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The State of O'Connell St

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    #62
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,818 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Las Ramblas in Barcelona leaps to mind: a main thoroughfare that makes O'Connell Street look like Aylesbury Road.

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    #63
    Rangi
    Registered Users Posts: 129 ✭✭Rangi


    Cool Mo D wrote: »
    Being asked for money isn't dangerous. If you just say no, they will leave you alone. Honestly, O'Connell street isn't dangerous in the slightest. It's certainly run down and tatty in parts, and has its share of drunks and addicts, but ignore them and they'll ignore you.

    Three young fellas from Kildare were robbed at knifepoint on the weekend,not on O'C St,but oinly about 30 yards from it.There's no shortage of these scumbags carrying knives,have had one pulled on me in daylight,but that was on Grafton St a few years ago.
    I've watched a few fights over the last few weeks,although it's thankfully always scum on scum.


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    #64
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    D-Generate wrote: »
    You don't get asked for "some change bud" every 15 feet when walking along Oxford Street, Champs-Elysees, Unter den Linden, Times Square, Dam Square (you have to go to the designated dodgy area to be pestered).
    Heck, even closer to home you don't get hassled when walking down Patrick St. in Cork.

    Saying that it exists in other cities (which it doesn't to the same extent) is to choose to ignore that it is a problem and that it does reflect poorly on the city. I love Dublin, but I certainly hate this aspect of it.

    Don't know about the others, but Germany has tough laws against begging, especially, if they show some aggressive (eg. annoying or threatening) behavior). They can even be charged with 'Breach of Peace' (Landfriedensbruch) and end up in Police custody.


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    #65
    Boulevardier
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭Boulevardier


    After years of working off O'Connell St, I have just realised why it does not look great at night - it is the lighting.

    Just contrast North Earl Street's lovely traditional street lamps with O'Connell St's High-up concentration-camp lighting.

    Any decent European boulevard I've seen has normal street lamps. Why can't Dublin's main street have them?


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    #66
    happyman81
    Closed Accounts Posts: 315 ✭✭happyman81


    Never feel at ease on that street and adjoining streets. It's a shame, I feel like an entire half of a city is just cut off. OCS could be a really beautiful street...


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    #67
    Dyr
    Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    After years of working off O'Connell St, I have just realised why it does not look great at night - it is the lighting.

    Just contrast North Earl Street's lovely traditional street lamps with O'Connell St's High-up concentration-camp lighting.

    Any decent European boulevard I've seen has normal street lamps. Why can't Dublin's main street have them?

    Because they thought the football stadium spotlights were the way to go when they renovated the street. None of your fussy fuddy duddy lamps for our architects.


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    #68
    ordinary_girl
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭ordinary_girl


    breadmonster wrote: »
    Its not actually that bad if theyd just get all the junkies off it. Need some sort of bylaw enforced to ban junkies from the city center.

    Seriously. On the bus this morning going past O'Connell Street I saw a junkie vomiting right beside Dr. Quirkey's, the bus was stuck at the stop for about 3 minutes and I when I looked back before the bus left he was still vomiting, before briskly standing up and doing his junkie stride to the other end of O'Connell Street. It was disgusting, all I could think was why does Dublin attract tourists at all when our main street is such a shambles, there's too many junkies, particularly in Upper O'Connell Street and it seems to destroy the area.

    Then on my way back home on the bus when it stopped at the bus stop on O'Connell Street I saw another junkie rummaging through a bin, I mean properly putting his arm so far in the bin that his head was right alongside it. I understand all cities have issues with undesirables, but there's something really shambolic about how O'Connell Street has ended up. Also, I don't think it's just the clinics in town that are causing this, I don't know why but a lot of the junkies seem to flock to Quirkey's on a daily basis.


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    #69
    PseudoFamous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    ordinary_girl wrote: »
    Seriously. On the bus this morning going past O'Connell Street I saw a junkie vomiting right beside Dr. Quirkey's, the bus was stuck at the stop for about 3 minutes and I when I looked back before the bus left he was still vomiting, before briskly standing up and doing his junkie stride to the other end of O'Connell Street.

