O'Malley Park Picture Tour

Berty

Hello All,

As promised here is a short picture tour of O'Malley park. I am sure a lot of people have never been in O'Malley park or wish to visit O'Malley Park.

Most of the images are either supplied to us through the media or they are images we can conjured up in our own minds as to the state of the area.

I visited O'Malley park this morning at around 8:45am and catiously took some photos. People living locally would not appreciate the sentiment of taking pictures for our perusal.

Starting with this photo. This is of graffiti on the wall near a number of burnt out houses. Please feel free to comment on the spelling.



This picture you may note a missing house. I have a picture of the rear of the house from the alley but It will not upload. I will try later using a different server. See the third house along the row. My Fiancee's brothers fiancees parents lived there up to 2 months ago. They now live in the Maldron hotel, believe it or not paid for by the residents association.



This picture is across the small green area from those houses. This shows, starkly, that people continue to live in these conditions. Im sure the insides of their houses are well kept on the whole but to have to endure the area is such disrepair is appalling. You may also note from the picture the industrial estate next to St Endas in the background. This gives people an idea of the location of the houses. This is right up the top of the "hill".



This is a picture from the rear of the missing house. Check out the house on the left which still has items on the bathroom window sill. Abandoned is the only word.



This picture is of a rear alley enclosure. Along with Keyes and Carew Park there is rear access to all properties to park your car or horse, whatever the case. This house is now derelict and is being used as a dumping ground by the locals. Shameful but as I have lived in the area putting out your bin the night before is also dangerous as it can be set alight. Lesser of two evils?



This image shows a grouping of houses. Note the second house in which is inhabited. I use that word because its hard to consider that a person would live there by choice.



This final image was to be left until last for obvious reasons. These are the last of the completely derlict rows of houses. There were 27 rows of these derelict at one time. Most of which have been knocked. This is the last completely derelict row but it has been standing years like this.



Further along down the hill there were other groupings of houses which were awful looking but there were many residents out in Pyjamas at the time so I did not wish to stop. My Audi seemed to be a talking point because they did not recognise the car or the driver.

I wont make any personal comments on my opinions yet.

1huge1

Thanks for the upload, so the demolition is well under way I take it? I wonder if they'll be fast putting up new ones.

gaf1983

Once the new houses are built, what powers will the city council have to deal with tenants who damage the property as badly as the houses in quirke's photos are damaged?

An Fear Aniar

Thanks for that, I often wondered what it was like. I was in college in UL but rarely ventured outside Plassey or the city centre.


.

talkingclock

we did it once but didn't took any pictures but made sure the car doors were locked anyway. since then that trip is called the "tour de choc et horreur".

Berty

I took further pictures today in Moyross and 1 in St Marys Park. I couldnt take more in St Marys park because there were people everywhere. Clearly the majority of people in St Marys park have no jobs. Delmege Park in Moyross was like a ghost town especially with a lot of boarded up houses but even the houses that were not boarded, there was nobody about except 1 girl and a taxi looking lost.

Here is Delmege Park just next to a shop. Note the missing houses on the right hand side



More houses near the Previous



More houses again on the same street as the two above note somebody actually lives in one.



A lot of abandoned Bungalows



Crazy, somebody lives in between all these abandoned bungalows



Yes more



Security cameras in Moyorss. I did not see any in Delmege which is supposed to be the worst area



Filth in St Marys Park. There were acres and acres full of rubbish



In St Marys park there was only 1 abandoned boarded house that I saw. In Moyross there were loads.

It shows a small tainted image of our corporation areas. Its not the hard workers in desirable areas or the council who threw all this rubbish or burnt down these houses and trashed the area. Its the people(not all of them) who live there.

Hell, lets give them some new houses in desirable areas. :mad:

talkingclock

thanks again for the pics. you're a very brave man!

Amazotheamazing

talkingclock wrote: »

thanks again for the pics. you're a very brave man!

Do you really think that? Most of the people in those estates are fine.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Do you really think that? Most of the people in those estates are fine.

