Athlone City.????

Dumb

Sligo is not a city and never was. Wikipedia doesn't even say it. It says that the locals call it that (some of them). The local newspaper the Sligo Champion also has a bad habit of it. You'll always see that front page story -In the city centre blah blah blah...

Letterkenny also has a Cathedral unlike Athlone. The town also has two public parks of over 30 acres in total. Plenty of shopping centres. I think there are 3 and then the retail parks. A few bridges and a nice river.

holidayhere

roosterman71 wrote: »

Indeed there is and I am fully aware of it. I just wanted to express my gratitude in words. Clicking a button is so pre-George Lee

A bit like a 'verbal agreement' - not worth the paper it is written on.

Saint_Mel

Dumb wrote: »

Sligo is not a city and never was. Wikipedia doesn't even say it. It says that the locals call it that (some of them). The local newspaper the Sligo Champion also has a bad habit of it. You'll always see that front page story -In the city centre blah blah blah...

Letterkenny also has a Cathedral unlike Athlone. The town also has two public parks of over 30 acres in total. Plenty of shopping centres. I think there are 3 and then the retail parks. A few bridges and a nice river.

Sligo have the Cathedral and in an effort to gain City status they just renamed
the town council "City Corporation"

Saruman

Sligo also calls itself the Gateway City I think. I saw signs up saying something like that a while back.

Dumb

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Sligo have the Cathedral and in an effort to gain City status they just renamed
the town council "City Corporation"

Yes but how many towns in Ireland have Cathedrals and aren't cities. Plenty. That has nothing to do with it. :rolleyes:

They call themselves a gateway city but so is Letterkenny, Mullingar etc...

Saruman

Dumb wrote: »

Letterkenny also has a Cathedral unlike Athlone. The town also has two public parks of over 30 acres in total. Plenty of shopping centres. I think there are 3 and then the retail parks. A few bridges and a nice river.

Jaysus I like probably most of Ireland know nothing about Letterkenny. You made it sound so interesting I googled it.

apparently its worse than Clondalkin for street crime? Thats mad but it looks pretty nice.

Any decent pubs there serving Irish craft beers of at least decent premium beer from other countries?

Dumb

Saruman wrote: »

Jaysus I like probably most of Ireland know nothing about Letterkenny. You made it sound so interesting I googled it.

apparently its worse than Clondalkin for street crime? Thats mad but it looks pretty nice.

Any decent pubs there serving Irish craft beers of at least decent premium beer from other countries?

Plenty of pubs and clubs. Sure loads of people go up for the hen and stag parties.

There's the Cottage Bar, The Cavern, McGinleys, Voodoo, The Pulse, The Grill, The Drumbar (Locals only),


"The town is a popular nightlife location for the local catchment area and, indeed, for the rest of Ulster - especially at the weekends and particularly for visitors from nearby Derry City. The Main Street, originally the retail centre of the town, has become a centre for popular night clubs and pubs, boosted by the remnants of its old shopping district. The Grill Music Venue is a popular nighclub which regularly plays host to acts such as Shane McGowan, Ash, Hot Chip, Dirty Sanchez, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Judge Jules. Club Voodoo is a highly regarded bar and night-club on Lower Main Street and has attracted figures such as Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Paul Van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell and Marco V in recent years. There are also several other nightclubs in the area including Milan Nightclub and The Pulse. Pubs such as The Central Bar (established 1808), The Cavern, Sister Sara's, Josie's Bar and The Cottage Bar give an extensive range of drinking experiences from the old to the modern cutting edge".

Dumb

Saruman wrote: »

apparently its worse than Clondalkin for street crime? Thats mad but it looks pretty nice.

Yea. Slash-hooks and what not. Stabbings. Drug related. etc. Doesn't be on the national news but it has happened. Quite often.

Fighting once brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill when the Gardaí had to close a road. Men were throwing flower pots at windows. They tried to take a woman out of the house. The husband wouldn't let her go so they threatened to break her legs with a machete and puncture the tyres of the car so she couldn't get to hospital.

Mad altogether. :pac:

Saruman

Jaysus and people go on about Limerick I have not heard of that kind of thing even in Dublin but that is not to say it does not happen.

Dumb

Saruman wrote: »

Jaysus and people go on about Limerick I have not heard of that kind of thing even in Dublin but that is not to say it does not happen.

Aye. A man was stabbed like 50 times in his apartment. He was some relation of the viper foley

BambooBob

Kilkenny is a city and its status was confirmed by a special clause in a local government act of brought out in 2000. Kilkenny's status to city status is based on a Royal Charter from 1609 or 1610 I believe. It like Tuam also has two cathedrals. So yes the Marble City is indeed a City!

Onikage

Old chestnut is old.

walrusgumble

veryangryman wrote: »

It lacks a Cathedral, something that makes Kilkenny, Sligo and Waterford (which dont have that much else going for them) cities

Plus the fact that most of the population now live in Suburbs like Monksland and Moydrum has put the towns official population down to smaller levels

So this time, i will agree with the Rooster.

Sweet mother of jesus, a cathedral! that's it?!

Tuam and Elphin have Cathedrals, will we make them cities too?

How about the fact that we don't have a hospital (not st vinny's), that might help.

walrusgumble

Dumb wrote: »

Plenty of pubs and clubs. Sure loads of people go up for the hen and stag parties.

