Is Athlone the trendiest place in Ireland ?

veryangryman · 29-04-2019 1:58pm

In many ways, Athlone benefits from not being as near to Dublin. Mullingar doesn't get a college as "its too near Dublin, Maynooth" etc.

As for that line about the Mullingar train taking you to Connolly, have you seen the sardine can that becomes approaching the city? There are non stop buses going from Athlone that can get you to airport in 80-90 mins and city centre in similar despite the longer distance.

Those "notions" people who "don't take buses" have a quickish train to Heuston, which in fairness is as much Dublin as Beauvais is Paris but that's what you get for being "notions".

Mullingar has a better music scene i'll give it that much. And probably less of a parochial taste in entertainment. Hard to get sold out gigs in Athlone that don't have Country Music and Old Spice.

WillieMason · 29-04-2019 4:18pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

I'm sorry but Mullingar is a good town to live in
Closer to Dublin
Loads of amenities - pools, cycleways, canals
Decent shops, cafes and restaurants
Good selection of schools
Train direct into Connolly

Lots of travellers too which is nice

WillieMason · 29-04-2019 4:20pm

Klonker wrote: »

Athlone is a nice town, lived there for a few years previously. Nice selection of shops, pubs, restaurants. It's not a city so can't compare to Cork or Galway but I choice between Athlone and Tullamore or Mullingar or Portlaois or Thurles and it's a no brainer.

Its not a city yet but the Government intend to make it one so there will be plenty of investment in the future

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 29-04-2019 11:46pm

WillieMason wrote: »

Its not a city yet but the Government intend to make it one so there will be plenty of investment in the future

That'll be the day!

Upforthematch · 30-04-2019 12:00am

That area around the castle with the pubs and restaurants is crying out for some investment.

It's already a nice place to sit out and chill. It just needs a little more to make it 'in trend'!

Upforthematch · 30-04-2019 12:02am

ldsolare wrote: »

Does that mean there is no good place in all county Westmeath and north countu kildare that can better than Athlone? In other words if i have job offer in waterford/cork city, would be better off to settle in these areas?
Athlone, i understand it has the advantage to be between Galway and Dublin and always the probability that anyone could end commuting to these two cities. So my point is giving the geographical location is good but it has drawbacks and i think in Athlone (last time i was there) i did not get that nice feeling at the town centre like some other towns where you things going on in the street etc. I think Athlone has only those two shopping malls and stops there. So it could be very risky for someone moving with Family knowing it needs to travel 1hr/1hr30mins everytime/every weekend wants to hang out in the city. But hey i am still considering the move there so its nice from anyone who fan proof me wrong or else recommend other nearby towns like for example Tullamore

If the salary of both job offers in Athlone or Cork City is the same you will save a lot more money and time living in Athlone!

redarmyblues · 01-05-2019 10:47am

I think Boho in Fermanagh might be Ireland's hippest town. But seriously the winner would probably be a surf town and definitely not Bundoran. Rossnowlagh Easky/Enniscrone and Lahinch are relatively isolated so maybe Strandhill which is more urban. Of the bigger towns Kilkenny and my former self would be amazed to to read this but Killarney which has re-invented itself yet again. Also a mention for Wexford while it may not be hip is certainly under-rated.

Athlone was a place that had the life sucked out of it by shopping centres and had a main street akin to an emigration leached town in Mayo. I associated it with travellers and junkies and mostly avoided. However seeing it from the water changed my mind, it certainly looks good from the river and you only visit the Castle Quarter and nearby Marina and the average doob befooted and rolled up jeans wearing inland waterways yachtie is unlikely to make it as far as Nuts Corner. Not that there is anything wrong with Nuts, many a pint of porter I sucked in it. So I give Athlone the win under the category of best Leinster Heroin Town and third for best large Shannon Town after Limerick and Carrick.

If any Beardstrokers out there fancy moving to or checking out Boho, I recommend the Linnet Inn.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 02-05-2019 11:08pm

Best Heroin town in Leinster! Boom!

I always laugh at the notion that Athlone is associated with travellers. Much higher proportion of them in Galway - and many other places - but nobody ever mentions that.

redarmyblues · 02-05-2019 11:47pm

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Best Heroin town in Leinster! Boom!

I always laugh at the notion that Athlone is associated with travellers. Much higher proportion of them in Galway - and many other places - but nobody ever mentions that.

True, I just checked that out Athlone isn't even in the dirty dozen or top 12 towns for travelers.

