Athy. Biggest kip in Kildare???

Come on Eileen

Thats ok so, was getting a bit worried there for a bit that id have to re book somewhere else! Thanks :-)

homerhop

Athy is fine, as i said it is no different than any other small town in the country.
There are a few nice pubs, places to eat, gyms,pool etc. Its the shop side that lets the town down. There is nothing to bring people into the town to shop.

AndrewMc

Come on Eileen wrote: »

Eeeek, i just booked three nights in the Carlton in Athy for june to go to the curragh racing. Got a good deal on the hotel. Think I will be staying in the hotel or driving to areas around Athy rather than in athy from reading the above. Anything good to say about the place!

I'm guessing you'll be out during the day at the Curragh, so mostly you'd be looking for pubs/restaurants. I wouldn't know which pubs to recommend, really, perhaps somebody else would know. Regarding restaurants, there are only a few but are generally pretty good — three Chinese/Asian, an Indian and an Italian. The Bay Tree doesn't open in the evenings any more (I think) which is a shame, but is open during the day. All are within a few minutes walk to your hotel. (Food in the hotel isn't bad, either.)

The only real problem you're likely to encounter is the traffic. If you're coming from the Curragh, the obvious route is this, but that takes you right through the main traffic lights. A bit faster is this way. Ignore where Google Maps has the hotel marked, it's really here, behind the church.

Dero123

Bar and food in the Carlton hotel is good.
Good Italian about a two min walk away on the main street - La Scala, best pub in the town almost opposite it -Clancys
Traffic wise would only be an issue on Friday evening

91011

Come on Eileen wrote: »

Eeeek, i just booked three nights in the Carlton in Athy for june to go to the curragh racing. Got a good deal on the hotel. Think I will be staying in the hotel or driving to areas around Athy rather than in athy from reading the above. Anything good to say about the place!

You will absolutely have no problems whatsoever.

Like every town, Athy has had its problems. These days not nearly as bad as before (70's & 80's) as most anti-social behaviour is caused by kids and Athy is a more mature town.

You don't see grafitti, broken windows or brawls in the street. At weekend nights, the pubs & restaurants are very busy with every age group from young (CI Bar, Immigrant etc) to the very mature (Clancy's, Breretons, Bridge House) all intermingling and rarely if ever any trouble expect the usual post night club messing that goes on the every town in the country.


I neither live nor work there anymore, but I will drop down for an evening out (Ashouka's indian reastaurant has fab food as does La Scala & Ngais Chinese) fairly frequently, Sometimes leaving the car overnight due to accepting a drink too many in Clancys or the music being particularly good and staying for one too many for driving.

Jack1001

im living in Athy 3 and half years and IT IS as bad as people say anyone with kids young or old , please take my advice, the place is a disgrace , hell . my son is very quiet and genuine has been bullied and abused for the whole time in the school , ie [incidents removed] i ve been to principal about all these and more and the people involved admitted it but it still goes on yet again last week i was into principal over things and they lads admitted their latest bout of hitting which resulted in a black eye for my son , while walkin from 1 lesson to another,apart from that , the whole town is covered in dog poo absolutely covered, the river "walk" is covered in empty beer cans etc dog poo , rubbish, used condoms, the playground for kids is the same , beer cans , broken bottles, used condoms, and obscene graffiti ie pics of penis etc and swear words calling girls names etc on the swings and rides in huge writing for all to see , even walkin through town there are lads calling each other vile names screaming and swearing at each other across street etc , you cannot walk through town in peace, people urinating down side alleys in front of little kids etc , even talking to neighbours they are of the same judgement and like me cannot wait to get out of the dump, for me i llbe away from that dump soon as my sons junior cert finishes , thats if heaint in hospital again from that school, even if it means surrendering my mortgage and handing back keys, that ll be my payback for choosing a hell hole to live in, people thinkin of living there please dont , you ll regret it

Rothmans

dar271 wrote: »

im living in Athy 3 and half years and IT IS as bad as people say anyone with kids young or old , please take my advice, the place is a disgrace , hell . my son is very quiet and genuine has been bullied and abused for the whole time in the school , ie [incidents removed]

