Mac Donagh Station Shopping Centre

trishw78 · 10-02-2008 4:45pm

a lot of the buildings and walls are protected. out by the curved wall there was a vault built to house the bones of the dead that lived and died in the workhouse. Those bones were excavated near the junction at Lawlors the whole way round to the entrance of the Carpark/Train station.

Sully · 10-02-2008 5:29pm

Interesting. I think the new building fits well, and has a mix of old & new. I love the design, but the major flaw is the large space and limited units.

ztoical · 10-02-2008 6:37pm

trishw78 wrote: »

a lot of the buildings and walls are protected. out by the curved wall there was a vault built to house the bones of the dead that lived and died in the workhouse. Those bones were excavated near the junction at Lawlors the whole way round to the entrance of the Carpark/Train station.

cool

Firetrap · 10-02-2008 9:23pm

If you look at the floor plan in the centre, there are suppose to be kiosks for the likes of Sky in the middle of the floor but I don't see any of them yet. Maybe they're not going to come. I occasionally visit the shopping centre over in Rathdowney and in a weird way it reminds me of MacDonagh Junction. Lots of space, lots of empty units and ones saying a store is coming soon and...almost no customers.

Nightwish · 10-02-2008 11:50pm

Is it true that Claires has closed down already? I've noticed it hasnt been open for the past 2 weeks.

Sully · 11-02-2008 4:29am

Nightwish wrote: »

Is it true that Claires has closed down already? I've noticed it hasnt been open for the past 2 weeks.

Was closed when I was there and locals said it was closed to me.

Firetrap · 15-02-2008 12:07am

I've heard Dunnes is doing badly because......(wait for it).....it's haunted.

Stephen · 15-02-2008 9:41am

for **** sake. Its doing badly because there's three bloody dunnes stores in Kilkenny!

just-wonderin · 25-02-2008 2:52pm

any more new shops open lately, havent been out of the house in weeks

JohnMc1 · 25-02-2008 3:57pm

just-wonderin wrote: »

any more new shops open lately, havent been out of the house in weeks

You haven't missed much. Nothing new has opened and Claire's is closed for some unknown reason.

kleefarr · 25-02-2008 7:24pm

Has anyone been to the drum museum that's there?

JohnMc1 · 25-02-2008 7:32pm

kleefarr wrote: »

Has anyone been to the drum museum that's there?

There's a drum museum?

Deliverance XXV · 25-02-2008 7:36pm

JohnMc1 wrote: »

There's a drum museum?

+1

kleefarr · 25-02-2008 8:07pm

Yeah. I was a bit gob-smacked.

When I was first in there, I looked at the map on the wall near Dunne's near the trolleys. It said that there was a drum museum round the back of River Island or somewhere near there. I didn't have time to look and wondered if anyone had been?

Stephen · 25-02-2008 8:33pm

I wonder does "drum" refer to the shape of those circular parts of the place?

mumsy · 25-02-2008 8:35pm

I heard that the "drum museum" is not a drum museum but the drum refers to the shape of the building. Eddie Rockets is planed for the other "drum" at the Hebron roundabout.:)
There are kiosks planed for the next few weeks and bowling in May.

kleefarr · 25-02-2008 8:44pm

Drum Museum.

How thick of me to think it was actually, A FACKING DRUM MUSEUM.

Whose bloody idea was it to call it that? :mad:

mumsy · 25-02-2008 8:48pm

i know!! Sure if we all donate a few cymbals etc it mightstill happen for you ha ha

kleefarr · 25-02-2008 8:59pm

I thought it may have been something more along the lines of drums from different countries. :rolleyes:

JohnMc1 · 02-03-2008 12:34pm

kleefarr wrote: »

I thought it may have been something more along the lines of drums from different countries. :rolleyes:

Drums throughout the century. :rolleyes:

Firetrap · 02-03-2008 3:41pm

Well, it might drum up some business for the shopping centre...

Riveta · 02-03-2008 5:38pm

Boom Boom!

harlem · 07-03-2008 2:12am

mumsy wrote: »

I heard that the "drum museum" is not a drum museum but the drum refers to the shape of the building. Eddie Rockets is planed for the other "drum" at the Hebron roundabout.:)
There are kiosks planed for the next few weeks and bowling in May.