Dublin City and suburbs 5,089
Galway City and suburbs 1,598
Cork City and suburbs 1,222
Tuam 737
Longford 730
Navan (An Uaimh) 668
Mullingar 571
Dundalk 536
Ballinasloe 514
Limerick City and suburbs 501
Ennis 487
Tralee 422

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp8iter/p8iter/p8itd/

However Westmeath has a high rate of heroin use at 5.5 per thousand which is the third highest non Dublin in Leinster after Carlow (7) Wickla (5.6) In contrast Sligo (0.4) has the lowest with the rest of the NW not far ahead.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/high-heroin-use-by-young-in-regional-cities-465103.html

John_Rambo · 03-05-2019 11:26am

Upforthematch wrote: »

That area around the castle with the pubs and restaurants is crying out for some investment.

It's already a nice place to sit out and chill. It just needs a little more to make it 'in trend'!

Crying out for investment and pedestrianisation.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 03-05-2019 11:36am

redarmyblues wrote: »

True, I just checked that out Athlone isn't even in the dirty dozen or top 12 towns for travelers.

Dublin City and suburbs 5,089
Galway City and suburbs 1,598
Cork City and suburbs 1,222
Tuam 737
Longford 730
Navan (An Uaimh) 668
Mullingar 571
Dundalk 536
Ballinasloe 514
Limerick City and suburbs 501
Ennis 487
Tralee 422

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp8iter/p8iter/p8itd/

However Westmeath has a high rate of heroin use at 5.5 per thousand which is the third highest non Dublin in Leinster after Carlow (7) Wickla (5.6) In contrast Sligo (0.4) has the lowest with the rest of the NW not far ahead.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/high-heroin-use-by-young-in-regional-cities-465103.html

Didn't know it was possible to calculate that. I mean, if they're travellers, isn't the whole point that they, eh.... travel?

WillieMason · 03-05-2019 11:54pm

redarmyblues wrote: »

True, I just checked that out Athlone isn't even in the dirty dozen or top 12 towns for travelers.

Dublin City and suburbs 5,089
Galway City and suburbs 1,598
Cork City and suburbs 1,222
Tuam 737
Longford 730
Navan (An Uaimh) 668
Mullingar 571
Dundalk 536
Ballinasloe 514
Limerick City and suburbs 501
Ennis 487
Tralee 422

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp8iter/p8iter/p8itd/

However Westmeath has a high rate of heroin use at 5.5 per thousand which is the third highest non Dublin in Leinster after Carlow (7) Wickla (5.6) In contrast Sligo (0.4) has the lowest with the rest of the NW not far ahead.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/high-heroin-use-by-young-in-regional-cities-465103.html

Galway has a lot of travellers:eek:

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 05-05-2019 2:32am

WillieMason wrote: »

Galway has a lot of travellers:eek:

Exactly. Nobody ever associates them but anyone from Galway or who has lived there knows that the place is rammed with travellers.

veryangryman · 05-05-2019 8:42am

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Exactly. Nobody ever associates them but anyone from Galway or who has lived there knows that the place is rammed with travellers.

Its the anti limerick pro galway bandwagon in the media. Stab is a bigger city with plenty of space for expansion of business and residential but is bashed so much that it is avoided

Upforthematch · 05-05-2019 1:25pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Its the anti limerick pro galway bandwagon in the media. Stab is a bigger city with plenty of space for expansion of business and residential but is bashed so much that it is avoided

Limerick seems to be booming for a place that's being bashed! Athlone could do with some of that cash!

WillieMason · 05-05-2019 2:33pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Its the anti limerick pro galway bandwagon in the media. Stab is a bigger city with plenty of space for expansion of business and residential but is bashed so much that it is avoided

Too be fair Galway is no where near limerick when it come to gang wars. Limerick is a rough spot

veryangryman · 06-05-2019 12:08pm

WillieMason wrote: »

Too be fair Galway is no where near limerick when it come to gang wars. Limerick is a rough spot

Its been a long while since gang wars were a big thing in Limerick

redarmyblues · 09-05-2019 10:07pm

WillieMason wrote: »

Galway has a lot of travellers:eek:

Tuam has 8.5% and Longford has 7.3% of their population travellers making them by far Ireland's deepest concentrations of our ethnic friends, excepting Rathkeale which must have been to small to make the list. Exciting places to live I'd say.

