What annoys you about Modern Dublin?

cruibin

Apart from the traffic....

One of my friends was reading my old blog and it brought back some fond memories of how grumpy I get about things that annoy me in modern Dublin. Heres an extract.. lets all have a good moan!! (and apologies in advance if u give out free papers in Dublin in the morning):rolleyes:

"was in town earlier... just for a stroll.... was heaven, no retards shoving newspapers in yer face... but.... why do I need to be accosted by 5 Chuggers in 20 metres along the street?
Whats a Chugger you ask... its is a Charity Mugger.. ... you know those mentally challenged, hippy like, jobless , gormless (probably drugged up on prozac) feckers.
Why do they feel the need to jump into your way and nearly hit you with their clipboards? I'm not giving any freak in the street money for a charity. If I am giving to a charity and I do regularly - why would I give my credit card or bank details to someone who looks one step above homeless?
And.... what they are doing is apart from being a nuisance... its actually illegal... so if one stops you... see if theres a policeman nearby and complain that they are actually breaking one of the money laundering acts and should be subjected to some good old police brutality.
If ya dont believe me... walk by Clerys on O'Connell street some day and see if u can walk the full 20-30 meters without telling one of these feckers to F off."

Oh and thats just one thing that annoys me!!!

Anto McC

Lack of public toilets is annoying.

Goodshape

I pass about 5 homeless people along the one stretch of road on my way to/from work everyday.

That can sort of get you down from time to time.

cruibin

Goodshape wrote:

I pass about 5 homeless people along the one stretch of road on my way to/from work everyday.

That can sort of get you down from time to time.

I counted 9 homeless sleeping in the entrance to Liberty hall 2 weeks ago... that was depressing.

mikemac

Litter. :mad:
The city is filthy I tell ya. Rural areas would put ye to shame

Everyone does it from pajama wearing skangers dropping the bottle of coke to the businessman flicking the cigarette butt out the BMW.
And people leaving untagged binbags on the street days before collection day. The dogs rip them asunder. Big problem in Ballybough, a lot of Africans in the bedsits do this (yes, I'll stand over this comment)

Noone cares and noone gives a damn about the street cleaners out in all weathers working away while some of us are still in bed. Instead they get looked down on. I reckon scumbags caught stealing or doing graffiti should be out working with them in their local area just to see the filth.
Cheaper than sending them to prison

In rural areas we have the Tidy Towns Competition. What does Dublin have?

pinkypinky

The Tidy Towns is a national competition. Towns from all areas of Dublin regularly win prizes.

Doctor DooM

Compared to the eighties, Dublin is beautiful.

I HATE it when people shout on streets. Just walk up to your friends and talk to them. It probably requires less energy. Although, I am frequently glad I now know your friends name is deco.

What disturbs me about modern Dublin is seeing homeless people drunk and sleeping on the steps of the civic buildings. For me that says it all, really. At the feet of a government building and not noticed.

OT, I had a friend who was a chugger in the early days. We all signed up to get the commision for her and then stopped the direct debit. She must have cost the bloody company money

ian_m

knackers

Gaspode

People feeling they have to drive everywhere, even to the local shops.
People feeling they can park anywhere, regardless of the danger they put other people in.
People driving giant 4x4s that only go 'off-road' when they are parking on the pavement/verge!
The loss of green areas that had been public spaces to development.
Developers who build huge housing complesxes promising lots of facilities but then dont deliver on the facilities, particularly schools.


Otherwise I think Dublin is a far better place now than it was when I was growing up. (fadó fadó!).

Nolanger

- staff in shops who are nice but slow
- the cinemas show the exact same movies as each other
- people who sit outside cafés thinking they're in Paris
- those STUPID human statues at weekends in Grafton St
- the boardwalk on the Liffey
- the spire
- Dave McSavage with his same jokes as 5 years ago
- too many tourists
- the lack of good dance music record shops
- graffiti

Exit

Nolanger wrote:

- staff in shops who are nice but slow
- people who sit outside cafés thinking they're in Paris
- the boardwalk on the Liffey
- the spire
- too many tourists

What's wrong with any of those things?