Unfortunately bullying happens in every school. Its not just confined to the schools of Athy. I can't speak for the tech, but I went to Scoil Eoin and very little bullying went on there.

i ve been to principal about all these and more and the people involved admitted it but it still goes on yet again last week i was into principal over things and they lads admitted their latest bout of hitting which resulted in a black eye for my son , while walkin from 1 lesson to another,

If what you tell us is true, they almost certainly would have gotten a suspension for that.[/quote]

apart from that , the whole town is covered in dog poo absolutely covered

Yes, many people in athy do own dogs. And yes, dogs generally defecate. However, I wouldn't go so far as saying Athy is 'covered in dog poo'. The council men who clean the streets do a great job and its on a rare occasion that I'd see any shit on the streets, let alone what you're describing.

the river "walk" is covered in empty beer cans , rubbish, used condoms, the playground for kids is the same , beer cans , broken bottles, used condoms, and obscene graffiti ie pics of penis etc and swear words calling girls names etc on the swings and rides in huge writing for all to see ,

Its a lovely walk. Been a long time since I walked it, but I never saw any of those things. There are definitely no 'swings and rides' down there, so I've no idea what you're talking about in that regard.

even walkin through town there are lads calling each other vile names screaming and swearing at each other across street etc

Rarely have I witnessed this. However, every town has its own groups of trouble-makers. And if they're only shouting at each other, count yourself lucky. You could get a lot worse in other towns.

you cannot walk through town in peace

I really do think you're trolling.

people urinating down side alleys in front of little kids etc

Maybe when a load of people have been expelled from the clubs at 2.30am. In addition, whats wrong with urinating discreetly down a side alley. Nobody gets hurt or is any the wiser. In fact, it can be dangerous to retain urine for too long. I don't know where these 'little kids' are coming from.

even talking to neighbours they are of the same judgement and like me nnot wait to get out of the dump, for me i llbe away from that dump soon as my sons junior cert finishes , thats if heaint in hospital again from that school, even if it means surrendering my mortgage and handing back keys, that ll be my payback for choosing a hell hole to live in, people thinkin of living there please dont , you ll regret it

Its a free country.
You never gave the town a chance, and you come on here with some cock and bull stories. You're loss.

Optimus Prime

Great reply. Agree with everything you said there, I mean saying a town is a dump because your kid is bullied in school is just silly. (Although its horrible that he is being bullied, dont get me wrong, and i hope you get that sorted out.)

Bullying happens in EVERY school.

I grew up in Dublin and thank god it doesnt have Bullying, lads peeing in alleys, teenagers shouting at each other across the road, dog s*** everywhere, beerbottles, condoms, graffiti.. Dublin is great we had none of that in my day.. oh wait....

I live in Athy for 4 years now and i have NEVER had a single issue.

maxer68

Try living in an english town with similar age group / population. Athy would rank as a quiet country village in comparison.

As for bullying - why not talk to the school. There are set procedures to deal with it. If you don't, then nothing can be done.

Jack1001

glad to hear you s had no issues , cos thats in stark contrast to my family and friends there , To say after 3 and a half years i have nt given the town a chance is laughable!! i moved there to hope itd be quiet and decent. i came on here to tell my and my families experiences, and i have , all truthful , i know bullying goes on in schools everywhere but this was a whole lot more than that believe me , if my post was read correctly you would have read i have been to the principal numerous times , as the bullying got so out of control it would need to be called abuse , he s been in hospital every year over it , i also went the local td for help and advice, when he heard what was happening he rang me and told me how severe that was to go the police!!! i ve e mails which were sent between me and that td detailing it still!! half the stuff which went on is unrepeatable and only for fear of my son getting recognised id have no prob saying what they were ,Next , as regards the used condoms empty beer cans and broken bottles , i suggest you take a walk through the kids playground , where you ll also see the vile pics and comments in big writing on the various things in the playground , i ve children seeing all that . should i have wanted to slate athy then surely id have went on and on about lack of decent shops , about the girl getting attacked by a group of boys and girls at 830 am going into school , and gettin carted off in an ambulance as a result , or the time i was going shopping and a lad attacked yet another girl with a beer bottle at about 11 am or the lad hitting people walking by for no reason at the traffic lights etc etc the urinating i was talking about was actually during day time and was actually outside a chipper where the man had a little boy and girl watchin him , and also everyone sitting eating inside the chipper where i was outside with my son waiting on my order , the other was outside a pub in the day where people and cars going by and me and my wife and kids were going the shops and he pissed against the pub wall while smoking for all to see , i ve put up my experiences in that town which im perfectly entitled to do , its truthful advice, and was aimed towards people with families thinking of moving to athy, for all yous going on about dublin and english towns , well this thread is about athy !!! its just as easy to compare it to paris or rome !! one thing i will say tho is that the one thing athy is defo lacking , is a specsavers for those of you who say you cant see whats going on round you !!!