I agree. It's the scum minority that one would be afraid of.

talkingclock

exactly

Vegeta

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Do you really think that? Most of the people in those estates are fine.

Fair play for going to take the pics.

I find it hard to comment accurately on them for several reasons:

How many houses look crap because they were abandoned for the redevelopment project?

How many house are abandoned because they were vandalised/burnt out?

Lets face it the places look like sh1t holes.

I currently live in my parents house in a council estate in Clare where the house design is practically identical to those houses yet the estate could not look more different. Green areas cut, not one house is even close to that level of disrepair, trees planted, no rubbish or graffiti. Most people in the estate own the houses at this stage i.e. bought them from the council.

I struggle to believe that in the estates pictured above that a minority is causing this level of destruction. It must be a very powerful minority

I completely agree that the scum bags are a minority in Limerick but in these estates I wonder are they really a minority any more?

Berty

Bear in mind I only took pictures of the houses in disrepair and none of the houses that are being looked after by their long standing residents.

However, there are more houses in these areas which are not boarded up but are being mantained by their occupants in a terrible way. There are a lot of people out there who get the council in to do everything for them. I had a neighbour for example who decided after 15 years that she would like wooden floors, two weeks later a guy hired by the council turned up to lay lamintate.

Berty

talkingclock wrote: »

thanks again for the pics. you're a very brave man!

I was not afraid at all going into O'Malley park and it was very quiet up there so taking photos was easy.

It was very quiet in Moyross and on the whole people from the area are, as Des Bishop would say, quite normal.

I was apprehensive in St Marys Park. There was not one person that I drove past that did not follow my car with their eyes. I actually put the laptop under the seat and the camera in case. It was actually a surreal experience considering I would have considered Delmege Park and O'Malley park much worse.

St Marys park is also much much older than the other two, the streets are narrow, the houses tightly packed, piss poor planning really. It has a different feel to it. I am putting it down to the fact that the place was jammed with people everywhere doing not very much by the look of it. I doubt they were all on days off or evening shifts.

Gabriela Square Ratchet wrote: »

I agree. It's the scum minority that one would be afraid of.

Of course, most of the occupants are quite house/area proud and most support the community associations. Its usually the teenagers and kids that are dangerous on the whole. Only recently the Gardai took stock of the first ever trainee from Moyross so some at least have an interest in doing something important.

The scum are always going to be the scum. Only a slim few will see the error of their ways/grow up and become upstanding members of the community.

Again, these pictures are just a tainted view of the areas. I did not take any nice pictures. There were a few of course. Like the grandparents coming out of the church in Moyross with their two grandchildren all dressed up. You cant really take pictures of kids these days especially through the open window of a car. :eek:

Dont judge a book by its cover is the best way to look at it.

Berty

Vegeta wrote: »

I struggle to believe that in the estates pictured above that a minority is causing this level of destruction. It must be a very powerful minority

Well if any of those houses are left due to the regeneration project then they would be fine but they are being vandalised in the process.

The longer the council leaves these houses unoccupied and standing then it will attract anti social behaviour.

It took them 10 years to knock the houses in Southill and by my pictures they are not finished.

Vegeta

quirke_folder wrote: »

Well if any of those houses are left due to the regeneration project then they would be fine but they are being vandalised in the process.

The longer the council leaves these houses unoccupied and standing then it will attract anti social behaviour.

It took them 10 years to knock the houses in Southill and by my pictures they are not finished.

As I said I cant really comment accurately as I don't now how many houses were abandoned and vandalised afterwards or vice versa

All I can say is that it does not look good and for a minority living in the estates they seem to do a hell of a job ripping the sh1t out of it and destroying it.

bazz26

How different that world is to most of us folks here yet most of us don't live a million miles from it.

Thanks OP.

redarmyblues

I lived on the North Peckham Estate in South London in the late Eighties. i had friends in North London who were amazed I lived there and lived if you what I mean. There was extensive drug use on the estate. There were problems with rave parties, shooting galleries, crack dens, pirate radio, street taxation and other types of crime gun knife etc. I think there was 15 to 20 thousand people on the estate living in blocks of flats. But it looked nothing like the photos here. I quite liked living there in fact, it was an interesting place and there were a lot of positive things going on . But you would have to put a gun to my head to get me to stay on any of the estates featured here.