Bring it on...I lOVE Eddie's about time there was one down this end of the country!

Haven't ventured near the centre myself yet, its too much like hard work for me having to battle the traffic to get over that side of town imo.

I wonder how the proposed Citimart will fare business wise if Mc Donagh junction isn't doing so well

Stephen · 07-03-2008 1:19pm

If they can get M&S and/or Tesco I'd say they'll do fairly well. Yet-another-Dunnes-Stores isn't any great unique selling point for MacDonagh Juntion!

ztoical · 07-03-2008 4:31pm

Stephen wrote: »

If they can get M&S and/or Tesco I'd say they'll do fairly well. Yet-another-Dunnes-Stores isn't any great unique selling point for MacDonagh Juntion!

+ 1 I'm so sick of Dunnes - I'd rather go to Carlow and shop in Tesco's. If they or M&S had gone into Macdonagh it would have been a much better selling point.

Deliverance XXV · 07-03-2008 9:59pm

I agree. M&S or Tesco would have been a major advantage
for that shopping center. As it stands, the shopping center's anchor shop is a complete replication of another Dunne's in the city.

You would have thought that whoever is in charge of handling applications for the shopping center would have vetoed the move?

PhilipMarlowe · 07-03-2008 10:22pm

Presumably a case of money talks....
Also, the carpark is ****e and hopefully the other potential candidates were holding out for a bigger and better location

kitty_kilkenny · 08-03-2008 9:44am

White Elephant Junction would be a more appropriate name
I lost an hour of my life wandering around there aimlessly last week.
If I had leased a shop there to do business, I'd be very cross...

road_high · 10-03-2008 8:32pm

Think it has opened at a really bad time with the state of the economy now..and this is naturally a very quite time of year for shopping.
There are so many shopping centres similar now in the Leinster/Munster area, MacDonagh Junction is just a clone of what you can get in Newbridge, Carlow, Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, Cork etc etc.

brettmirl · 11-03-2008 11:06am

Ah come on mfitzy, the economy is hardly on its last legs now!

Yes, it's a quiet time of the year for shopping but the general development of that area is good for Kilkenny.

I think the big mistake was letting Dunnes become the anchor tennant. It's nothing new especially compared to the much larger store on Kieran Street.

Hopefully when the other units are filled, the hotel and bowling alley open, it will become a more vibrant place?

ztoical · 11-03-2008 11:47am

mick_irl wrote: »

Ah come on mfitzy, the economy is hardly on its last legs now!

Yes, it's a quiet time of the year for shopping but the general development of that area is good for Kilkenny.

I think the big mistake was letting Dunnes become the anchor tennant. It's nothing new especially compared to the much larger store on Kieran Street.

Hopefully when the other units are filled, the hotel and bowling alley open, it will become a more vibrant place?

+ 1 with all the houses gone up at that end of town the town did need to start spreading out - its a royal pain to have all the shopping on/just off high street but letting Dunnes in as the anchor tennant really was a mistake.

EKRIUQ · 12-03-2008 10:12am

ztoical wrote: »

but letting Dunnes in as the anchor tennant really was a mistake.

That's what I think was the biggest mistake, its more of a token store and the main Dunnes is still Kierans St. If a marks and Spensers or Tesco was the anchor it would of made a huge difference drawing more people to the centre.

The centre I think is very nicely built and a fine structure but I still hate the car park.

ztoical · 12-03-2008 3:57pm

was in today to meet a friend for coffee and must say with the tiny bit of sun we got it was lovely sitting out under the big glass roof - come summer [if we get decent] weather I'd say it will be nice there.

Also saw theres a pic and mix sweet factory and a HB swirl it gone up in front of Dunnes.

ztoical · 12-03-2008 4:00pm

BingoBongo wrote: »

That's what I think was the biggest mistake, its more of a token store and the main Dunnes is still Kierans St. If a marks and Spensers or Tesco was the anchor it would of made a huge difference drawing more people to the centre.

i remember when Superquinn first opened and loads of people from thurles came over to do their weekly shopping - even thou there was a dunnes, tescos and supervalue in thurles it was a big novelty to do it somewhere new. Getting a new store into the town would have given the center something to sell its self on rather then o look dunnes.

