run at the very least, a 2 year old game???

Sure we have things, but scratch under the surface and you'll see we're still a shithole country town...

Ruadan · 14-02-2008 7:34pm

oh gods its horrible! teh welcome inn shows the same cross secton of town every night;

Mantrathur, sat, sun night; ages 16-21, hammered, rude, too much money, no sense, complain that theres no other nite club, packed in. almost exactly the same croud each and every night.

The Lounge fri, sat nite; Ages 16-70, largely hammered, complain that theres not many late bars, teh place usually overpacked by about 50%, makes getting a drink and working behind that horribly designed bar a nightmare. tends to be the kind of place most people don't go to very regularly.

There is 1 pub i can relax and hang out in in castlebar, every other one is horrific, and the place is a cultural backwater with all the apeal of an industrial estate (which half the town now appears to be)

Shiminay · 15-02-2008 10:39am

I don't think anyone's ever put it so elloquently

I agree though, the bar in the lounge of the Welcome Inn was not very well laid out. Coulda been if some time and thought and crowd analysis on a typical busy night was done

Loads of my mates go there though as it's really the only option they feel they have. I used to head to Coxes a lot when I was working in Breaffy House with the work mates and there were usually enough of us to take over a big enough section that we could make our own fun. I always got *very* drunk to block out the horrific noise and people around me

redmosquito · 15-02-2008 3:19pm

Kharn wrote: »

traffic still seems to be retarded in Castlebar

Traffic in town is sickening. Having lived in galway for two years of college, I can say that i prefer being stuck in morning traffic on the way to college in the morning in galway than being stuck at peak times in castlebar.

A couple of months back, when a bit of the ring road was closed for an accident, it took me 45 mins to get from gallows hill to davitt house, a total distance of about 1.5 miles!!!

Despite not having any decent nightclub in the town, I still have good craic going out, I go out 2-3 times a week and still have a good laugh most nights!

Ruadan · 15-02-2008 4:57pm

Kharn wrote: »

I agree though, the bar in the lounge of the Welcome Inn was not very well laid out. Coulda been if some time and thought and crowd analysis on a typical busy night was done

but that would have cost money, bad as it is outside on the inside it appears to have been designed bu a blind monkey with no thumbs. my abiding memory of the redevelopment of the lounge is a certain member of the bar staff stood on a brand new stool in uniform screwing in ceiling brackets on the night before it officially opened.

Bob the Builder · 15-02-2008 8:32pm

redmosquito wrote: »

I still have good craic going out, I go out 2-3 times a week and still have a good laugh most nights!

Alco!

Nightlife in Westport is better imo... shopping in castlebar is kick ass... pitty i'm not a girl

themadchef · 16-02-2008 9:54pm

Brought my sister with me shopping yesterday in Castlebar. all she kept muttering was "dump of a town". Appauled at "the state of main street...KIP" Everything just looks so grotty.

In fairness though the place needs a serious face lift. A lot of investment and pedestrianisation would be a start. Coffee shops and eateries with tables flowing out on to the pavement. Juice bars, wine bars, dear God, even a nice ordinary bar? (why do all the bars on main street seem dark and dingy?)

As for the night life, all i can say is it could always be worse our local night club is lovingly referred to as "The shed" .......been a long, long time since i had the courage or level of drink required to boogie on down there

stevethesatguy · 21-03-2008 8:14pm

have to say that having moved to here from cork city and having spent 16 years living in London that people are people and a night out is what you make it, spent last sunday night in ballynahinch, antrim, very very small town , only one half decent pub and i had a ball, drank and danced the night away, met a load of people and would definetly go back.

I have had some great nights out in Castlebar in recent times, but maybe thats down to the fact that I am from Cork and sure we just get on with it.

Dellboy2007 · 26-03-2008 3:38pm

As bad as castlebar *might* be, it still has a lot more to offer then some other towns in Mayo. Take for example Kiltimagh, Balla, Knock, Claremorris, Charlestown, Foxford etc. Ye should count your blessings your not from any of these places. Seriously some of these places don't even have 1 (Ahem, yes 1!) Nightclub. Seriously if it's that bad either, go to westport or stay at home with your slippers and nightdress!!!!

PogMoThoin · 26-03-2008 11:29pm

Dellboy2007 wrote: »

As bad as castlebar *might* be, it still has a lot more to offer then some other towns in Mayo. Take for example Kiltimagh, Balla, Knock, Claremorris, Charlestown, Foxford etc. Ye should count your blessings your not from any of these places. Seriously some of these places don't even have 1 (Ahem, yes 1!) Nightclub. Seriously if it's that bad either, go to westport or stay at home with your slippers and nightdress!!!!

You've obviously not been to Charlestown then.
Why would You need nightclubs when the pubs don't close? No entrance fee and pints at the same prices.

bandit197 · 26-03-2008 11:43pm

Kharn wrote: »

My mates who work in the TF said that they're lucky to see 50 - 60 people in the night club on a weekend and Mantra seems to be jammed with reds (as in necks). I worked there about 10 years ago and it was the same back then. You'd think with all the vast amount of shops and things that have gone into the town in recent years there'd be some manner of decent night club?

Thoughts/comments/objections/outrage?

Reds? Rednecks? Sorry mate, you may think that being from Breaffy makes you different, but trust me, in the eyes of a Dub you're as red as the rest of us:D

Samhain · 13-04-2008 12:21pm

Down here, being a redneck isnt about where you are from, its a state of mind. Castlebar sucks major ass but i prefer it over Galway/Dublin anytime.

rattlenhum · 17-04-2008 6:43am

FISHEADS aargh! lol, full of scumbags n spinners, where wud ye be without tesco eh???? aha pimp my sniper:D

kevmy · 17-04-2008 2:46pm

One of the main problems Castelbar has is the proximity of Westport. It'll only 10 mins down the road yet has loads of good pubs, a daycent nightclub and seems to avoid alot of, shall we say, skangers that Castlebar seems to attract.

Really though what Castlebar needs is smajor redevelopment in the centre of town. The mall and main st. should be done up. Throw in a few nice pubs and even just a redevelopment of one of the existing nightclubs would go a long way. Pity really cos some of the crowds that go to the stuff on in the TF could really bring in some cash instead of just fecking off to Westport or home.

irishgeo · 17-04-2008 8:10pm

westport niteclub is packed at 1am when the last time you seen niteclub full in castlebar.

i cant recall the last time i was in the tf.

Bosh,Bar One, The Lounge for me due to the pure lack of options.

What happened to Cox's it used to be the place to be seen in once.

Shiminay · 17-04-2008 9:50pm

Aye, many's the night I stumbled out of Cox's in a heap only to find Cresham waiting for me to bring me home

As for Ms Samhain there, every time I visit her (and her ilk), she's complaining about how there's nothing doing, yet she still prefers it to the bigger towns - confusing!

Kevmy may have stumbled onto a good point though - Westport has the name of being athe place to go and so more people will always go there. Castlebar for the shopping - Westport for the drinking. It does seem that there are a higher number of skangers in Castlebar though...

Ah Castlebar...

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