    Where would you have gotten sick? There aren't exactly plentiful places to get sick around there without hurting someone's feelings.

    I'm sure that it wasn't a contientious decision on his part to get sick in public, but I can assure you, I'd be pretty embarrassed if that happened to me, and I'd probably try to put as much distance between myself and the point where I got sick, and pretend that nothing happened.

    Did anyone ask the man if he was alright? Would that have been too hard?


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    #70
    delta_bravo
    Registered Users Posts: 4,567 ✭✭✭delta_bravo


    The major problem with O'Connell Street is the building's functions on the street. To my mind the only stores I have used on the street is a bank, Easons and Penneys. Its terrible to think that there are buildings on the street that have been vacant for long periods on what is meant to be a prime street in Dublin.

    Back in the old days of Sackville street it was essentially a lovely plaza where people could loll about and enjoy the street. At the moment though its basically a bus terminal.


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    #71
    darkman2
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,632 ✭✭✭darkman2


    delta_bravo wrote: »

    Back in the old days of Sackville street it was essentially a lovely plaza where people could loll about and enjoy the street. At the moment though its basically a bus terminal.

    wow! How old are you?!


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    #72
    Boulevardier
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭Boulevardier


    There needs to be a green open space on or very close to the thoroughfare. The Garden of remembrance doesn't do it because it is too far up, and mostly concrete anyway.

    I would advocate knocking down a building opposite the GPO and setting up an O'Connell Square containing O'Connells statue and maybe a fountain or 2, surrounded by greenery.

    Unfortunately this could mean partial demolition of Clery's. Such a square would also require a constant police presence.

    However, I think it would be well worth it.


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    #73
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    There needs to be a green open space on or very close to the thoroughfare. The Garden of remembrance doesn't do it because it is too far up, and mostly concrete anyway.

    I would advocate knocking down a building opposite the GPO and setting up an O'Connell Square containing O'Connells statue and maybe a fountain or 2, surrounded by greenery.

    Unfortunately this could mean partial demolition of Clery's. Such a square would also require a constant police presence.

    However, I think it would be well worth it.

    All you have to do is cross the river for some greenery - St Stephen's Green, Merrion Square etc. No need to go knocking down historic buildings just to have a tiny park in Dublin 1.


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    #74
    hardCopy
    Registered Users Posts: 5,969 ✭✭✭hardCopy


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    There needs to be a green open space on or very close to the thoroughfare. The Garden of remembrance doesn't do it because it is too far up, and mostly concrete anyway.

    I would advocate knocking down a building opposite the GPO and setting up an O'Connell Square containing O'Connells statue and maybe a fountain or 2, surrounded by greenery.

    Unfortunately this could mean partial demolition of Clery's. Such a square would also require a constant police presence.

    However, I think it would be well worth it.

    I don't think there's any need for it to be green, just pedestrianise it.


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    #75
    bb1234567
    Registered Users Posts: 5,496 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    There needs to be a green open space on or very close to the thoroughfare. The Garden of remembrance doesn't do it because it is too far up, and mostly concrete anyway.

    I would advocate knocking down a building opposite the GPO and setting up an O'Connell Square containing O'Connells statue and maybe a fountain or 2, surrounded by greenery.

    Unfortunately this could mean partial demolition of Clery's. Such a square would also require a constant police presence.

    However, I think it would be well worth it.

    Good idea, but dunno why clearys would need to be knocked down? lets level dr.quirkeys or maybe some of the many fast food joints along the street,win win for everyone.:)


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    #76
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    bb1234567 wrote: »
    Good idea, but dunno why clearys would need to be knocked down? lets level dr.quirkeys or maybe some of the many fast food joints along the street,win win for everyone.:)

    Or that annoying Mary Mediatrix (sp?) shop that blares tinny church music 24/7 :pac:


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    #77
    John Mason
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 10,661 ✭✭✭✭John Mason


    knock down Clerys :eek::eek::eek:

    thats a beautiful building

    why not knock down Pennys or the Dublin Bus office


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    #78
    Boulevardier
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭Boulevardier


    Yes you could knock down some hideous buildings instead, but a plaza opposite the GPO would look fantastic.