BuffyBot

dar271, any chance you could break your posts into some paragraphs? I don't know about anyone else, but they're practically impossible to read.

Jack1001

yea , so sorry , thought i had made spaces , have one of those touch keyboards , not used to it yet lol

Rothmans

dar271 wrote: »

i came on here to tell my and my families experiences, and i have ,

Yes and so did everyone else on this thread, but everyone else stuck to the point and exaggeration was minimal. All the other honest reviews of the town are informative and positive. The ones giving out appear to be trolls, and you just give an incoherent unpunctuated rambling.

all truthful ,

Possibly, but if in any way truthful, I'd hazard a guess that its extremely exaggerated.

should i have wanted to slate athy then surely id have went on and on about lack of decent shops

True, but the fact of the matter is that you didn't

about the girl getting attacked by a group of boys and girls at 830 am going into school

I didn't hear of this. I'm not saying you're lying but I honestly didn't hear about this. When/where did this happen.

a lad attacked yet another girl with a beer bottle at about 11 am or the lad hitting people walking by for no reason at the traffic lights

Jesus, I must walk down town blindfolded and padded not to see any of this or feel myself getting punched at traffic lights.
OP, tbh you're picking random isolated incidences that could/could have happen anywhere, that you seem only to have heard through the grapevine.

the urinating i was talking about was actually during day time and was actually outside a chipper where the man had a little boy and girl watchin him , and also everyone sitting eating inside the chipper where i was outside with my son waiting on my order , the other was outside a pub in the day where people and cars going by and me and my wife and kids were going the shops and he pissed against the pub wall while smoking for all to see

Nobody gets hurt OP. As I mentioned above, extended retention can be dangerous. Live and let live. And I doubt he intentionally did it infront of everyone. As you said yourself, he discreetly went down an alleyway.

i ve put up my experiences in that town which im perfectly entitled to do

As are we, which contradict yours.

its truthful advice

We'll agree to disagree, I guess

and was aimed towards people with families thinking of moving to athy

And I'd advise those people to disregard you're misleading advice and listen to the likes of keithgeo who can offer a valid balanced viewpoint.

for all yous going on about dublin and english towns , well this thread is about athy !!! its just as easy to compare it to paris or rome !!

No it isn't, an English town with a similar population to Athy has, well . . . a similar population and therefore is comparable. There's a bit of gap between Athy and two of Europe's biggest, most beautiful capital cities OP.

one thing i will say tho is that the one thing athy is defo lacking , is a specsavers for those of you who say you cant see whats going on round you !!!

I think you'll find we already have a sufficient supply of optometrists. Maybe you can't see them through you're jaded eyes OP.
Oh, just got it, good one OP.:rolleyes:

Jack1001

Firstly, i have not exaggerated anything of what ive said . Its actually ironic you say that because ive spent most my time trying to play these things down to family, relations and friends!! I aint gettin into this with you Rothman , you seem to take pleasure of trying to make a laugh and be sarcastic when you read things you dont like, maybe to try deflect focus from the post, so you play on up to your "audience". I resent the fact you try to say i ve been exaggerating , listening to tales or hearsay, what ive told you is what i ve witnessed, im afraid to say . The fact you dont believe it and think its being exaggerated just goes to show me how bad things actually are , that someone wont believe. This thread is called "Athy- biggest kip in kildare ?" , and at no stage did i say it is ,because i dont know, but what i do know is what i have seen and witnessed and thats what ive posted. I ve been told a lot more about the town by neighbours , friends, and while getting a haircut etc, but i never reiterated them as i never witnessed them , so i came on to tell my experiences , and i have , and for me i did just that I could not care less if you dont believe , but thats your choice. I ve been a member on these boards prob 16 months and never posted on anything .So for you to say i "Troll" would be inaccurate. I posted on here as we ve had one too many incidences, my family have had enough. All that glorious weather outside and my son afraid to go outside, for fear of running into those lads from school. That is the last straw. So go on make your smart sarcastic comments now , i wont take up your stage anymore, your "audience" awaits . ps rothman dont ever tell me what i did or didnt see , or make out im lying

