Irish reg car up north

thegloriousend

I'm planning to go to Queens next year and was thinking of regularly commuting back and forth with a Dublin reg car - question is would there be any danger in parking it for long periods on public roads? I don't think QUB have parking facilities.

Oriel

I've never once heard of any car being attacked due to a southern Reg. Saying, that just because I've never heard of it, doesn't mean that it has never happened.
Fair enough, you're not going to want to park it in the Shankhill though

That's a hell of a long way to commute though - with time and petrol, and think you're better off renting up here and heading home every weekend or so.
I mean, you're going to need to leave Dublin at 6am/7am and be home again for 8pm. Unless you're doing a pishy degree like Law or something...

thegloriousend

I meant communting regularly on the weekends:p. I will of course be renting. It just kind of struck me though after seeing some of the burnt out english reg cars after the riots here in Dublin.

MrPudding

I am from Coleraine, which is a but of a protestant down. We had our Dub reg car parked outside my Mum's a while ago. I was siiting by the window looking out as a scumbag and his girlfriend walked past. He looked at the reg of the car and then spat on it.

I have alos spoken to a builder that works upp there and he said his car got vandalised regulary.

That said, the area around Queens is pretty OK I think. I am sure there are loads of southern reg cars there.

MrP

buckfastmonk

It depends on where you park your car. Just use your common sense. If you see any red white and blue kurb stones dont go parking your dub reg car on top of them!

Of course, like every where else in the world you will get drunken assholes (most likley on the buckfast) that just love kicking door mirrors on there way home from the "m club". I have actually seen this happen a few times

Berns

Might be better gettin Enterprise up & down Depends where rentin too i suppose :rolleyes:

Lone Wolf

You'll not have a poblem parking up here with a southern registration, friend of mine have cars in ther various student areas and have never had a problem. Also if you are going into halls in first year there is parking available right beside it which has a security watching it.

LikeOhMyGawd!

Lone Wolf wrote:

You'll not have a poblem parking up here with a southern registration, friend of mine have cars in ther various student areas and have never had a problem. Also if you are going into halls in first year there is parking available right beside it which has a security watching it.

A general bit of advice would be avoid living (never mind parking) in any area which has red/white/blue kerbs, Union flags or any of the assorted loyalist flags. In and around Queens is a bit of a lively spot and so any car, regardless of registration is in danger of geting damage by drunk and disorderly students or the usual scummers. At nights I used to park my car in an studenty area known as 'The Holy Lands' (the streets named after places in the middle east...) and had it broken into once and a side window smashed on another occassion. Frequently a number of drunk some drunk Tyrone & Derry assholes would also grapple their way up the street, rolling over car bonnets. Just use your common sense when parking. Luckily on street parking is usually free in the area of the University.

solskjaer20

Derry assholes? Don't exist.

Anyway while the above poster may have had trouble in the Holylands, I think thats just due to drunken idiots as already pointed out, not the car reg. The Holylands is about 99% nationalist. so they won't target southern cars. You probably just got unlucky, but wouldn't say it was targeted becsue of the registration.

Procrastinator

Used to live in North for years and never heard of a car being damaged because of a southern reg. Im'm sure that it does depend on where you park. But there's an enromous amount of car theft, particurlarly from the car park in the University in Jordanstown. I don't know about the car park in Queens.

What you should do though is ring the QUB student's union and ask some of the officers. There should be a student welfare officer and teh number should be on the web. They'll tell you the real story and advise on where's the safest place to park.

They will have all the up to the minute information, way better than mine.

Look, the holylands are dreadful and those drunken idiots don't care where your car is from, they'll p*ss all over it regardless.

Now for my Green-oriented suggestion...why not take the enterprise? You can read etc while travelling. nice train and stops in the centre of belfast with a free bus into the centre not far from Queens. No car parking worries then. if you do this the first week, or something, you could scout the place and learn what its like there.

Good luck. Hope you like College in the North as much as I did!

thegloriousend

Now for my Green-oriented suggestion...why not take the enterprise?

How much is the enterprise - yes probably will take over from the car after the first 2 months. I took bus eirean a year ago and was charged something like 14 euro return (some mistake i'm sure). Any idea roughly how much petrol costs one way? I'd imagine close to 20, maybe less - its a 2hr 20min drive on the motorway as far as I remember.

Good luck. Hope you like College in the North as much as I did!

great to hear. In general though did you encounter any problems regarding religious divison? Is it visable in college? do people go around with like celtic and rangers jerseys.

solskjaer20

Going into second year at QUB and I can tell you its not really a problem.

People don't really wear Celtic and Rangers jersey.

Loads of people do wear GAA tops, including myself, but its in no way intedned to annoy other people, and would be very surprised if anyone took offense.

