Honestly ....?? Do you like our dislike your native city

grenache

iguana wrote: »

You can't judge an entire city based on it's bad areas, not when so many cities have the same areas in all but name.

Unfortunately the bad eggs don't stick to the bad areas. The scumbags ruin Limerick for the normal folk.

MissHoneyBun

grenache wrote: »

Unfortunately the bad eggs don't stick to the bad areas. The scumbags ruin Limerick for the normal folk.

That's kind of it in a nutshell Grenache. A select demographic of people are absolutely destroying this city and county for the many normal, decent people who live here.

And I'm not the kind of person who believes everything they hear on RTE or splashed on the headlines of tabloid newspapers. Quite the opposite, which is why I actually chose to ignore the media horror stories to come and live here. I was lucky enough to have my choice of colleges by being offered more than one place. I could have easily stuck with Dublin, where I loved and had studied before but I chose to come here instead so I think I've given Limerick more of a chance than most people.

Unfortunately, my previous optimism for the place and the reality of actually living here have turned out to be two very different things.

pwd

The attitude on this forum is a bit weird.
You bang on about how the image of Limerick is unjustified, and is because the media dramatise things. Then you describe, for example, how a woman was yanked out of her car and severely beaten by a gang of men with bats, and comment that this incident is strangely absent from the papers.

iguana

grenache wrote: »

Unfortunately the bad eggs don't stick to the bad areas. The scumbags ruin Limerick for the normal folk.

I agree. The city centre is small and contained around one general area which means that the good and bad parts are right on top of each other. You have nice bars right nextdoor to the type of place that you take your life into your hands by visiting. You don't really have parts of town that you can go to and feel confident that you won't have to deal with scumbags hanging about.

And I really don't know why but the gardaí allow a huge amount of anti-social behaviour to continue when they do have the legal powers to deal with it. The state of the area around the courthouse is frankly unbelievable. Any time I've been there in the last few years it's been surrounded by scumbags who are clearly looking for trouble under the guise of supporting their mate in the dock. It's even worse when you consider that the courthouses are inside and alongside the city hall.

Limerick could be a lovely little city, but a series of stupid decisions are allowing it to be destroyed. It reminds me a lot of Lisbon in that regard. A city where the centre has been largely abandoned in favour of shopping centres (also largely due to expensive rates issues) and the centre is over run by scum. Though Lisbon is a much more beautiful city in terms of architecture. In the 90s the city had a decent 6 screen cinema, a couple of late night cafes, Arthurs Quay park was still pleasant and used to host small free concerts, the bowling ally was decent and there were a few places to play pool and the Vic had Quasar. But even though I think the city has gone downhill since then, I still think it's got a long way to go before it's the shíthole it's made out to be.

iguana

osarusan wrote: »

But that's not what the thread asks. The thread asks if she likes the city or not (actually it says 'your native city', so maybe her answer could be excluded as she's said she's not from Limerick), and she's said she doesn't. Given the incidents she's outlined in her post, that's hardly surprising, and the fact that it also happens in Brixton and wherever else doesn't make it less unpleasant when it happens here.

Posters aren't asked to comment on Limerick-specific things which they like or dislike, and somebody's like or dislike of the city is no less relevant if it is based on things which aren't specific to Limerick.

But what she wrote doesn't give a view of Limerick, it gives a view of whatever awful area she lives in. As I've said, I felt like that when I lived in Tottenham. I hated London, all I wanted to do was leave London, I was so bloody sick of the place. But once I moved to Wimbledon I completely stopped hating London. All of the problems I had with London were problems I had with Tottenham and had very little to do with London itself. If I had moved to Ballymun or Southhill back when I wanted to leave London I'd have all of the same problems.

London wasn't the problem, a certain type of person who make up a dominatant propertion of poorer areas and turns them into nasty, unpleasant cesspits was the problem. And in MissHoneyBun's case Limerick isn't the problem, the particular area she is living in is the problem. If she lives in a better area next year she will have a better experience. A perfect experience? No. Limerick does still have problems and it's too small to be able to avoid them, the McDonalds scenario she described is a perfect example of dealing with problems in the city. But if you move to a city and live in a horrible area and judge it on that then you are describing a tusk rather than an elephant.