- I'd rather have nice and slow staff than rude and quick.
- Sometimes Dublin can be nice enough to sit outside a cafe in the sun.
- Yeah, the boardwalk has too many junkies and drunks, but it's a nice idea nonetheless.
- Have no problems with the spire. Not the best thing they could have put there, but it doesn't bother me.
- It's a world renowned capital city. It's always going to have tourists. I've never seen them cause any problems. Plus it brings in revenue for local businesses.

fly_agaric

Exit wrote:

- It's a world renowned capital city. It's always going to have tourists. I've never seen them cause any problems. Plus it brings in revenue for local businesses.

You have to admit it would be sort of nice if Dublin wasn't so "world-renowned" and therefore jammed with people. The tourist madness used to be confined to the summer but it never really ends now. It goes on for the whole f-ing year. The footpaths on the sides O'Connell St. must be about 10m wide now and they are still both fairly wedged with people during the day for most of the length of the street!

Redrocket

What annoys me?
The fact that everyone thinks dublin is so great, it's a ****ing ****hole, traffic, scum, accomodation, ignorance, beggers, STRESS, druggies, scum (they get mentioned twice cause theres so much). What the hell is the attraction? Jobs.
Try living somewhere else and comparing the lifestyles to that in dublin, completely different (better)

grimloch

Knacks, junkies and other such unsavoury members of society. But thankfully I don't have to see/deal with them on any sort of a regular basis.

Honestly, I think the city is grand.

BendiBus

fly_agaric wrote:

You have to admit it would be sort of nice if Dublin wasn't so "world-renowned" and therefore jammed with people.

I remember when it was like that. It was a miserable place. Although I wouldn't admit it at the time. And there are plenty of quiet places if you look.

- Yeah, the boardwalk has too many junkies and drunks, but it's a nice idea nonetheless.

It's more than a nice idea. I use the Eden Quay stretch every morning on the way to work and it's marvellous.

Things that annoy me -

traffic & inadequate public transport
litter, vandalism & graffiti
skangers & pyjama people
people drinking cans on the street

lightening

stevenk wrote:

it's a ****ing ****hole, traffic, scum, accomodation, ignorance, beggers, STRESS, druggies, scum blah, blah...
Try living somewhere else and comparing the lifestyles to that in dublin, completely different (better)

I have lived in LA, Sidney amongst other places. Always loved Dublin. I live near the sea, yet 3k from the city centre, I can get the dart in and out to great restaurants and bars. I can drive to wicklow at the weekends, I can sail, canoe and climb within minutes from the city centre.

The thing is. I get up of my hole and do stuff.

I know so many people that come home from Oz and harp on about how they sailed, climbed, surfed and generaly did lots of crazy stuff. Makes me laugh. Ireland is actually better equiped for these activities, you don't have to travel for days to do it.

Degsy

Scumbags sloping around the place in tracksuits and pajamas.
Roma gypsies begging and hustling.
**** in suits barging thier way through people
People on thier phones the whole bloody time,saying stuff like "oh my God" and "totally random".
Women who think they're paris hilton with thier stupid sunglasses.
Asshole barstaff being rude inoverpriced kips.
HAving to pay into crappy pubs.
Having a black bloke sitting in the jacks of a pub expecting to be paid fro doing **** all.
Junkies.

Seniors Eyes

People who think its a kip.
Especially if they are from somewhere else either in Ireland or the world. If its that bad why dont they just fcuk off home then and stop moaning?

There's nothing wrong with modern Dublin at all. I love living here.

Dublin has no more scumbags, traffic problems, overcrowding, tourists than any other major city in the world, and probably less.

lightening

I can't believe people are pissing and moaning about tourists...