From what I've noticed in first year and from various statistics in newspapers, Queens (and I assume UUJ) is now 75+% Catholic, so I wouldn't at all feel nervous about being a southerner

thegloriousend

Fair enough.

A big reason i'm bringing the car is also cause I do alot of mountain biking - and from my experience here in Dublin, one really needs a car to access the mountains. The best places are usually the most isolated.

SharpshooterTom_79811

solskjaer20 wrote:

From what I've noticed in first year and from various statistics in newspapers, Queens (and I assume UUJ) is now 75+% Catholic, so I wouldn't at all feel nervous about being a southerner

Really is that high? Where do all the protestants go to?

Regarding the topic my dad used to have a large tri-colour sticker on the back of his car when we lived back in Ipswich, he decided to get that removed albeit when we moved to NI incase it become a UDA target or something, but that's only because that would be something seen as blantently sectarian. A southern reg should be fine, especially around malone and other parts of south belfast (which is comfortabley the best area of the city).

Christopherp

FFS Would you ever stop thinking in terms of Protestants and Catholics? We are all Christians. The media used the descriptions during the 70s and 80s in much the same way that the government at Westminster did in the 1800s to try to separate the Irish. The vast majority of us on this island were born in Ireland so we should be friends as we are all Irish. The reg on your car and your Dublin accent make no difference. If someone wants to damage your car or punch you in the face it has little to do with yiour car or your voice .. the guy is an arrogant so and so looking for trouble or is out of his mind.

In answer to your question a lot of grammar school people from the north of Ireland go to TCD or across to Universities in Britain.

One word of advice .. religion and politics should never be discussed in pubs. It's not so much a person of a different branch of the Christian faith will argue as a DUP could argue with a UUP and a SF could argue with SDLP. When people drink too much there's no reasoning with some of them. Have a great time at Queen's.

Antisocialiser

If someone wants to damage your car or punch you in the face it has little to do with yiour car or your voice

lol you've obviously been living in a bubble at term time, if you walk into sandy row like "alreee Bud" you'll be crawling out

Rappstars

Im a "Southerner" living in Stranmillis and ye lot are puttin the sh*ts up this lad for no reason. Before I moved up I probably would have had the same worries as yourself (car reg etc) but you have nothing to worry about. Once u get uest to the city you will enjoy it. You'll find yourself living in the BOT and having savge crack at plebty of after parties.........stop worrying about Catholic/Protestant etc etc You will only find trouble if you go looking for it.

weemcd

My room mate has a southern reg car and he parks it in the holy lands (palestine) and so far touch wood, there hasnt been any problem. Random cars have been vandalised with acid or possibly paint thinners last week, but as i say those incidents have been completly random.

arybvtcw0eolkf

thegloriousend wrote:

I meant communting regularly on the weekends:p. I will of course be renting. It just kind of struck me though after seeing some of the burnt out english reg cars after the riots here in Dublin.

Had to respond to this one!.

I was on duty on the last O'Connell St. riots and english car's were NOT targetted. Scumbags attacked any car as you'd be hard pressed to hunt down and burn just english car's on any given day in the south.

Sorry I don't mean to bring this discussion off topic, but I wouldn't like English readers to go away with the impression they'd be singled out for attack in Dublin or anywhere else in the south.

440Hz

So thats a NO then. You dont think there is any need to worry?

I've been to Belfast once, and our southern reg didnt go down all to well that time, but thats a good while ago now. Heading up to visit a mate soon (in Portstewart) and was going to drive until a load of people started asking if I would feel safe in a southern registered car up north. Hmmmmm. If I wasnt travelling alone I wouldnt care but... Hmmm maybe I will check out the flights afterall!

PS: Im glad this thread is here though, its the kinda question I wanted to ask but didnt really wanna open a can of worms ya know!

Zambia

Sell your car down south buy a nicer one up here , if your gonna live up the north at least take advantage of a northern address ???

The enterprise is €50 return each time!! If you can afford that buy a laptop and all study projects etc can be completed on the train

As for living up here just keep your wits about you and dont look for trouble it can be found if you look.

I love Belfast (ex Dubliner)

biko

I never had any bother with Southern cars in Belfast or anywhere else either. Was a bit worried parking in Antrim town, close to UDA flags and such but car was ok next morning.
Going to Armagh city soon for the first time but it's mostly tai...Catholics living there so should'nt be a worry

440Hz

Well, went up for my few days... my first time in Belfast.. brought my C reg car... no worries at all... and I was parked on painted pavements (upper ormeau).. had an absolute ball... I LOVE BELFAST!!! What a great city.. I plan to visit lots

biko

440Hz wrote:

had an absolute ball... I LOVE BELFAST!!! What a great city.. I plan to visit lots

I have brought loads of friends up and every single one of them fell in love with the place. Second best city in Ireland, after Galway imo.