Berty

redarmyblues wrote: »

I lived on the North Peckham Estate in South London in the late Eighties. i had friends in North London who were amazed I lived there and lived if you what I mean. There was extensive drug use on the estate. There were problems with rave parties, shooting galleries, crack dens, pirate radio, street taxation and other types of crime gun knife etc. I think there was 15 to 20 thousand people on the estate living in blocks of flats. But it looked nothing like the photos here. I quite liked living there in fact, it was an interesting place and there were a lot of positive things going on . But you would have to put a gun to my head to get me to stay on any of the estates featured here.

Especially if they opened a pirate radio station. That would be the straw that broke the camels back.

Yet, there was a pirate radio station on the old cork road. The first house past St Endas on the right hand side. Ok, the house is gone but the wall and the front gates are still there. I cannot remember what it was called but my friend was a DJ on it.

He was pretty bad but not as bad as Spin FM.

Boils my blood when their news report refers to the Gardai as the guards. :mad:

Mc Love

Great pics mate! This is exactly why people dont want scumbags moved into these what the bishop calls 'affluent' areas! Just looking at the complete lack of respect of the estates in the way rubbish is thrown about/ or burnt. Windows smashed etc. I wonder if you could send the Bishop these photos? I believe he is living in an 'affluent' neighbourhood near UL, the question is how long would it take for him to move out, or would he be so welcoming to these type of people?

Also from the vandalism around Moyross, you can see where people have vandalised paintings done by the missionaries up there. Utter disgraceful

baza1976

I can speak for the St Mary's Park area. MY grand parents grew up there and both my parents were born there. I spen t many a summer there playing handball in the handball alley, playing soccer in the streets where we would use the bus to start the game when it arrived and end it when it returned (30min). I have relatives that are still there, as i have realtives in moyross and southhill. I met my wife there and we have been with each other for the last 17years, her family are also good stock. You might be supprised to know that my wifes family(not the mother and Father) from the "island" have UL education!!! the cheek of them you might say!!!

I can say that it is the majority that are destrying the area. All the "good" people that could manage to move on have moved on. There are still some folk (that I would vouch for) for one reason or another could not move on and are stuck there... they are hoping the regen will work for them. Thats all most of people have going for them.

Over the last 7 or 8 years a new bred of scum as appeared in the island..


Even when I drive down there the scum watch me drive by.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not here to say that the island is the place to be .... it isn't... But what I feel i must say is that the majority there are scum and the rest just try to get on with their day and keep their head down. None of the good folk are going to complain about the scum dumping their rubbish in the fields. They'd be burnt out in the morning... if they were lucky!!!

Sorry for rambling on...

talkingclock

Looking at those pics again and again in disbelieve I feel really, really sorry for the few good (normal) people who are stuck there!!! they must feel like at the forecourt of hell!

justfortherecor

St Mary's is depressing alright. For a period I used to do rowing at the nearby Athlunkard Boat Club. Before heading out on the river we used to do training runs up the path by the canal.
It was like running a gauntlet. Kids swinging from trees and waiting for you to pass so they could pelt rocks at you and shout the most unbelievable abuse for kids that age. Rowing past them was also an exercise in avoidment. We used to have to row full speed to get out of the narrow confines of the canal where we were most vulnerable to their rocks trying to hit us and the boat.

Its really a shame though. The original Athlunkard Boat Club is a very, very fine building and there are still photographs of it available when it was in its prime. Old Oarsmen tell us about how there used to be great social parties and it used to be a great meeting point for the local community.


Now, due to constant arson attacks and smashed windows, the club decided to abandon the original building and build a shed instead from which to store the boats etc. The fine building is now similar to many others in the area: boarded windows, padlocks and black marks around the window frames from where fires have raged. It's sad to see old pillars and proud landmarks of a community succumb to the wastefulness and destruction of a new generation nearby.

Mc Love

Tis a fine building that!