Ireland of the welcomes.

I hate kids pissing and moaning about Dublin.

Nobody is making you pay in to crappy pubs, that is your choice. (I wouldn't pay in to anything crappy, or go to overpriced kips with crap service Degsy! Sounds like your a single fella doing the rounds every Sat night!!

The points about the public transport is good, the point about people sitting outside cafes is schoolchildish. Smokers love it, get over it.

BendiBus

Seniors Eyes wrote:

There's nothing wrong with modern Dublin at all. I love living here.

Dublin has no more scumbags, traffic problems, overcrowding, tourists than any other major city in the world, and probably less.

There's plenty wrong with modern Dublin.

I love living here too. Can't think of anywhere I'd rather live. But it's not perfect. And if we try to convince ourselves that it is we'll stop trying to make it even better.

lightening

BendiBus wrote:

But it's not perfect. And if we try to convince ourselves that it is we'll stop trying to make it even better.

Good point Bendibus, I have to say, I don't think anyone thinks its perfect. I just think a lot of the things are comon to all cities in Ireland. I was going to point out junkies and boyracers, vandalism and graffiti, but they are in every city in Ireland.

Creamy Goodness

grafton street.

not the street itself, that's grand, but the way people walk/cycle on it.

street entertainers are the main cause to why i dislike grafton street. it's like if you're in a hurry it takes twice as long to walk grafton street than it does to walk dawson street or any other adjacent street.

lightening

Cremo wrote:

it's like if you're in a hurry.....

Roight.

How Strange

Have to say I love Dublin city. Not too fond of the dreaded subarbs, they give me the heevie jeebies. But despite all the annoying, upsetting things you see in town from time to time, its a great city and in general people are still very easy going and friendly.

Only thing that bugs me is appaling, rude service when you go into Spar, Centra or similar shop. Does it take that much effort to smile and be friendly?

Wishbone Ash

A lot of the issues mentioned here were problems 30 years ago and not confined to modern Dublin. Litter, graffiti, drinking in public etc. were worse years ago when much of the city cetre was a wasteland. We've always had skangers - they just dressed differently and had various names over the years.

I agree with the comment about slow shop assistants.

Why do so many people in Dublin wear sunglasses on their head. Do they not realsie how stupid it looks! :rolleyes:

Degsy wrote:

Asshole barstaff being rude inoverpriced kips....

...HAving to pay into crappy pubs

Why would you bring your custom to 'overpriced kips' with 'asshole barstaff' who are 'rude' and why in God's name would you pay to enter one?

*shakes head*

biko

What pisses me off (not Dublins fault) is how tourists go to Dublin, see the capital and then form their opinion of Ireland based on the input of a single big dirty city.

Kinda like basing your opinion of the French population in general by visiting only Paris.

lightening

biko wrote:

see the capital and then form their opinion of Ireland based on the input of a single big dirty city.

Kinda like basing your opinion of the French population in general by visiting only Paris.

It's not a "big dirty city" at all by European standards, I know and have worked in the tourist industry in Dublin. People who bother to travel know the difference between a city break and a country wide visit. They are usually well informed, educated and buy the lonely planet. I don't think any tourists form an opinion on any country by just visiting one city.

That would be like going to Galway and reckoning that Ireland was full of travellers, hippies, bad drivers and people that burn out rare wildlife.

cruibin

By the way lads and lassies, I love Dublin and in general I will always defend it. And I do know its a much better place than it was 20 years ago. Some things do annoy about the dublin of today ( and i have no rose tinted view of the dublin I grew up in), but the prosperity has changed the city mostly - but certsain things do annoy me about modern dublin. And a few have come up here..