There's the Cottage Bar, The Cavern, McGinleys, Voodoo, The Pulse, The Grill, The Drumbar (Locals only),


"The town is a popular nightlife location for the local catchment area and, indeed, for the rest of Ulster - especially at the weekends and particularly for visitors from nearby Derry City. The Main Street, originally the retail centre of the town, has become a centre for popular night clubs and pubs, boosted by the remnants of its old shopping district. The Grill Music Venue is a popular nighclub which regularly plays host to acts such as Shane McGowan, Ash, Hot Chip, Dirty Sanchez, Fun Lovin' Criminals and Judge Jules. Club Voodoo is a highly regarded bar and night-club on Lower Main Street and has attracted figures such as Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Paul Van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell and Marco V in recent years. There are also several other nightclubs in the area including Milan Nightclub and The Pulse. Pubs such as The Central Bar (established 1808), The Cavern, Sister Sara's, Josie's Bar and The Cottage Bar give an extensive range of drinking experiences from the old to the modern cutting edge".

Any trouble happening in letterkenny on a saturday nite came from them pesky derry muckers or rednecks from out inishowen and glenties area. the letterkenny folk were alright. Great town for night life. THe Cottage is a classic

The town of a lovely (and large) town park, brilliant on sunny days, its not far from Ramelton bay, But ya can't beat having a major river and lake to view from your window.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Letterkenny has got a similiar population to Athlone and better nightlife, but there the similarities end. From the point of view of regional importance, Letterkenny is secondary in NW to Derry (Yes, Derry is not in the Republic but try telling cross border shoppers and college attendees in Donegal that this matters) whereas Athlone is rightly considered the regional hub of the midlands. As for rivers, I wouldn't even begin to compare the River Swilly to the Shannon. However Letterkenny has a couple if things that Athlone lacks, as was already mentioned (1) a Cathedral and (2) a real Hospital.

Apart from that, Athlone has better transport links to the major urban centres such as Dublin and Galway (M6 and a train line) that Letterkenny doesn't benefit from. Neither town has a particularly vibrant town centre in terms of commerce. Having grown up in one place and lived in the other, Athlone would be slightly ahead in terms of approaching City Status imo. If there was a Cathedral and a Hospital....

Zubeneschamali

deccurley wrote: »

If there was a Cathedral and a Hospital...

As a matter of fact, when St. Mels in Longford burnt down, the Bishop moved his seat to:

St. Mary's in Athlone! So it is technically a Cathedral at the moment.

http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/region/articles/2010/12/01/4001924-bishop-inaugurates-st-marys-as-interim-cathedral/

walrusgumble

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

As a matter of fact, when St. Mels in Longford burnt down, the Bishop moved his seat to:

St. Mary's in Athlone! So it is technically a Cathedral at the moment.

http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/region/articles/2010/12/01/4001924-bishop-inaugurates-st-marys-as-interim-cathedral/

Bishop Colm O'Reilly, (is he retired yet?) is actually also techinically the Parish Priest of St Mary's. I don't recall the head honcho at St Mary's (whether is was P Lennon or Murrary) ever been referrred to as the Parish Priest but instead as the Administrator.

Really though, is that a genuine criteria for the people of Athlone to classify a city, having a Cathedral? God help us if it is, sure it only represents the Roman Catholics, the few that actually attend mass now a days. I really hope the Dubs don't read this, I would expect this crap from the Westerns, but honestly thought Westmeath people wouldn't be so bad. By your definition then, Dublin City could hardly be a city in the eyes of Catholics as it only has a Pro(visional) Cathedral, still longer to take over or return to either St Pats or Christ Church

walrusgumble

deccurley wrote: »

Letterkenny has got a similiar population to Athlone and better nightlife, but there the similarities end. From the point of view of regional importance, Letterkenny is secondary in NW to Derry (Yes, Derry is not in the Republic but try telling cross border shoppers and college attendees in Donegal that this matters) whereas Athlone is rightly considered the regional hub of the midlands. As for rivers, I wouldn't even begin to compare the River Swilly to the Shannon. However Letterkenny has a couple if things that Athlone lacks, as was already mentioned (1) a Cathedral and (2) a real Hospital.

Apart from that, Athlone has better transport links to the major urban centres such as Dublin and Galway (M6 and a train line) that Letterkenny doesn't benefit from. Neither town has a particularly vibrant town centre in terms of commerce. Having grown up in one place and lived in the other, Athlone would be slightly ahead in terms of approaching City Status imo. If there was a Cathedral and a Hospital....

The river/stream/canal running through the southern part of letterkenny town and out into the lake is only a piddle no more imposing than say the old cananl way near the magazine road. There is damn all fishing tourism over there along the lake, little or no tourism in the town (at least athlone has the castle and river). We are lucky, for all our whinging about Athlone that we actually have and retain some very big industries like Eirccson, Elan (inspite of itself) and the Army. Letterkenny has little (donegal creameries, Oatfields) They had their own political honchos (the blanely family, McDaid) so where are the excuses?. They are only now really making better efforts with their links to Derry, yet the very last non Bus Eireann bus leaving Derry to Letterkenny is 6pm, which is hardly of use. Public transport is non existent really, compared to us (location does not come into it, and they actually, for all their whinging, have better roads! boys racers stop whinging)

"Derry (Yes, Derry is not in the Republic but try telling cross border shoppers and college attendees in Donegal that this matters) whereas Athlone is rightly considered the regional hub of the midlands"

You willing to pay high prices for college essentials;), when Strabane is only a hop and skipping over? Derry is the natural town centre for Donegal, the exact same as it was for people in the South Roscommon region preferring going to Connaught Street as oppose to Roscommon Town on any given weekend in the 1960's. (still is, Athlone Town that is), Derry ain't all that by the way. No real need to head there, bar looking for something new.

To be honest, it think concetrating on improving commerce and links (isn't China Town coming?) is priority as oppose to gaining city status. How is City status going to help anyway, sure we know we are better than Mullingar & Tullamore anyway, so that's all that matters.:D