Nil Recurring · 18-03-2008 10:45pm

I heard Dunnes and TK Maxx are going out of there,not enough business.I hate the place,I only ever wander up for Zavvi now and then.Its way too big,and theres like 2 benches in the whole place,parkings a nightmare.
It'll be interesting to see how the old Mart development goes,just 2 minutes down the road

Firetrap · 19-03-2008 12:54am

It wouldn't surprise me if shops started pulling out (but not Zavvi please!!!!!!!!!) and the others which are scheduled to open never do. There's something wrong about the mix of shops in there that I can't quite put my finger on. Is it that they lack the "browse" factor? I know Penneys and Heatons in the Market Cross aren't the most upmarket of stores but they're always worth nipping into to see if there's something interesting for sale.

Thing is, you need to have a reason to go there and there's nothing compelling in McDoughnut Junction. There should also be a good newsagents in the centre, a good bookshop (an Easons or Waterstones type shop), a decent shoe shop (not Barratts which is scarcely a step up from Shoe Zone) and a better range of clothes shops. There are too many clothes shops in there that are very shiny shiny but not actually selling much. And of course, the anchors are all wrong. TK Maxx is a glorified bargain bin and I'm told it's far inferior to the ones in Dublin. As for Dunnes - it'd serve them right if they have to pull out. Were they doing a 'dog in the manger' by going in there? Far better to have had a Tesco or a Marks & Spencer.

ztoical · 19-03-2008 10:03am

was in yesterday round 2.30 and to have say place was fairly lively. Not mad busy but for a tuesday afternoon there were a good few people running around.

road_high · 19-03-2008 12:39pm

They just need to get it established properly..it is fine development by any standards and a great addition to Kilkenny. Many towns and cities around the country (and region) would kill for a development like this I think.

sam34 · 01-09-2008 9:01pm

anyone know if tk maxx is still open here?

Deliverance XXV · 01-09-2008 9:15pm

sam34 wrote: »

anyone know if tk maxx is still open here?

It certainly is

sam34 · 01-09-2008 9:22pm

woohoo! thats great, thanks. i'll be heading there this weekend so

JohnMc1 · 01-09-2008 9:59pm

TK Maxx is still open

Firetrap · 01-09-2008 10:33pm

You mean you can find something to buy in there?

Stephen · 01-09-2008 10:49pm

I've gotten some decent clothes very cheap there before. It just takes a bit of digging

On another positive note, there's signs up saying that the bowling alley will be open in November \o/

Deliverance XXV · 02-09-2008 8:07am

Firetrap wrote: »

You mean you can find something to buy in there?

I was in there recently and while their homeware section is fairly good and well organised, their clothes section is a joke!

Stephen wrote: »

On another positive note, there's signs up saying that the bowling alley will be open in November \o/

2008 or 2009 ...

Raze_them_all · 02-09-2008 9:12am

bout time!!!!

JohnMc1 · 02-09-2008 2:05pm

Stephen wrote: »

On another positive note, there's signs up saying that the bowling alley will be open in November \o/

I'll believe it when I see it.

brettmirl · 02-09-2008 3:12pm

According to the website:

The Bowling Centre
Following hugh volumes of enquiries, we are pleased to announce that the new Bowling Centre is expected to be open in early November. The most demanded leisure activity requested by the citizens of Kilkenny, the Bowling Centre will offer a fantastic leisure activity to all ages.

and

St Canice's Kilkenny Credit Union
One of Ireland's largest Credit Unions, St Canice's Kilkenny Credit Union is due to open during October in Goods Shed Square, MacDonagh Junction.

KatCookie · 12-09-2008 6:00pm

wheres Good Sheds Sq??

and Eddie Rockets is open!

didnt have any money to go in there myself today but i had a nice walk around Mac Donagh at about 4:30 ish and Edide Rockets was fairly busy!
Should be an excellent boost for the place!

Raze_them_all · 12-09-2008 6:05pm

KatCookie wrote: »

wheres Good Sheds Sq??

and Eddie Rockets is open!

didnt have any money to go in there myself today but i had a nice walk around Mac Donagh at about 4:30 ish and Edide Rockets was fairly busy!
Should be an excellent boost for the place!

i love everything about eddie rockets...except the price:(

Mac Donagh Station Shopping Centre

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