Sligo - City or Town

Gillie

Well what do you think?

Do you consider the land of hearts desire to be a City or a town?
If population is the key we have 18000 approx within the bourough boundary - not much but Kilkenny has 8000!

Sligo was a member of the list of Gateway cities:

Cork, Waterford, Letterkenny, Sligo, Galway, Dundalk, Athlone/Tullamore/Mullingar, and Limerick/Shannon

But is that enough?
Is it too small and is there enough infastructure?

In my opinion it is/should be.
There are important things to be addressed:
PARKING
Lack of Industry
Uni status for IT
Road improvement
Wine Street retail developement to be sorted out (step in the right direction with Dunnes Stores new development!)

Overall I think Sligo is heading in the right direction.

Thoughts?

muffler

I give it the nod as a city purely on the basis that I think it should be. There is certain criteria for obtaining city status with population most likely being the main factor. Im not 100% sure and Im open to correction but I think the population must be somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000.

As I said I dont really know the exact figure but Im sure we will find out shortly

Gillie

I think youre figures are right but as I mentioned Kilkenny city has only a population of 8000, 10000 less than Sligo!

Na.It's Sligo town.
Galway,Dublin ,Cork and Limerick are the only cities in the Republic.

Gillie

Eh. What about Waterford & Kilkenny?

bullpost

Think you'll find Waterford is also a city.

Deleted User wrote:

Na.It's Sligo town.
Galway,Dublin ,Cork and Limerick are the only cities in the Republic.

nanook

there is something in the back of my head, but does a city not have to have 2 cathedrals.

Not sure but something is telling me this.

Gillie

nanook wrote:

there is something in the back of my head, but does a city not have to have 2 cathedrals.

Not sure but something is telling me this.

I have heard before that it must have a cathedral - check!;)

jimmycrackcorm

The mentality of Sligo people makes it a rural town...

Gillie

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

The mentality of Sligo people makes it a rural town...

WTF???

Madge

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

The mentality of Sligo people makes it a rural town...

What do you mean by that statement?!!

deman

nanook wrote:

there is something in the back of my head, but does a city not have to have 2 cathedrals.

Not sure but something is telling me this.

Like Raphoe?

smashey

deman wrote:

Like Raphoe?

Raphoe is a town. Like Sligo.

deman

Under old British rule, any town that had a cathedral in it was automatically a city, or more strictly, a cathedral city. Nowadays this recognition doesn't really exist, only in the eyes of those who want to say they live in a city

Raphoe is a town yes, so is Sligo, so is Letterkenny for that matter.

The EU have drawn up plans as to what makes a place a city but I can't seem to find it on the net. This definition has made some people quite angry, esp the people in Tampere, Finland, who probably live in one of Europe's biggest towns (according to the EU) with a population of around 200,000. But as it is divided by surrounding lakes, it has not a dense enough population (378/km²) to define it as a city (according to the EU).

Tiesto

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

The mentality of Sligo people makes it a rural town...

Haha what a totally useless statement to come out with without some sort of reasoning

muffler

Tiesto wrote:

Haha what a totally useless statement to come out with without some sort of reasoning

Im sure jimmy will enlighten us

muffler

I found this - let the debate begin (especially about Kilkenny)

smashey

muffler wrote:

Im sure jimmy will enlighten us

I think Jimmy was on a wind-up mission. He succeeded.

tuppence

Some of the best cities have parks dont they for people to gather in? The odd live concert? Hyde Park, Central Park, and on a smaller version Eyre Square in galway.. Reckon Sligo still has the air of a town still. But you never know what might happen with the new Cleveragh venture!

donegalman1

Although it doesn't have a close knit community feel, I'd have to say a town. It is only recently embracing more cosmopolitan styles and there generally seems to be a political and business lack of embracing new business and high street names for example.

With regard to Jimmys comment I could see many things not working in Sligo that do in Letterkenny. Sligo has less diversity and even things like music in clubs is fairly much stalemate.

Skyuser

Argos can't even be bothered with Sligo. It's a sh!t town, look at the bus service....a ford galaxy would hold more people.

Tails142

I was in sligo... they have a TK Maxx, they must be a city!!

Nah just kidding, I think it really does still have the air of a town, only one or two major urbanised areas, I'm thinking around the hotel I stayed in (cant remember name, sligo arms hotel??) it does have a large shopping centre which was nice as I recall.

In about 10 years time I think it will have the makings of a city, still developing though imo

Gillie

Skyuser wrote:

Argos can't even be bothered with Sligo. It's a sh!t town, look at the bus service....a ford galaxy would hold more people.

Real intelligent comment there!
It was the Chamber of Commerce that refused access to Argos.
The bus is fine and they have larger buses for busier times.