Rothmans

dar271 wrote: »

Firstly i have not exaggerated anything of what ive said

you cannot walk through town in peace

Seems like a bit of an exaggeration to me OP.

its ironic because ive spent most my time trying to play these things down to family, relations and friends!!

No it isn't

I aint gettin into this with you Rothman , you seem to take pleasure of trying to make a laugh and be sarcastic when you read things you dont like, maybe to try deflect focus from the post,

No, I take offence when people are overly harsh and unduely criticise a nice town, my hometown.

I resent the fact you try to say i ve been exaggerating , listening to tales or hearsay,

This is a general discussion OP. Most things on it are hearsay, unless you can provide linked evidence backing up your statements, which you haven't done so far OP.

what ive told you is what i ve witnessed, im afraid to say . The fact you dont believe it and think its being exaggerated just goes to show me how bad things actually are , that someone wont believe

Its not that I don't believe you, per se, its just that what I've witnessed is contradictory to what you've witnessed.

This thread is called "Athy- biggest kip in kildare" , and at no stage did i say it is ,because i dont know, but what i do know is what i have seen and witnessed and thats what ive posted, i ve been told a lot more about the town by neighbours , friends, and while getting a haircut etc, but i never reiterated them as i never witnessed them , so i came on to tell my experiences , and i have , and for me i did just that I could not care less if you dont believe , but thats your choice

Quite right OP. There's a point we can both agree on.

. I ve been a member on these boards prob 16 months and never posted on anything so to say i "Troll" would be inaccurate

Well after 16 months, the only contribution you have made is solely to disproportionately and harshly complain about the town

I posted on here as we ve had one too many incidences, my family have had enough. All that glorious weather outside and my son afraid to go out for fear of running into those lads from school.

As mentioned before, bullying is unfortunate. Its ubiquitous. Don't use this incident to tarnish the entire town. This is the only point you've made that is in any way solid. The rest of your points have been vacuous, frivolous and vague, and equally applicable to any other town.

That is the last straw. So go on make your smart sarcastic comments now , i wont take up your stage anymore, your "audience" awaits .

My comments have been clear, reasoned, logical and analytical. That's all, and to say that I am just being 'smart' about it is just taking the absolute p!ss op. I've given you reasonable answers. You just don't like them. Despite the title OP, most people using this thread don't agree with it. So don't come on here to bitch about the town and not expect any resistance.
My 'stage'. I don't know what thats supposed to mean, but if you had checked, you'd see that I rarely post in this forum.

ps rothman dont ever tell me what i did or didnt see

I never said you did or didn't see anything, I just simply didn't believe you.

or make out im lying

I never made out that you were lying. People are perfectly free to draw there own inferences about what you have said with the information you have provided OP.



OP, don't get me wrong. I do sympathise greatly. It seems like you're having a really tough time and for that I'm sorry. But I can't just let these comments slide when my opinions are so far removed from your own.

Is mise le key

Tilt Gone wrote: »

Athy, biggest kip in kildare??

I would say Naas dump trumps it:D

blackbird98

well said Rothmans. If all this has happened to dar271, then i think it is unfortunate and can only assume that somebody has a vendetta against him / his family.

I too am from Athy, born, reared and still living in the town(49yo), and have never witnessed anything to the extend that dar271 describes. I go out to the pub about 3 times a week, and rarely observe anything like he describes.

I admit that at 2 - 3 o'clock in the morning after the late bars, there might be a bit of handbag stuff, or a bit of shouting around the square, but I have never had any hassle, day or night, around the town.

Athy is a good town, with good friendly people and lots of things to do (except some shopping maybe). there are loads of groups, clubs, events, etc, mostly run by volunteers.