    Stephen's Green is much to far away too be any use to people in the O'Connell St area.


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    #79
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    Yes you could knock down some hideous buildings instead, but a plaza opposite the GPO would look fantastic.

    Stephen's Green is much to far away too be any use to people in the O'Connell St area.

    Hardly - about 5-7 mins walk away if there's a lot of people to try to walk around. 3 or 4 if you walk quick.

    A park/green area by O'Connell St would just have all the junkies from the luas stops ruining it for everyone else.


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    #80
    PseudoFamous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    fluorescence wrote: »
    A park/green area by O'Connell St would just have all the junkies from the luas stops ruining it for everyone else.

    You mean the Garden of Remembrance?

    EDIT: Didn't read last page


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    #81
    Boulevardier
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭Boulevardier


    Yes, but there would be cops about, as is already the case with most of the street already.

    In any case, either we are going to improve O'Connell St or we are going to just admit the junkies have won. Which is it?


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    #82
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    Boulevardier wrote: »
    Yes, but there would be cops about, as is already the case with most of the street already.

    In any case, either we are going to improve O'Connell St or we are going to just admit the junkies have won. Which is it?

    The high police presence never seems to clear away the existing junkie problem - why would they do more just because there's a park there?

    No, the only way to clear up our city centre is to decentralize the methadone clinics. Since people attending them have free travel anyway and all the time in the world, there's no need for them to be in the middle of the city.


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    #83
    chopser
    Registered Users Posts: 269 ✭✭chopser


    fluorescence wrote: »
    The high police presence never seems to clear away the existing junkie problem - why would they do more just because there's a park there?

    No, the only way to clear up our city centre is to decentralize the methadone clinics. Since people attending them have free travel anyway and all the time in the world, there's no need for them to be in the middle of the city.

    What high police presence? there is almost none and the few that pass through certainly don't care or have instructions to stop the open dealing and use.

    If the Gardai cared then the amount of plain view drug dealing that takes place between the abbey and O'Connell street would not be going on.


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    #84
    Beefy78
    Registered Users Posts: 8,163 ✭✭✭Beefy78


    The important question I have is where the hell are people getting these donuts from? I've been on O'Connell Street a hundred times and never realised there's somewhere selling donuts.

    Mmmmmmnnnn donuts.


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    #85
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    Beefy78 wrote: »
    The important question I have is where the hell are people getting these donuts from? I've been on O'Connell Street a hundred times and never realised there's somewhere selling donuts.

    Mmmmmmnnnn donuts.

    Seriously? There's a small booth on the Clery's side of the street, close-ish to the bridge. Best doughnuts in the world. :D


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    #86
    Beefy78
    Registered Users Posts: 8,163 ✭✭✭Beefy78


    Fluorescence wrote: »
    Seriously? There's a small booth on the Clery's side of the street, close-ish to the bridge. Best doughnuts in the world. :D

    Seriously. I'm actually gutted to have not realised this until now.


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    #87
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    Go forth at once! I don't care how busy/far away you might be. The doughnuts are waiting.


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    #88
    John Mason
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 10,661 ✭✭✭✭John Mason


    those donuts are amazing, all warm sugary goodness

    i might have to get some on the way home now


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    #89
    Renn
    Registered Users Posts: 3,255 ✭✭✭Renn


    irishbird wrote: »
    knock down Clerys :eek::eek::eek:

    thats a beautiful building

    why not knock down Pennys or the Dublin Bus office

    Capital2.jpg

    Metropole.jpg

    :(


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    #90
    theteal
    Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    born and reared in dublin. i know the donut place well. ashamed to say i've never indulged in it's offerings - it doesn't look the best in fairness. i'll make it my first port of call on my next visit back. . .

    that's it, the window there at the global internet cafe


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    #91
    Fluorescence
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 8,490 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fluorescence


    That's the one.


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