As for calling it a shít town.:rolleyes:

K-9

muffler wrote:

I found this - let the debate begin (especially about Kilkenny)

Remember reading somwhere that Kilkenny has a very small town/city boundary so it makes the population seem very small.

tuppence

If the definition of a city is how many of these highstreet stores you can pack in compared to the other city than I would prefer to be in a town thank you very much! Not that I have any problem with them but everything within a limit. It the mainstreaming streamlining maddness I have issues with, and shopping fixation. Every place beginning to look the same, sometimes I have forgotton where I am. Surely a city or a town for that matter must be somewhere thats accessible (are the buses disability friendly, are there toilets?) and nice to visit for everyone even the non car users. And yes you might even get something in the shops while your there. There used to be a thriving art culture in Sligo, wheres the street entertainment? Wheres the seats to sit on in OConnell street? Wheres the coffee docks by the river like the board walk in Dublin? Wheres the independent book sellers, craft shops where are all the butchers going?
Perhaps the limus test to see if town or city is that Sligo should apply to be European city of culture and see whether its accepted! Maybe then folk might stop worrying bout shops (for a little while anyway);)

Gillie

tuppence wrote:

Wheres the seats to sit on in OConnell street? Wheres the coffee docks by the river like the board walk in Dublin?

Hopefully they are on the way. The "proper" job is still to be done on O'Connell Street which includes seating. I think they are waiting for the Johnson's Court Mall to be opened first.
There is a nice Wine/Cafe bar beside Barton Smiths, At the Left Bank and outside the Glasshouse. All three are beside the river.

donegalman1

I was using shopping as a barometer of diversity. The town doesn't like change, doesn't experiment with new styles etc etc. The establishment there stiffles new opportunities at every turn. That hardly is the mentality of a city. Entertainment is poor to drival and hardly competes with Galway to the south or letterkenny to the North. If you compare Sligo to Derry for example, it would be badly embarrassed.

tuppence

Suppose shopping to me is only one barometer. Its not necessarily bad not to go with the flow! (Is that a double negative..) Sligo definitely has alot to catch up on if its striving for city status. You can be cosmopolitan and a town, sligo definitely used to be cool. The entertainment is poor alright. Theres more diversity in Leitrim thanks to the mobile cinema, and good venues like the Glens and Dock! Okay theres not the big venues either.
But I think that its the case of alot more to do and maybe its the season for the sligo inhabitants to talk to those knocking on their doors.
Eg Theres supposed to be an outdoor market where the Stephens car park is. The organic market traders were there on St. patricks day and really lifted the look of the place and even gave it a buzz in the rain. Like a cosmopolitan European city even!

Gillie

donegalman1 wrote:

I was using shopping as a barometer of diversity. The town doesn't like change, doesn't experiment with new styles etc etc. The establishment there stiffles new opportunities at every turn. That hardly is the mentality of a city. Entertainment is poor to drival and hardly competes with Galway to the south or letterkenny to the North. If you compare Sligo to Derry for example, it would be badly embarrassed.

Yes the "establishment" are <SNIP> things up here but their power is diminishing! It's only a matter of time before they are edged out imo!

Not sure what you mean by new styles? If you are talking about Building design then look at:
The Glasshouse
Citygate
Quayside

As for Entertainment. Well that's your opinion and your entitled to it.
I would agree that Letterkenny would have a better nightlife but if I head out for a night in Sligo I know that i'll have a good time.

Edit by muffler: Gillie, be careful with choice of words

Madge

tuppence wrote:

The entertainment is poor alright. Theres more diversity in Leitrim thanks to the mobile cinema, and good venues like the Glens and Dock! Okay theres not the big venues either.

I don't understand your statement! There's plenty of diversity and venues in Sligo, it depends what your're looking for. I mean for starters, there's a 12 screen cinema, which shows a variety of different movies (foreign movies and the latest blockbusters). Can you really compare a LITTLE MOBILE cinema in Leitrim with Sligo's modern, hi-tech, 12-screen comfy cinema? Not a chance!
Let me remind all of you condemning Sligo saying there's no music or diversity or whatever- Sligo has plenty of good venues-
all the pubs and hotels have live music especially on the weekends, for instance Liam O'Maonlai is playing in the Glasshouse soon,
the hotels will have country & western stars like crystal gayle or one of them or they might have a comedian on,
the hawkes well will have a play or comedians,
and of course you have the nilland art gallery.
There's also the recently done-up embassy, fiddlers creek and davis's to have dinner in. They're quality well-known places. Or there's the lovely quaint cafes along Rockwood Parade, such as Grappas or Pepper Alley.
The nightlife is grand- you have ENVY for the young ones, Toffs and The Velvet Room.
And of course Sligo has nearly all the stores and shops that you'll find in the big cities.

tuppence wrote:

Eg Theres supposed to be an outdoor market where the Stephens car park is. The organic market traders were there on St. patricks day and really lifted the look of the place and even gave it a buzz in the rain. Like a cosmopolitan European city even!

Tuppence, maybe you don't know, but there's a farmer's and organic market in the IT Sligo grounds on Saturday mornings. Haven't been there but I heard it's good.

Gillie

Gillie wrote:

Yes the "establishment" are <SNIP> things up here but their power is diminishing! It's only a matter of time before they are edged out imo!

Not sure what you mean by new styles? If you are talking about Building design then look at:
The Glasshouse
Citygate
Quayside

As for Entertainment. Well that's your opinion and your entitled to it.
I would agree that Letterkenny would have a better nightlife but if I head out for a night in Sligo I know that i'll have a good time.

Edit by muffler: Gillie, be careful with choice of words

Duely noted! Won't happen again boss.:)