Best and Worst Towns in County Cork

Richy06 · 03-09-2008 1:32am

Buttevant is some dump.

Pgibson · 15-09-2008 1:12pm

For general appearance and ambience Buttevant is the worst town in Ireland...or maybe Western Europe or maybe...........

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Pgibson · 15-09-2008 1:24pm

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

I'm surprised nobody has given Youghal a thumbs-up!
I'm from the city -- living in it also -- so I have no place-of-birth bias in this debate.

Youghal has just about anything you would want from a decent quality of life aspect. A town dripping with history. Fabulous beach within a stroll of the town, lovely old-world harbour, fishing, sailing. nice public parks. Some great pubs in the town and must be a dozen restaurants on the main street alone.

When I retire, I'm off down there!

When you are from Cork City ANYWHERE in the world is "a better place".

Even Youghal...God help us.

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MunsterCycling · 15-09-2008 1:25pm

Prepare the boiling oil catapult....

MC

jessbeth · 15-09-2008 2:15pm

I was in Macroom at the weekend and I must say that I've never met friendlier people in the shops anywhere. In every shop that we went in to there was somebody really helpful, chatty and kind. It was great

The food we got was also great.

I'm not a huge fan of Kinsale but it's because everytime we've been it's been difficult to get parking and difficult to get around with the car. That's mainly the only reason though!

RoyMcC · 18-09-2008 9:27am

I just gotta jump in here and defend Dunmanway. Admittedly I love it for narrow, family reasons and have been visiting it for the last 50 years and always look forward to to my visits. And hey, I see they've got a new statue of Sam Maguire to look at in the Square!

Bandon I always regarded as a gloomy old place but I was surprised to find that recently it's a lot brighter and more welcoming.

Worst? Mallow, but based on a single visit many years ago

JP Liz · 19-09-2008 11:37am

Dirty_Diesel wrote: »

Although I'm from Bandon I have to admit there is a number of scumbags around, probably like any other town. However, much of the weekend hassle would be people from other nearby villages/towns converging in Bandon, many having disputes about GAA, etc.

The only really positive aspect to the town would be the shopping, in which case the scumbags wouldn't be an issue.

Although I couldn't really pick the worst town in Cork my favourite would be Skibbereen. Reasonably close to the sea (or Lough Einn), nice friendly people and plenty of crack at the weekends.

The traffic is terrible in Bandon he needs another bypass to avoid the bridge and north main street

HanTenFan · 20-09-2008 10:24pm

Not sure about the best or worst, But Midleton is Good

(Ok a little bias there) loadsa stuff to do at night, not much during the day...

KnifeWRENCH · 09-10-2008 2:33pm

RoyMcC wrote: »

Worst? Mallow, but based on a single visit many years ago

Ha, I was just gonna say no-one mentioned Mallow, but then I saw this. I'm from near Mallow and I think it's a pretty good town. It does have a bit of a "rough" reputation I admit, but tbh every town has it's undesirables. I find Mallow a nice enough town to live near.

Favourite? Well I've only been there once, but I really liked Skibereen. It was much bigger than I thought it would be, and they have very decent shops.
Bantry is also a very nice town - really well laid out (and nice restaurants)
Kinsale is lovely if you're a tourist but I don't think I'd live there.
And even though it's only a village, I should mention Castletownroche. It's very pretty!

Least favourite? Well as I said every town has undesirable characters but Mitchelstown does seem to have a larger proportion than other towns.
And Fermoy of course - but that's just coming from the Mallow/Fermoy rivalry!

I know I'm gonna get slated for this, but I'm not a fan of Clonakilty. For a town renowned for being nice, I found it very bland and a bit drab tbh.

Buttevant isn't too bad for what it is, which is a small close-knit town.

smcgiff · 09-10-2008 2:52pm

Richy06 wrote: »

Buttevant is some dump.

:(:(

Just goes to show the impression traffic jams and bad entry roads can have on a place.

I found it a grand place to grow up in, but you wouldn't want to be addicted to excitement. And I can guess the town Edthehead alluded to

I rarely go back these days, and it IS quiet, but it's a town with potential. If the historic sites Buttevant has were in, say, Kerry they'd be hugely exploited.

shoegirl · 16-10-2008 5:54pm

I've lived in a few towns around the place, including 3 in a couple of different towns with a girl from Buttevant. I agree Buttevant is not great but I do think there is worse, and it gets noticed because its on the main road. Doneraile, Rathcormac and "Little Island" are pretty horrible too. Problem with Buttevant is being on the main road AND a long way from anywhere.