MissHoneyBun

iguana wrote: »

And in MissHoneyBun's case Limerick isn't the problem, the particular area she is living in is the problem

And where do you think the area I'm living in is Iguana? Because it's in the centre of Limerick but yet you keep insisting it isn't a Limerick problem. Who's problem is it then? Tipperary's?

iguana wrote: »

If she lives in a better area next year she will have a better experience.

And 'if' Limerick wasn't overrun with scumbags then decent people wouldn't have to put up with the sh1t that they do

iguana wrote: »

You don't really have parts of town that you can go to and feel confident that you won't have scumbags hanging around

Exactly. So please don't patronise me by claiming I deserve to put up with crap because I 'chose' to live in a bad area. Or preach to me about needing to do better research next time. These people are all over the city.

iguana wrote: »

if you move to a city and live in a horrible area and judge it on that then you are describing a tusk rather than an elephant.

So the entire Limerick city centre is just an 'area'? And you're implying that people who comment here on their own 'area' aren't allowed an opinion unless they've lived in a multitude of areas and experienced a variety of socio-economic situations across Limerick, because otherwise it's unfair?

Unfortunately life's not fair Iguana and if you spent 5 minutes living where I do in Limerick you'd realise that fairly quick.

Raiser

Iguana while I think you are being genuine and trying to be open minded and fair I honestly think you're reaction and responses to MissHoneyBun's posts were far, far off the mark.

Limerick is a 24 carat, award-winning, stellar example of a City where the Scum of our Society parade around ruining the quality of daily life for everybody on an equal opportunities basis.

While London may well be divided into distinct areas, 'Virtual Villages' or whatever other way you'd describe coughing up just enough rent to keep you feeling socially insulated and cozy from the anti-social elements, Limerick has them in everywhere in rabid droves and they are motivated and mobile.

Its not uncommon for them to make boat trips to gain access to the Mill Road smashing rear windows to rob and ransack Houses. They walk the railway lines and jump the walls of any target Estate they want to - all within perfect reach and all a fair target. There isn't a neighbourhood in Limerick that is geographically located out of reach of these People - The furthest being Castletroy/Annacotty but God knows give a Man 12 cans of Carling, a Vest a Stick, some sunburn and a goal and the Canal Path out towards UL is like a walk in the Country.......

They collect their dole before twelve and hang around on the Streets all day long scowling at the People who paid it to them through PAYE. The City Centre in Limerick always has an air of depression hanging over it where Scumbags and Beggars hustle and menace and People rush by hoping to get their business finished and home without incident.

There is a thread on this very Forum where People have come forth in large numbers one at a time to describe how the Gardaí don't even show up to 999 emergency calls. What are we living in the Wild West? The Dark Ages? Anarchy?

UL Students are regularly the victims of assault and Crime, the LIT has Scumbags on patrol far more often than the Gardaí, Mary I is a stones throw from an Estate that generates a new Media horror story every 12 hours. Why any Student would knowingly elect to attend College here for 4 years is absolutely beyond me.

Apart from the risk to life and limb, personal property etc. Limerick is the ultimate example of a City where there is nothing to do - There isn't even a Cinema in the City itself. You can literally sit in Limerick with money in you pocket and rack your brains for something to do for a few hours and draw a blank each time.

The other unfortunate fact is that it is getting steadily worse not better.

Iguana wrote:

But you will see that crap in the wrong parts of every town and city in the world. Go live in Ballymun, Brixton or the Bronx, Darndale, Dagenham or Detroit. Nothing you've described is in anyway specific to Limerick.

You have missed one serious point Iguana - Scale. Whats the population of London? 11-12 million or so?

We are operating on a microcosm of that scale - Looked at in detail, the inevitable conclusion is that Limerick itself is the wrong part of Limerick.

- To spend a fortune on a House in a "good" part of Limerick is in effect an exercise in wasting money, settling for less and risking the personal safety of yourself and your Family.

Kess73

Raiser wrote: »

Iguana while I think you are being genuine and trying to be open minded and fair I honestly think you're reaction and responses to MissHoneyBun's posts were far, far off the mark.

Limerick is a 24 carat, award-winning, stellar example of a City where the Scum of our Society parade around ruining the quality of daily life for everybody on an equal opportunities basis.

While London may well be divided into distinct areas, 'Virtual Villages' or whatever other way you'd describe coughing up just enough rent to keep you feeling socially insulated and cozy from the anti-social elements, Limerick has them in everywhere in rabid droves and they are motivated and mobile.