Berty

Having grown up in the area and having had a brother who tried his hand at rowing, now he's fat. , I can remember the club when I was young and it was and still is a beautiful building and for the area is the only building of its day still in existence.

Its a shame the councils of previous days felt it prudent to build mass communities and use the to house the needy which leads into today where people who do not need to be in socially affordable housing need to be there, they are now just there because its easy for them to be able to afford the 08 car and have a social life.

I use the WIFI outside Moyross Library. Its fast and the signal is strong so I can just sit in the car.

There were two guys playing ball against the "no ball playing" sign and a very old man was shuffling past. The smallest guy who was clearly no more than 7 or 8 went up to him and shouted/screamed in his face "move along you fvcking cvnt". The old man leathered him across the side with his walking stick. The old man said nothing and did not need to say anything. The brat learned his lesson and walked off looking embarrassed to his friend.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Smack children. Illegal my ass. Its physical education. How can you learn respect when you know that if the teacher hits you they will be sacked, if the garda hits you he will be likely be sacked, if your parents hit you the social worker will turn up and if you do anything remotely illegal you are underage and the court and Gardai cant do nothing about you.

Unless I punch you in the back of the head. You wont act like a **** then.

HAPPYGIRL

quirke_folder wrote: »

I have said it before and I will say it again. Smack children. Illegal my ass. Its physical education. How can you learn respect when you know that if the teacher hits you they will be sacked, if the garda hits you he will be likely be sacked, if your parents hit you the social worker will turn up and if you do anything remotely illegal you are underage and the court and Gardai cant do nothing about you.

Unless I punch you in the back of the head. You wont act like a **** then.

Physical education?. So you want to teach children that the way to solve a problem is to hit someone. Great reasoning there.

talkingclock

what is your solution if a 7yr old little scumbag shouts "move along you fúcking cúnt" at you? pat his head and say "you don't say this, little fella!" that will learn him a lesson!!!

EDIT: just reading my posting again i should make clear that i am sarcastic here...!

brianyf

I wondered how long it would be before one of the bleeding hearts got on the case of this thread. It's just that type of thought that has made our society so vulnerable to these scum. They know they can do whatever suits them because the soft headed liberals will protect them to such an extent that it will be virtually impossible to punish them in any way.
The only way to solve these problems is the hard line. Move these scumbags into affluent areas if you like but there has to be a no tolerance policy on all crimes of all levels. We need to operate on the broken glass theory that Guiliani and Timoney used when they had to clean up New York City. The theory is based on the fact that you have to come down extremely hard on small crimes like loitering, graffity, petty theft and property destruction. When these 12-14 year olds start committing their first crimes they should be given decent sentences in youth detention centres. The time should be made as hard as reasonable for young teens. This will have to include corporal punishment and withholding of TV's, phones & radios. If they do a year of hard time when they are younger they will appreciate their freedom. But putting them in the Jails that we have now thanks to the overly liberal viewpoint of most of the people in the country all we do is introduce them to hundreds of other like minded scumbags in a social club enviornment.
It's time to revamp our justice system and the first step has to be monitoring of judges decisions and any who consistently make soft decisions need to be removed. Gardai who bring nuicance cases to court should also be reprimanded as this is what they are doing to make it look like they are addressing the problems, when what they spend the majority of their time doing is harassing law abiding citizens.

HAPPYGIRL

quirk folder made the point about how children will not learn respect unless they are hit.

If someone walked up to you, punched you, and then demanded that you respect them, would you?

Musha

Totally agree with you Quirke, Spare the rod and spoil the child.

I have smacked my kids in the past but now we don't need too just the threat is enough to instill bidding.
Now before you all jump on the pc wagon I am talking about a smack on the bum through clothes not phyical violence to cause marks or bruising.
But I have two very respectful boys who are polite to teachers, shop assistants, man woman and child.
The times when a Garda could give an clip around the ear and kids showed respect for their families and communities are gone.
It's is up to parents to lead the way and raise their families correctly even if your on SW, Manners and respect cost nothing.

irishvamp90

great thread op.this is why I HOPE regeneration DOES not go ahead.lets built more houses that scum can ruin.lets hope the money falls through and is used on zero tolerence on crime.god that regeneration boils my blood

Berty

I never said hit everyone and I never said hit anyone without a reason nor did I say hit somebody and then demand respect.