WillieMason · 10-05-2019 1:41am

People travel all the way from America to eat in Athlones world famous restaurants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbAmthm4Ymc

I says · 11-05-2019 8:36am

WillieMason wrote: »

People travel all the way from America to eat in Athlones world famous restaurants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbAmthm4Ymc

I’d reckon the jacks got destroyed after that

puppieperson1 · 11-05-2019 8:46am

depends what you need if you have a family move to a village out side athlone and try to cultivate a sense of community,Athlone or even Cork you have a chance to live among your own people in the urban centres and estates the immigrants are filing them up fast. another knife crime in dundrum last night we never had this **** before this diversity agenda. A rural village is the way to go for peace and like minded people.

puppieperson1 · 11-05-2019 8:49am

Limerick is a fantastic place to live despite the bad press i was there for 12 years just moved back to galway prefer limerick Galway is commuter nightmare and the rents are off the scale. Galway is a village trying to be a city but they never planned the roads for the expansion they have.

roosterman71 · 11-05-2019 6:24pm

puppieperson1 wrote: »

depends what you need if you have a family move to a village out side athlone and try to cultivate a sense of community,Athlone or even Cork you have a chance to live among your own people in the urban centres and estates the immigrants are filing them up fast. another knife crime in dundrum last night we never had this **** before this diversity agenda. A rural village is the way to go for peace and like minded people.

**** me that's some racist rant there!
Nearly every village in the country has immigrants in it. And just like the Irish, there's good and bad

WillieMason · 12-05-2019 2:21am

puppieperson1 wrote: »

Limerick is a fantastic place to live despite the bad press i was there for 12 years just moved back to galway prefer limerick Galway is commuter nightmare and the rents are off the scale. Galway is a village trying to be a city but they never planned the roads for the expansion they have.

How is Galway a village trying to be a city?? People keep objecting to any development in Galway because they want to keep it a large town instead of a city. Blame government funding as to why Galway has poor roads Cork gets 3 times the funding as Galway. Rents are high cause of demand people want to live there. You cant blame the press for limericks reputation limerick is what it is

WillieMason · 12-05-2019 2:42am

607 IDA-assisted site visits took place in 2018, of which 269 were in Dublin.
Cork drew the second-largest number of visitors with 61 visits. Galway with 54 visits. Limerick and Athlone with 35 and 22 visits respectively. Multinationals think Athlone has something to offer going off these numbers.

redarmyblues · 14-05-2019 3:32pm

WillieMason wrote: »

607 IDA-assisted site visits took place in 2018, of which 269 were in Dublin.
Cork drew the second-largest number of visitors with 61 visits. Galway with 54 visits. Limerick and Athlone with 35 and 22 visits respectively. Multinationals think Athlone has something to offer going off these numbers.

32 visits to Westmeath not Athlone.

dePeatrick · 03-12-2019 4:30pm

Athlone is a town that has improved enormously over the years and contuines to do so. Has almost all the essential shops (needs a Halfords) and even at its busiest you can still get free parking.

I agree with what another poster said about natives being very critical of it but I think that is a generational thing, those most critical are 50+ who seem to view it as it was back in the 70s 80s from what I can tell.

Masala · 03-12-2019 5:26pm

dePeatrick wrote: »

Athlone is a town that has improved enormously over the years and contuines to do so. Has almost all the essential shops (needs a Halfords) and even at its busiest you can still get free parking.

I agree with what another poster said about natives being very critical of it but I think that is a generational thing, those most critical are 50+ who seem to view it as it was back in the 70s 80s from what I can tell.

They will have to something with the main street around The Prince Hotel...... kebab shop, Charity Shop...a Centra, a Tattoo Shop????

partyguinness · 03-12-2019 5:37pm

No.

It's the middle of nowhere. Places get less trendy the further away from water (i.e. the sea) you go. That is fair general rule all over the world.

dePeatrick · 03-12-2019 5:52pm

Masala wrote: »

They will have to something with the main street around The Prince Hotel...... kebab shop, Charity Shop...a Centra, a Tattoo Shop????

Yes they will, that was once 'The' area in Athlone but has gone downhill over the last two decades. I don't understand why they never made it into a pedestrian area. Would transform the place.

Bandana boy · 03-12-2019 6:20pm

Has a night out in Athlone in the late 90s , never been back , never once considered going back

flazio · 03-12-2019 6:51pm

Bandana boy wrote: »

Has a night out in Athlone in the late 90s , never been back , never once considered going back

Not the "Coppers" you were expecting?

mr_edge_to_you · 13-12-2019 9:08am

Bandana boy wrote: »

Has a night out in Athlone in the late 90s , never been back , never once considered going back

Ah here, it was great craic back then.

