Enniscorthy

Judgement Day

zerks wrote: »

Mystery solved,there was a fire in one of the flats above the nightclub.

I heard it was burning baby bottles - the mind boggles!

kneemos

Judgement Day wrote: »

I heard it was burning baby bottles - the mind boggles!

Being warmed in a saucepan and forgotton about perhaps.

Judgement Day

Question:

When did you last see a member of the gardai on the beat in Enniscorthy i.e. on foot? Excluding guarding the money convoy, the Strawberry Festival and St.Patrick's Day. The reasons for my question will become apparent later in the thread.

Cantona's Collars

About 6 months ago I reckon,around Christmas time if I recall correctly was the last time I spotted one.
They could do with taking a stroll from the station to Pigmarket Hill now & again to confiscate the booze from our local beerhounds that congregate there.

kneemos

Last summer.

Judgement Day

I should have added, walking between O'Brien's Sandwich Bar and the barracks is also excluded, as is the short stroll from Malocca's to the car park beside the Antique.

Judgement Day

This afternoon, for the second time in three days I found myself reporting a crime to the Gardai at Enniscorthy barracks. The first, on Thursday, a ramming of the electronic gates at a friend's house a few miles outside town and today a break-in and attempted robbery where I live in the centre of town - at lunchtime! As brazen an attempted robbery as I have ever seen - a man and a woman with Dublin accents forced the main door on the premises, ransacked the offices on the floor below me and when they came upon me asked 'was there a hairdressers on the street' - this after ransacking the offices! Good thinking to bring a women with him as I was less inclined to give him a box. They left the building pronto and were joined by two other women. I followed them into the Market Square, along Rafter Street, and Court Street before they got into a Dublin registered VW on Friary Hill - photo and registration with Gardai.

Fortunately, my children were not in the house but anybody considering repeating this performance would be well-advised to make a will before so doing.

In all honesty I'm getting sick of being a one-man vigilante patrol - I also tracked three scumbags (locals) through the town on a Saturday morning about a month ago - casing premises to break into - and also photographed them. It's not my job and there needs to be some sort of garda foot presence on the street - it's just not right to expect citizens to undertake garda work. There's civic duty but in my opinion tracking and photographing criminals is going beyond the call of (my) duty.

Cantona's Collars

Recently there have been break ins in the Bellfield & Milehouse areas carried out during the day,these are not rural areas yet the scumbags are brazen enough to do it in areas where there's lots of passers-by.

jpb1974

I should have added, walking between O'Brien's Sandwich Bar and the barracks is also excluded, as is the short stroll from Malocca's to the car park beside the Antique.

At least they walked... spotted a garda in Gorey come out of the station, hop into the patrol car, drive to the shop a few doors up from the bus stop just past the cross roads, pick up the newspaper and drive back to the garda station.

You're talking about a 30 second walk...

klong

Seen two guards on the beat last Tuesday afternoon on Rafter St

Very rare I'd see members on the beat in town though

kneemos

Not sure I see the benefit of a guard on the beat.They can respond quicker in a patrol car I would have thought.

Judgement Day

kneemos wrote: »

Not sure I see the benefit of a guard on the beat.They can respond quicker in a patrol car I would have thought.

On the beat they see things that you don't see from a car, they interact with people and can be informed about suspicious characters. The Saturday when I pursued the three local skangers I could have reported them had there been anyone on the beat - as it was I didn't even report it to the barracks. Also, from a skangers point of view, if they feel that there's even the slightest chance of being caught in the act they are less likely to risk it - they are, after all, cowardly filth at heart. The gardai need to be proactive rather than reactive!

paulaa

I agree with you Judgement Day. I remember when Gardai were on the beat day and night (a long time ago) . There was far less mindless vandalism and rows around the town .

Cantona's Collars

I see the 'TO LET' sign has gone up in the window of Abrakebabra.

Technically not Enniscorthy but Slaney Building Supplies is open again & trading under a new name.(Slaney Agri & Building I think) Nice to see a business rise from the ashes.

Cantona's Collars

Article in this weeks Echo "Nothing on the horizon for Court House",over half a million spent & it lies idle,I suppose empty buildings are all the rage in the town so it fits in well.

Traders on Rafter St. are bemoaning the lack of foot traffic,a pedestrianised zone with no pedestrians.