The minority which is slowly becoming the majority have no respect. Spanking your child teaches them a lesson and does teach them to respect you.

Having a naughty step and stand in a corner will only go so far and not every child respects those boundaries because these children can learn disrespect from their peers even in playschool.

Teach them young and teach them hard lessons. Im not suggesting people go around as vigilanties and smack any child wearing a hoddy or standing on a street corner.

Teach children manners, teach them respect and they will learn and pass this on. Ingorance breeds ignorance. If this generation makes no changes subtle or significant then the next generation will be just the same if not much worse.

Im not suggesting corporal punishment because that is something I would abhore. Children need discipline and smacking/spanking is the way to instill a respect in them.

I abhore the use of belts, paddles or anything other device in order to inflict pain. A child getting smacked on the back of the legs learns lessons quickly whereas a child locked under the stairs with a sliced pan for 4 hours only becomes worse.

I wish people would stop being so obtuse. If you live in a quiet area with polite children then you know nothing of the type that is congealing the streets of these neighbourhoods. Parents bring these kids into the world and the area, peers and upbringing mould these children into what they are today.

What can be changed? The parents?

No, the parents are a lost cause, they are sucking on the teeth of society and wont become fully functioning members of society on the whole so lets concentrate on the next generation.

Change the area?

We believe the council are working on these areas but talking yesterday to a Moyross retailer he would be lead to believe that all work has been suspeneded. Dilute the area or significantly reduce the numbers living in the area will have an effect.

Move them to "affluent" areas?

That will change it for the better but only for the people being moved. The people in the area where these families arrive will be affected. There are many reasons how and why but they will. The children will have different peers when they finally integrate and the opportunity for anti social will be lower. I cannot comment much more on this because none of us know very much on this matter with regars to the regeneration.

The school a child goes to plays a part in his/her life. I went to St Munchins College and it stands a whole lot better in life than having gone to CBS. Two reasons for this.

1. I could be(you can be the judge of it) thick as two planks but an employer will see St Munchins College breeding better children than CBS, Nessans, Endas etc etc. The same can be said for Ard Scoil Ris. Its the reputation the school has and will always have.

2. The location of CBS to Roxborough, Carew, O'Malley brings those boys to that school so the opportunity for jackassing in school and class is worse. Its not something that needs factual support, its just life! When I went to St Munchins it was a boarding school / day boarding school. I was a day boarder. A lot of the populus of the school were from the country areas living in the school during the week and the rest from Corbally mostly.

Finally Happygirl: Physical Education is smacking/spanking in my opinion. It is done to your own kids not to anybody elses. However, for examlpe. Some brats 3 months ago threw a rock at my car in Meelick. I reversed the car and stopped nearly on top of them. I jumped out and they could see immediately that it was a mistake to throw the rock. One of them said "what the fvck do you want?" so I caught him by the throat and told him that if he was going to throw rocks in traffic I was going to throw him in front of the truck that was coming down the road.

Do you think they respected me? No. Do you think I was looking for respect? No.Will they think twice about throwing rocks at traffic again? Yes and because they never know who is going to be driving the car and they could throw a stone at the wrong person who could stab them or shoot them or beat them to within an inch of their life.

He learned a lesson that day through a little throttling. What is your suggestion if I may?

Call the Gardai? They are underage so cannot be charged and will receive no punishment.

Keep going and hope it does not happen to me again. No because they will continue doing it to other people and some day it could be a frail old lady(my or your grandmother/mother) who could get a fright and lose control flipping over a ditch/ crash into oncoming traffic.

Beep the horn and shout at them. No, that is the reaction they are looking for.

That is extreme phsical education.

Mild physical education is for your kids and the kids you are responsible for.

Beating and cruel and unusual punishment is wrong.

ALL IN MY OPINION