Mallow as a town has really picked up, it was horrendous when I moved here first. Midleton likewise. Youghal LOOKS nice but to me its a bit dull. Castlemartyr has picked up a bit.

My personal pet hate is Rathcormac. I lived there for a year and it was the most miserable year of my life. I hated it with a vengence then and even more now. Fermoy I started to like because I could escape there from Rathcormac. It was the most horrible place I've ever lived in, anywhere. The Spar is about the most exciting thing in town.

Kinsale I find nice to visit but more than a bit pretentious.

KnifeWRENCH · 18-10-2008 10:38pm

shoegirl wrote: »

I've lived in a few towns around the place, including 3 in a couple of different towns with a girl from Buttevant. I agree Buttevant is not great but I do think there is worse, and it gets noticed because its on the main road. Doneraile, Rathcormac and "Little Island" are pretty horrible too. Problem with Buttevant is being on the main road AND a long way from anywhere.

Yeah I think Buttevant is an ok town.
As for Doneraile, it's not really a town, more a large village. But regardless, I admit it has a horrible reputation.
My cousin was living there a short while and during that short period she was attacked by some scumbag junkie. I don't know the end result but I think the junkie got off lightly because she was pregnant. :mad:
Now I'm not at all suggesting everyone from Doneraile is a scumbag, but I do often hear bad things about the place.

Mallow as a town has really picked up, it was horrendous when I moved here first.

True that, about Mallow. It's changed a lot over the past few years - there's been the development of Market Square, the new development going on Park Road near 4Home, there's an Aldi being built up near Summerhill (the town's 7the supermarket, with Dunnes, Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl and two Centra's) and I think there's talks about a development near the old Sugar Factory.

Another town that's changing a lot is Kanturk. I go there maybe once a year and I swear everytime I do it looks like the place has doubled in size since the previous year! I think Kanturk will become quite a big town in years to come.

towel401 · 18-10-2008 11:13pm

shoegirl wrote: »

I've lived in a few towns around the place, including 3 in a couple of different towns with a girl from Buttevant. I agree Buttevant is not great but I do think there is worse, and it gets noticed because its on the main road. Doneraile, Rathcormac and "Little Island" are pretty horrible too. Problem with Buttevant is being on the main road AND a long way from anywhere.

Mallow as a town has really picked up, it was horrendous when I moved here first. Midleton likewise. Youghal LOOKS nice but to me its a bit dull. Castlemartyr has picked up a bit.

My personal pet hate is Rathcormac. I lived there for a year and it was the most miserable year of my life. I hated it with a vengence then and even more now. Fermoy I started to like because I could escape there from Rathcormac. It was the most horrible place I've ever lived in, anywhere. The Spar is about the most exciting thing in town.

but rathcormac has a daycent car boot sale. or it used to have in the good old days. I used to buy hard drives and other crap there when i was a wee boy. it seems more relaxed over there but i don't go there all that much.

mallow is fairly awful - no space to park. traffic jams and a good few scumbags around the place but the lack of proper roads and car parks is a bigger problem. they are forever digging up the road and moving **** around but the traffic situation never improves.

There is a good bit of scum hanging around Doneraile but the *real* scum is in the little villages outside it. I went to the school there and in my days it was alright but in recent years its gone to the dogs.

i was unfortunate enough to fall asleep on the bus to mallow one day and ended up in Buttevant in the evening. not a good experience at all although I didn't see many skangers

captainjack · 25-10-2008 2:14pm

I live in Kinsale. It's grand like:rolleyes:

KathleenF · 31-10-2008 12:18pm

Dunmanway is fair brutal I have to say. Skibb and Clon are grand though.

viota · 31-10-2008 2:24pm

Fermoy's a hole, full of scumbags.
Best place i suppose i think is cork city

RoyMcC · 01-11-2008 9:39am

KathleenF wrote: »

Dunmanway is fair brutal I have to say.quote]

Reason/s?

Pgibson · 01-11-2008 10:14am

viota wrote: »

Best place i suppose i think is cork city

I love Gurrier-na-Brather (oops I mean Granabrather.) and Knock-yer-knees-easy (oops I mean Knocknaheeny) myself.