Is mise le key

dar271 wrote: »

im living in Athy 3 and half years and IT IS as bad as people say anyone with kids young or old , please take my advice, the place is a disgrace , hell . my son is very quiet and genuine has been bullied and abused for the whole time in the school , ie [incidents removed] , i ve been to principal about all these and more and the people involved admitted it but it still goes on yet again last week i was into principal over things and they lads admitted their latest bout of hitting which resulted in a black eye for my son , while walkin from 1 lesson to another,apart from that , the whole town is covered in dog poo absolutely covered, the river "walk" is covered in empty beer cans etc dog poo , rubbish, used condoms, the playground for kids is the same , beer cans , broken bottles, used condoms, and obscene graffiti ie pics of penis etc and swear words calling girls names etc on the swings and rides in huge writing for all to see , even walkin through town there are lads calling each other vile names screaming and swearing at each other across street etc , you cannot walk through town in peace, people urinating down side alleys in front of little kids etc , even talking to neighbours they are of the same judgement and like me cannot wait to get out of the dump, for me i llbe away from that dump soon as my sons junior cert finishes , thats if heaint in hospital again from that school, even if it means surrendering my mortgage and handing back keys, that ll be my payback for choosing a hell hole to live in, people thinkin of living there please dont , you ll regret it

Are you sure thats not tallaght your talking about:pac:

dar271 wrote: »

my son is very quiet and genuine has been bullied and abused for the whole time in the school , ie [incidents removed] , i ve been to principal about all these and more and the people involved admitted it but it still goes on yet again last week i was into principal over things and they lads admitted their latest bout of hitting which resulted in a black eye for my son

As for this part of your post i think you will find that this goes on in almost all boys schools, did in mine anyway & two i sent my young lad to, really upset my missus that this is the way boys go on but its the reality.

Lago

Athy, the biggest dump in Kildare? Ever been to Castledermot? Athy is bad, but compared to Castledermot? Jesus.....

kildare9

Lago wrote: »

Athy, the biggest dump in Kildare? Ever been to Castledermot? Athy is bad, but compared to Castledermot? Jesus.....

Yeah its a serious dump alright, as well as Monasterevin.

Optimus Prime

This sort of stuff happens everywhere, its not limited to any one town or City, OP you seem to have had a lot of bad experiences in Athy, but all the things you mentioned are a problem in every single town and city in this country. All we can do is post our own experiences, youve had bad, ive had good in Athy. which im sure would also be the case in any other place.

I think it also comes down to our own up bringing, I grew up in Ballyfermot with robbed cars, drink and drugs everywhere, my brother was robbed with a syringe before, ive been bullied in school. Sh*t happens, its a part of life.

Im basing my current experiences of Athy on my experiences of growing up and its no where near as bad.. so far anyways.

I mean if you move from a place full of crime and scumbags to athy then its all sunshine and lollipops. But if you grew up in a nice place where nothing bad really happened and moved to athy then maybe you would have a different view point on what happens in the town.

Some people might for example be shocked to see a guy urinating down an alley during the day, where as i know that happens everywhere because ive seen it loads of times before, and worse!

People arguing on the streets during the day? Ive seen full on Riots. You just have to weigh it all up and keep your fingers crossed too i guess that you dont have a bad run of it.

OP I totally believe everything you are saying, and i hope things pick up for you and your family. I can only post on my own experiences, as you can too, and my opinion of Athy for the most part is positive. It simply has the same problems most places do.

(I should point out I love Ballyfermot, and there are some great people there and its also not as bad as it was years ago)

JupiterKid

I've repeatedly heard that Athy is one of the worst towns in all of Ireland, not just Kildare. It's up there on that list no town wants to be on - along with places like Tipperary town, Longford town, Rathkeale, Tuam, Bray and Dundalk.

Not to sound facetious but you know the saying - "there's no smoke without a fire."

JupiterKid

I'm well aware that a person/poster's negative experiences can colour their view of a particular town or neighbourhood that they live in. This is a very human, subjective view to take.

