Random Waffle Thread

iano.p

Nokia6230i wrote:

We're some town for these shops and second hand + charity shops.

I don't know how they can all stay open. They seem to sell crap. Tiger should have never gone to Tullow St. It was doomed before it opened. The council have killed the street and doing feck all to try get life back in it.

road_high

iano.p wrote: »

I don't know how they can all stay open. They seem to sell crap. Tiger should have never gone to Tullow St. It was doomed before it opened. The council have killed the street and doing feck all to try get life back in it.

I thought the opposite- I thought they'd be a great catalyst for renewal of the street as they're high profile. In the end, the footfall was probably not there and rents/rates are a killer.

iano.p

road_high wrote:

I thought the opposite- I thought they'd be a great catalyst for renewal of the street as they're high profile. In the end, the footfall was probably not there and rents/rates are a killer.

I feel most people wouldn't go out of there way to drop into it there they need more big names on the street to get foot fall up. Talking to a woman in Shaws the other day she said it's very quite this year and she been there 10+ years. There is alot to be done before it will pick up on that street.

road_high

iano.p wrote: »

I feel most people wouldn't go out of there way to drop into it there they need more big names on the street to get foot fall up. Talking to a woman in Shaws the other day she said it's very quite this year and she been there 10+ years. There is alot to be done before it will pick up on that street.

That's kinda scary as this is supposed to be the "recovery". Feel carlow town centres problems run far deeper. There's no tourist trade to replace the flight of traditional customers to elsewhere. Not sure how Shaws keep two large stores beside each other going to be honest.

Choose The Red Pill

Hi would anyone no where id find a decent wallet in carlow town? thanks.

tommycahir

Choose The Red Pill wrote: »

Hi would anyone no where id find a decent wallet in carlow town? thanks.

not something i have bought in a while but usual ones would be shaws and the possibly the cigar divan on Dublin St.

road_high

Detail would have nice ones I'd think

madmaggie

Choose The Red Pill wrote: »

Hi would anyone no where id find a decent wallet in carlow town? thanks.

Shaws. I got a good leather wallet there for the uncle last Christmas. It doesn't get much use

EmoCourt

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/creative-approach-to-putting-a-provincial-town-back-on-its-feet-36004031.html

daraghwal

Did something happen in Carlow last Tuesday? Why was there so many armed gardai along the road coming into the town?

bytheglass

EmoCourt wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/creative-approach-to-putting-a-provincial-town-back-on-its-feet-36004031.html

This just sounds like a giant focus group to me but I will keep my eyes peeled and go into town that week to see whats going on.

EmoCourt

bytheglass wrote: »

This just sounds like a giant focus group to me but I will keep my eyes peeled and go into town that week to see whats going on.

The article does a terrible job of describing what the aims are, but Callan seemed to benefit from the exercise and took great pride in the results. The wife attended the Callan street theatre and said it was brilliant.

Carlow really needs some fresh ideas that involve something a bit more visionary than extending free parking for an extra half hour!

Nokia6230i

EmoCourt wrote: »

The article does a terrible job of describing what the aims are, but Callan seemed to benefit from the exercise and took great pride in the results. The wife attended the Callan street theatre and said it was brilliant.

Carlow really needs some fresh ideas that involve something a bit more visionary than extending free parking for an extra half hour!

That 30 min. free parking's not something I agree/d with.

Reduce the parking charges by recalibrating (sp?) for the first 30 if necessary but b*****s to this free parking s***e.

Has it made much of a difference? With only TWO Maor Trachtala on duty 5 days a week, even policing Tullow St. alone is almost impossible.

So often've I seen people paying for parking in the 5 areas they don't have to.

To enforce it the parking wardens've to spot cars without tickets and if they're there when they go back 30 mins. later they can ticket them.

Ridiculously difficult task.

Bear in mind they've got 4 other areas to monitor for abuse of this too........and then the areas that are outside these zones like back of courthouse, Barrack St. etc.

Tickets from machines should give option of a free 30 min. parking ticket so parking wardens can easily determine who's outside of their limit; this could of course be abused by someone going to the well numerous times but I'm sure there's a solution I'm not thinking of.

If you intend on being somewhere like dentists or GPs and you know you'll be over the hour you pay for the hour which will incl. the free 30 mins.

From a revenue generating p.o.v. it's a disaster for the council & reduced payments for first thirty was the way to go instead or perhaps even reduced payments across the board for the five pinch points in question and maybe Barrack St. too?

What would've gotten serious kudos is to have made the 13 Age Friendly Spaces (doff of the hat to anyone who can tell me where they all are....) free parking because maddeningly they're not.

Yes it's priority parking (assuming some dolt hasn't got there and only has to chance s/he'll be caught by parking warden....a long shot) but to not make them free was an oversight; it's not that much of a fillip to those entitled to park there.

While on subject I recently picked up a form for my olds as they'd qualify on age grounds.

Signage is p**s poor; no indication on who's entitled to park in the spots.

It is for 55s and over but no mention on signs at the various spots.

Also on the forms there's no mention of age verification (passport/drivers licence etc.) requirement.

It's bizarre; anyone can fill out form in theory, bung the sticker in their front/back window and use the spaces; again what're chances of them being detected by parking wardens?

tommycahir

Nokia6230i wrote: »

What would've gotten serious kudos is to have made the 13 Age Friendly Spaces (doff of the hat to anyone who can tell me where they all are....) free parking because maddeningly they're not.