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KathleenF · 01-11-2008 5:33pm

Reasons - well the vibe there varies between unremittingly negative and non-existent, the town is a glorified drinking den, and bar the schools and local Centra/Super Valu, there is v little employment. Only thing to enliven the town is the local drinking festival (as if an excuse was needed) in August. A lot of work has been done with regard to festivals and the like, but IMO, it's the attitude of the locals that is the deciding factor. TBH, I'm not knocking it maliciously but the majority of the locals have such a low opinion of the place, it seems to me the epitome of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hence my opinion.

Fud Duddy · 02-11-2008 5:10pm

I'm a thinking can a small Irish country town be all things to all people, I'm guessing not. But what is it that really makes one town better to live in than another?
Dunmanway strikes me as a town caught between the farming 50's and the 'crusty' 90's. Now there's a clash of morals.
What made Kinsale and Clon hip to begin with? Being on sea always helps I suppose, and is there anything more to do in Clon on a Tuesday night than there is to do in say Fermoy or Midleton. Is it people maketh the town? Has the celtic tiger devoured our community spirit? Are we not satisfied with the hottub and the flat screen and the cheap lidl wine?
Oh comrades my comrades, come let me know, what can your township do for you?

RoyMcC · 02-11-2008 10:27pm

KathleenF wrote: »

Reasons - well the vibe there varies between unremittingly negative and non-existent, the town is a glorified drinking den, and bar the schools and local Centra/Super Valu, there is v little employment. Only thing to enliven the town is the local drinking festival (as if an excuse was needed) in August. A lot of work has been done with regard to festivals and the like, but IMO, it's the attitude of the locals that is the deciding factor. TBH, I'm not knocking it maliciously but the majority of the locals have such a low opinion of the place, it seems to me the epitome of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hence my opinion.

Fair enough. you are probably spot on. I only have golden memories from a long-lost era. But hold on about the drinking festival - Ballabuih *spelling, blushes* is a celebration of the return of all Dohenies to their native town. The drinking is incidental...

Seinas · 03-11-2008 4:56pm

Newmarket is nice... as is Clonakilty

worst would be Buttevant!

Fud Duddy · 03-11-2008 8:31pm

Buttevant is a Grand Ol' town, but nice ain't wonderful.

rebel girl 15 · 13-11-2008 1:42am

Mallow - one of the worst places for traffic, and every time I come down the Cork road into it, the air in the car gets that bit colder and it starts to rain. All the work being done with the flood reflef scheme, raising a part of the road that never gets flooded, digging in the wrong side of the town. Other than that, I don't mind living near there.

barnicles · 16-11-2008 2:24pm

Ballydesmond and boherbue i like but i'm obviously biased:)

life_is_music · 16-11-2008 3:28pm

viota wrote: »

Fermoy's a hole, full of scumbags.
Best place i suppose i think is cork city

You've clearly never been to Mitchelstown!!!

TheDriver · 17-11-2008 9:36pm

barnicles wrote: »

Ballydesmond and boherbue i like but i'm obviously biased:)

You may as well include Kiskeam in that list!!!

barnicles · 17-11-2008 10:56pm

Why?

AOMURCHU · 01-12-2008 10:21pm

just saw this thread and was interested, having worked and lived in many places in cork. went to school in bandon for about 3 years and it was a horrible place, with a lot scumbags, grey boring looking buildings and rough pubs (always get the feeling a fight is about to break out), good for shopping though. Spent a couple of weeks in Dunmanway and i think it is just too far from cork city and is a typical landlocked town, you'll find them all over the country. Macroom is the same. Kinsale seems to be everybodys favorite and i agree, it has the best food and setting of any town in cork and is near the city, the airport, the sea. does have a few scumbags (mainly found in Armada pub) but nowhere on the scale of bandon, only 20 mins away. Its might not be the friendliest but between itself and clon it scores the highest all round.

Rowley Birkin QC · 01-12-2008 10:38pm

Seriously wtf is with this Mitchelstown scumbag thing?! It's not that bad. There is a generation coming up at the moment that are right little shítes but overall it's not the worst.

Mallow has a ridiculous amount of scummers there for the size of the town.

My opinion of Buttevant is based largely on this documentary I saw a few years back. Seems to have changed a lot from when I used to play football there.:p:p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ddWlNQrUNI

Best and Worst Towns in County Cork

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