• sunglasses on the head! ffs are they trying to be italians
• Metro and Herald Am feckers
• Chuggers - see original post
• reflective jackets......say no more....
• horrible looking apartment blocks
• knacker drinking on boardwalk (whatever happened to nipping down to the local field? like any other self respecting skanger)
• Spar / Centra / Londis - rude gits ( well not the one cute blonde in a spar I frequent - good dancer too )

And I am sure being a grumpy old fecker I will think of many more during the day....

oh yeah.......... little Becky..... I could strangle her!!

And yeah we have problems, I've lived in a few big cities and Dublin is still my home.

Punchbowl

The Skobies. The Traffic. The lack of public ammenities (and I mean PUBLIC, not community centres etc, but plazas and parks). The influx of Spars. Dublin GAA fans. The performers on Grafton St. The drive from the Airport (what must tourists think). The shortage of independant cinemas. The Evening Herald.

Having been in practicly every capital in Europe and many, many other Cities, I can safely say that Dublin is not a user-friendly town. It's tiny centre is choked by traffic. Every available space has been devoted to retail. Most of our architectural charm has been destroyed by years of bad planning and corrupt government. We have thrown houses, benefit, youth clubs etc at the disadvantaged without ever trying to solve the problem. We have the worst example of knacker I have ever seen (and I was in a situation with a number of street kids in Paris recently) and our dependency on the car has made us obese, and dare I say it,we are ugly.

A poster above claimed to love the City, and I agree with them, as they live in Fairview. The further west you go in Dublin, the worse it gets. The remaining charm lies on the leafy streets of Ballsbridge. The vibrant village culture of Blackrock. The windy lanes of Dalkey and the views of Killiney.

The City centre proper is a mish mach of bad ideas and terrible exectution. We have almost no public buildings of distinction and no public areas whereby for ceremonies or events.

We have a huge city park, yet we have neglected it to the point that it is just a load of fields with a President in it. Similar parks in Paris have artificial beaches, bars, muesums. Budapests version has a Zoo, a fairground, Turkish baths, restaurants and bars.

Every parish has a block of flats within 1 mile. A problem which should of been solved and wasn't, so they scatter the poor across the city and made them live on top of each other but polarised from the wider community. I'm not suggesting that all people from flats are undesirable but let's look at the facts that some of them are.

We have no modern centre. The Docklands is a failure. 5 story apartment blocks are not a tourist attraction and a terrible waste of valuable space. The IFSC is small fry compared to similar financial districts.

And the People. Dublin people are far too obessed with money, owning property, english culture (soccer, soaps, music) and are arrogant, loud and brash. This is across the board. We are no longer the creative race we were with Joyce, Behan and Beckett. We are vacuous.

I'm 31, live in Rathmines, from Dublin.

Drummerboy2

Dublin has improved quite a lot over the last 20 years, however there are a few things that really are disturbing.

The amount of junkies wandering the streets around Malboro Street every day, they resemble the living dead. Surely something can be done for these people that can turn them away for the lives they lead.

Secondly, Dublin can be very dangerous at nightime. This was the case 20 years ago also, but it is unfortunately worse now.

I walk home every day through the city centre and enjoy the walk. I like to see the streets buzzing with tourists and the legions of foreigners who have decided to make our city their home. I wish them well, even the Corkonians.

lightening

Well punchbowl. Speak for yourself. (kidding, I doubt you are arrogant loud and brash, but I really think you are generalising)

I am in one of Dublins parks every day. One of Dublins beaches every weekend. Regarding the city centre, there are plenty of parks and public places, you just have to find them. It is after all a medievil city. I was in the docklands yesterday, there was a market, people everywhere. I thought it was pretty cool.

I'm not sure if turkish baths and bars would suit the pheonix park. We have a different drink culture and the Deer need open space as well as forestation. The open ground is used by horse riders and model plane enthusiasts amongst others.

I see what you mean about the urban sprawls. Better than Paris though!

Some people are obsessed with money. However, I don't get to see them as I choose not to hang around with them.

Regarding knackers... I reckon Tuam and Limerick have worse problems with travellers.