Age friendly parking? that's news to me must look into that more for the in laws.

Nokia6230i

tommycahir wrote: »

Age friendly parking? that's news to me must look into that more for the in laws.

For future reference here's the locations of the 13 Age Friendly car parking spaces.

Visual 2

Bank of Ireland 1

Town Hall car park 2

Tullow St. (Opp. Carlow Library) 2

Kennedy Ave. (Eircom building) 2

Charlotte St. (Workmans Club) 2

Co. Co. car-park (behind Courthouse/Opp. Gda. Stn. & Huntington Ct.) 2

denis160

Agree on the free 30 mins parking, often have paid full whack for an hour as I know I'm going to be over the 30mins, why can't the money your paying include the free 30 minutes?

Owryan

The courts have rejected an application to force Carlow county council to house a homeless woman and her child.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/woman-has-no-idea-where-she-and-son-will-sleep-after-ruling-1.3186382?mode=amp

Glad to see the courts made the right decision. Noticeable how all the public support for her dried up once the truth started to come out.

EmoCourt

http://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/home/265098/more-council-homes-given-to-laois-tenants-in-graiguecullen-estate-with-issues.html

“It is fabulous, but it will be in ruins in a few years”

Quite a strong statement there from a Councillor

Owryan

EmoCourt wrote: »

http://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/home/265098/more-council-homes-given-to-laois-tenants-in-graiguecullen-estate-with-issues.html

“It is fabulous, but it will be in ruins in a few years”

Quite a strong statement there from a Councillor

Love the quote "one or two issues". That estate is a disaster in the making with anti social behaviour and troublemakers running riot. The sad thing is the decent families are being outnumbered by the bad ones.

iwillhtfu

The potential for that whole area to turn in a o go area is frightening particularly given the amount of vacant land in close proximity. The ethnic minority have turned the road into a sulky training/racing track.

It's great to see genuine families being housed but from reports I've read the selection process needs a major overhaul.

Agent Coulson

There does seem to be a big increase of sulky racing around the town in general from what I can see.

EmoCourt

Anyone know what the story is with the Braun factory? It's been lying empty for two years since Sean Gallagher bought it. Hard to believe they cant find a business that wants to occupy a site 40 minutes from Dublin. There are Data Centres popping up all over the Country.

Is he just sitting on it and hoping it'll be re-zoned residential?

iwillhtfu

EmoCourt wrote: »

Anyone know what the story is with the Braun factory? It's been lying empty for two years since Sean Gallagher bought it. Hard to believe they cant find a business that wants to occupy a site 40 minutes from Dublin. There are Data Centres popping up all over the Country.

Is he just sitting on it and hoping it'll be re-zoned residential?

Greenfield site generally tend to be a lot cheaper in the long run than retro fitting and old adhoc building.

40minutes from Dublin?? I travel there daily maybe 40 mins on a Sunday morning but not at peak hours.

I can't see it ever being rezoned.

road_high

EmoCourt wrote: »

Anyone know what the story is with the Braun factory? It's been lying empty for two years since Sean Gallagher bought it. Hard to believe they cant find a business that wants to occupy a site 40 minutes from Dublin. There are Data Centres popping up all over the Country.

Is he just sitting on it and hoping it'll be re-zoned residential?

It's a shame alright. Every so often we hear there's lots of interest in the building, then nothing ever happens. The buildings were probably built specifically for Braun

Agent Coulson

Would anyone know where I might get a good orthopedic pillow in Carlow town?

iwillhtfu

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Would anyone know where I might get a good orthopedic pillow in Carlow town?

I don't know about good but home store & more have orthopaedic pillows.

Nokia6230i

Cafe Roma's currently being excavated; anyone know the story there?

Carlow Electrical Wholesalers opp. the Stonehaven sold recently; will it be mothballed like the Braun site?

Umbertos is up for rent; can't see it shifting too quickly.

Bookies beside Cava Gastro Pub is to be another takeaway; PP is in door a while now.

Mimosas Wine Bar & Tapas is expanding also; but the caveat is they've stopped renovations currently and I don't know why.......

iwillhtfu

Nokia6230i wrote: »

Mimosas Wine Bar & Tapas is expanding also; but the caveat is they've stopped renovations currently and I don't know why.......

I'd say Pimento is having an impact on them and imo justifiably so. It's a much better atmosphere in pimento whenever I was in mimosa I always got the vibe that I should feel lucky to get a seat.

bytheglass

@iwillhtfu I completely disagree!
Regarding atmosphere, pimento is full of families / kids whereas Mimosa appears adult only.
Pimento service is nowhere near the caliber of Mimosa, the last 2 times I was in P, they sat me at the service area / entrance and I was 'lucky' to get a table.
The P menu is lazy and has not changed and is catered to families (too much filler bread and spuds!) M menu changes regularly, is better quality, has been properly considered and provides a much nicer experience IMO.
I would far prefer to wait for a table in M far above P. Personally I'm happy to hear M are expanding so hopefully the wait won't always be inevitable.
Mind you I'm delighted to have the choice!

Beechwoodspark

Any sign of life with the med bar? Surely it will reopen this side of Christmas