Its not uncommon for them to make boat trips to gain access to the Mill Road smashing rear windows to rob and ransack Houses. They walk the railway lines and jump the walls of any target Estate they want to - all within perfect reach and all a fair target. There isn't a neighbourhood in Limerick that is geographically located out of reach of these People - The furthest being Castletroy/Annacotty but God knows give a Man 12 cans of Carling, a Vest a Stick, some sunburn and a goal and the Canal Path out towards UL is like a walk in the Country.......

They collect their dole before twelve and hang around on the Streets all day long scowling at the People who paid it to them through PAYE. The City Centre in Limerick always has an air of depression hanging over it where Scumbags and Beggars hustle and menace and People rush by hoping to get their business finished and home without incident.

There is a thread on this very Forum where People have come forth in large numbers one at a time to describe how the Gardaí don't even show up to 999 emergency calls. What are we living in the Wild West? The Dark Ages? Anarchy?
UL Students are regularly the victims of assault and Crime, the LIT has Scumbags on patrol far more often than the Gardaí, Mary I is a stones throw from an Estate that generates a new Media horror story every 12 hours. Why any Student would knowingly elect to attend College here for 4 years is absolutely beyond me.

Apart from the risk to life and limb, personal property etc. Limerick is the ultimate example of a City where there is nothing to do - There isn't even a Cinema in the City itself. You can literally sit in Limerick with money in you pocket and rack your brains for something to do for a few hours and draw a blank each time.

The other unfortunate fact is that it is getting steadily worse not better.



You have missed one serious point Iguana - Scale. Whats the population of London? 11-12 million or so?

We are operating on a microcosm of that scale - Looked at in detail, the inevitable conclusion is that Limerick itself is the wrong part of Limerick.

- To spend a fortune on a House in a "good" part of Limerick is in effect an exercise in wasting money, settling for less and risking the personal safety of yourself and your Family.

Don't even get me started on the wasters that pass themselves off as Gardai at the Roxboro station. There was a big problem again last week near my mother's house with a roving gang causing hassle. The gang then moved down from Ballinacurra Road into Ballinacurra Gardens and were trying to push cars onto their sides and were breaking windows and what not.

Roxboro gardai were phoned.

Then my mother rang me as some were in her garden kicking the crap out of her plants so I drove there. By now the gang was gone back into Ballinacurra gardens as they made their way towards Weston. Still at cars etc, so I rang the Gardai from my phone at 22:01, the garda answering the phone said a car was on the way and that they had received calls already.

By 22:30 the gang was still up to stuff and no garda car arrived. The gang then moved into Oakview drive where they had a go at two other cars, the owner of the first car came out and got a thump. Roxboro was rang again at this point and told the man was hit. The a second man came out to his car, and the gang moved on.

By 23:00 no garda car had arrived and the gang was gone.

It is a regular happening now as the laneway behind the houses on the main Ballinacurra road is riddled with scum almost every night of the week now, drinking and worse. The little motorbikes are tearing around the streets and footpaths, and the scrotes are doing what they like when they like.

I know for a fact that Roxboro gardai have a nice long list of calls made to their station from the area, and that many of the locals have started keeping lists of when calls where made that got no response as well as not deleting the call made lists from their phones.

Itsdacraic

Can we just make this (or one of the other weekly I love/hate Limerick threads) a sticky?

Fair f**kin boring at this stage.

Raiser

Kess73 wrote: »

I know for a fact that Roxboro gardai have a nice long list of calls made to their station from the area, and that many of the locals have started keeping lists of when calls where made that got no response as well as not deleting the call made lists from their phones.

The Gardaí will happily tell you that they have to set up drink-driving spot checks in Bruff or weigh a Truck on Childers Road etc.

Anything but actually do their job, it would be an absolute joke except for the worry and heartbreak its causing decent Citizens :mad:

I honestly believe it will not change until they ignore a 999 call for a serious assault and some poor 15 year old is left stabbed and bleeding before dying on the ground. The night the Coroner arrives from Dublin before the Gardaí arrive at the scene of the assault is when Tony Killeen and the Garda Superintendent will get involved and Roxboro Garda station will be called to account as being totally responsible for preventing a fatality on their crap, lazy, self-serving, ignorant watch.

- On a related note I am starting to hear more and more from different sources that People are increasingly of the opinion that Limerick Gardaí are just waiting to be moved on elsewhere. Do your time in Limerick Son, keep your head down, stay in the squad car and then move on somewhere civilised and nice.......