Bad Ass Boogie Band on a Friday night in Biddy's. Quiet pints in Potters.

Off up town to Nuts, Conlons, and 41s. There was a pub upstairs over the joke shop. Can't remember the name of it but it had a cracking jukebox.

Ginkels - young ones (and maybe some mad lad in from the country) dancing in the cages.

Bozos - always good fun.

Out at the college we had the college bar Scribes and Brendans. Then over to the Tack Room and into The Paddock or whatever it was called at the time.

Across town the Palace was wedged Thur to Sun. In fairness, town was pretty busy Thur to Sun.

Munchies for curry chips and cheese before wandering home.

galwayllm · 13-12-2019 9:10am

Jesus Athlone is one depressing place... Shame the west Brit's just wouldn't go there and leave the west coast alone.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 14-12-2019 2:52am

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

There was a pub upstairs over the joke shop. Can't remember the name of it but it had a cracking jukebox.

The Arden Bar! Great oul spot.

galwayllm wrote: »

Jesus Athlone is one depressing place... Shame the west Brit's just wouldn't go there and leave the west coast alone.

Our apologies. Not everywhere can be as exhilarating as the collection of pubs and traffic jams that is Galway.

mr_edge_to_you · 14-12-2019 9:08pm

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

The Arden Bar! Great oul spot.

Ah ye, that's it. Cheers! I only ever popped in for a pint or two.

riddles · 14-12-2019 9:50pm

It is cold, damp and miserable. I can’t think of anything positive about other than a stonking great by pass. Hard to believe the main route to the west was over the bridge and through the town. It’s rivaled only by Carlow in terms of utter bleakness.

roosterman71 · 14-12-2019 9:53pm

riddles wrote: »

It is cold, damp and miserable

So is everywhere in the country.
Which heaving metropolis do you hail from yourself?

holyhead · 15-12-2019 10:36pm

The centre of the town has seen a lot of development in the last 15 years. The town has come on an awful lot since I started visiting in the mid 90's. It's actually a pleasant place to visit. Lovely restaurants, very good shopping (love Athlone town centre), some nice pubs, lovely riverside location and some interesting pieces of architecture. I think it is the finest of the midland towns.

holyhead · 15-12-2019 10:40pm

Masala wrote: »

They will have to something with the main street around The Prince Hotel...... kebab shop, Charity Shop...a Centra, a Tattoo Shop????

When Golden Island was built Church St stopped being the main shopping street in the town. As for Centra convenience shops are always useful in a central location. Tattoo shop makes sense as retail units become bigger smaller units are harder to rent. Charity shops are on most main streets in Ireland now and in the UK.
Although Church St is a curious mix of tenants filling it's units most units are full which is pretty good by modern standards. Visit Carlow to see what a devastated Main Street looks like.

beggars_bush · 16-12-2019 10:47am

holyhead wrote: »

When Golden Island was built Church St stopped being the main shopping street in the town. As for Centra convenience shops are always useful in a central location. Tattoo shop makes sense as retail units become bigger smaller units are harder to rent. Charity shops are on most main streets in Ireland now and in the UK.
Although Church St is a curious mix of tenants filling it's units most units are full which is pretty good by modern standards. Visit Carlow to see what a devastated Main Street looks like.

golden island should never have got planning permission. its on the wrong side of the town

El Tarangu · 16-12-2019 11:04am

enricoh wrote: »

Great pub along the river though - Sean's?

Oldest pub in the world, apparently.

partyguinness wrote: »

It's the middle of nowhere. Places get less trendy the further away from water (i.e. the sea) you go. That is fair general rule all over the world.

Both Paris and Berlin are many hours' drive from the sea.

veryangryman · 16-12-2019 4:56pm

beggars_bush wrote: »

golden island should never have got planning permission. its on the wrong side of the town

Where would you fit the huge car parks with provision for bus stops and a short walk to lovely river views? Roscommon side's small bit of flat land is wasted by the Church and Barracks. Good luck getting that back for something useful.

The Centre was one of the best things to happen to the town, its popularity is still seen 22 years on. Took a sleepy town out of the dark ages IMO.

dePeatrick · 07-01-2020 11:35am

riddles wrote: »

It is cold, damp and miserable. I can’t think of anything positive about other than a stonking great by pass. Hard to believe the main route to the west was over the bridge and through the town. It’s rivaled only by Carlow in terms of utter bleakness.

Its actually in one of the lowest rainfall areas in the country, but don't let that fact get in the way of your obvious depression

Is Athlone the trendiest place in Ireland ?

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