But I am also aware that Athy fares very poorly in a ranking of Irish towns when one considers criteria of development, quality of life and wealth - take a look at the links below:


http://www.towns-ireland.com/best-and-worst/


http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2002/feb/03/survey-names-worst-town-in-ireland/


Perhaps if people didn't so blindly defend Athy and tried to do something to improve the town's deplorable image then things might begin to improve?

Rothmans

Jupiter Kid, one of the links there is almost a decade out of date. Athy has come a long way in the time this info was compiled.
For example, in the 'Best and worst' article, with regard to the criterion of education levels, all of the schools have been rebuilt in the past 5 or 6 to modern state of the art schools.
Secondly, unemployment rates have soared throughout Ireland since 2006.
Thirdly, with regard to community work, it'd be very hard to measure that.
Fourthly, I don't see how a high percentage of single mothers or council tennants can make a town one of the worst in Ireland.

Finally, and most importantly. It lists home-ownership as a factor and a significant factor it seems to be alright. Its important to note that this info was compiled at the height of the boom. Lets look at some of the best towns - Malahide, Cellbridge, Leixlip, Portmarnock, Greystones, Maynooth, Ratoath, etc. The point is that most of the 'best' towns are satellite towns of Dublin where homeownership would have been quite high during the boom with all those thirtysomethings buying their first homes etc, but now alot of people are in arrears etc.

So, I think things have shifted bigtime, since the collection of this data.

mcgarrett

Speaking as a non Athy person who took up residence here a few years ago I can only give an account of my own experiences since arriving in the town.

I have children in 3 of the schools in the town (Scoil Phadraig, Mhicil Naofa and Ardscoil na Trionoide) and they are modern, well resourced with excellent staff.

A trip to the GAA pitch on Thursday evening with a future Kildare all star is a pleasure as he joins in with about 100 other 8 to 12 yr olds who are cared for by between 12 and 15 volunteers. The other kids are big and ugly enough to make their own way to Rugby, Soccer and Camogie.
On Saturday the two small ones go to the sports and acrobatics club in the secondary school sports hall from 2 to 4pm for €3 (best €3 I spend).

On evenings like these a walk down the Barrow or along the canal is a pleasure that's also enjoyed by the dozens of others I see and dotted with plenty of lads out fishing.
Looking forward to another Triathlon which is one of the best days of the year in the town.

I'm around town quite a bit at all hours of the day and the occasional late night and I can tell you that Athy is a lot better than many other towns I've been in.
Every town has public order issues and I feel sorry for the poster who had the bad experiences but as a neutral I can't knock the place and don't intend moving anytime soon.

rameire

im getting in here before load1234 comes on and says its terrible how the little vandals burnt down the Emigrant pub.

the fire was caused by an electrical fault, the wiring on the cappucino / coffee maker in the front of the pub was reason the pub was destroyed by fire.

Also for information purposes, The ploughing championship will be in Athy in september for the last time for a while, next year it is going south, so if you want a nice day out go to the ploughing, its great fun for all the family.

Rothmans

rameire wrote: »

im getting in here before load1234 comes on and says its terrible how the little vandals burnt down the Emigrant pub.

the fire was caused by an electrical fault, the wiring on the cappucino / coffee maker in the front of the pub was reason the pub was destroyed by fire.

Also for information purposes, The ploughing championship will be in Athy in september for the last time for a while, next year it is going south, so if you want a nice day out go to the ploughing, its great fun for all the family.

I only heard about that there last night.
Must have driven past it twice and never noticed :P
In any case,the owners of the CI and Emigrant are in a partnership AFAIK, so this probably won't hurt their profits too much.

blackbird98

unfortunate incident, but already the rumours are going around!!!

Rothmans wrote: »

In any case,the owners of the CI and Emigrant are in a partnership AFAIK, so this probably won't hurt their profits too much.

AFAIK, the partnership only applies to the late bar licences, that's why you don't have a late bar in both pubs on the same night

Rothmans

blackbird98 wrote: »

unfortunate incident, but already the rumours are going around!!!




AFAIK, the partnership only applies to the late bar licences, that's why you don't have a late bar in both pubs on the same night

Oh I see I see.
Bad news for the Emigrant so.

Paxton Boy

Im thinking of buying around "the fort" castlefield area, does anyone know much about it, good or bad ?