Great to see so many visitors to the town on Sunday but having to dodge dog faeces every two yards on our streets shouldn't have to be done.I even overheard a few complaining as they followed the pikemen from the Duffry,not a great advertisement for the town or maybe the plan was to make it feel authentic & like 1798 when animal droppings on streets were the norm.

Judgement Day

Great post! Yeah, I thought all the broken glass along Castle Street must have been part of the the reenactment. Why can't we have a serious clean-up of the town like that which appears to have taken place in the Lidl carpark - you could hear your proverbial dinner off it now.

As regards empty buildings, unless the council start slashing rates there are going to be a great deal more of them sooner rather than later. The council are squeezing the life out of what's left of commerce in the town. A shop that I've had my eye on for a couple of years now has been re-rated to such an extent that it almost equals the rent in some other shops in the town - and it's on a small side street. :mad:

Cantona's Collars

Judgement Day wrote: »

clean-up of the town like that which appears to have taken place in the Lidl carpark - you could hear your proverbial dinner off it now.

Lidl had contractors in for 2 days powerhosing the carpark & the footpath outside of it,pity others in the town wouldn't do the same.

The Market Square could be a very depressing site in a couple of months-TSB to close,Abrakebabra closed & Whites up for sale (will probably close seeing as nobody goes into the place)

blindsider

Fair play to Lidl. They have obviously worked out that keeping a place clean and tidy pays dividends. (I know people complain that their interiors are spartan, but Lidl Enniscorthy has never been dirty when I was there.)

Haven't been in Enniscorthy for a year now, but I do hear of tumbleweeds on Rafter St, and it sounds like the Market Sq won't be far behind.

What used to be a nicely busy town has turned into one which is either empty, or snarled with traffic which is going somewhere else.

It's a real shame.......

kneemos

Find it hard to figure out how Dunnes would'nt make more from rent in thier old store than they would lose in sales,plus the added footfall in the area if the old store was rented.Thats assuming anyones interested.

sundula

kneemos wrote: »

Find it hard to figure out how Dunnes would'nt make more from rent in thier old store than they would lose in sales,plus the added footfall in the area if the old store was rented.Thats assuming anyones interested.

Dunnes are leaving it closed to suit themselves, anyone with genuine interest in that premises would be in direct competion with Dunnes, why would they rent to the competion. They couldnt care if Rafter St. is closed for good. Its funny that the town council think they will get a reply from Dunnes being as Dunnes have never responded to any of the councils previous letters. Did the great Cllr Kavanagh not declare that he had it on good authority that someone would be trading from the Rafter St. store within monthes when he opened the Rafter St renovation. ?

sundula

zerks wrote: »

The Market Square could be a very depressing site in a couple of months-TSB to close,Abrakebabra closed & Whites up for sale (will probably close seeing as nobody goes into the place)

Pity the Tesco's development didnt open then they would have someone to blame for the centre of town closing.

Lack of commercial development and retail park(s) have left Enniscorthy as an inconvenience on the N11 between Gorey and Wexford town. Its far easier drive to Gorey or Wexford to buy, especially large items. More choice, better parking and less hassle.

I have been in Gorey recently and have been suprised at how busy the town still is even with bypass. I would hazard a guess that if and when the bypass of Enniscorthy is complete the town will be a complete ghost town.

blindsider

Sundula - I'm sure you're right, the town will be quieter when the By-pass eventually opens.

However, the current situation of traffic snailing through town does nothing for the place either. Speaking to anyone who drives regularly in the region, usually gets a groan and a sigh when Enniscorthy is mentioned. It's an inconvenience on an otherwise decent road from Rosslare to Dublin - people won't stop there because they see Enniscorthy as a negative part of the journey - and either end of their journey is not that far away.

If people are to stop in Enniscorthy, and spend money on lunch or accommodation etc, then someone will need to give them a good reason to stop - IMO there's no good reason to stop there now.

sundula

I not saying the bypass is not wanted, it most certainly is, Im just pointing out how Gorey still seems to be busy where as I just dont see how Enniscorthy would be.

blindsider

Sundula- apologies - I wan't trying to disagree with you. And I agree with your last post even more!

Judgement Day

I'm sure it's just coincidence but I've noticed several gardai on daytime patrol around the town in recent days - probably the good weather.

Bearhunter

Either that or a cafe is doign cheap donuts.

As an aside, anyone fancy catching up for a pint sometime? I'm over in September for as couple of weeks if anyone fancies moaning about the state of the council in licensed premises for a change.

marnieb

sundula wrote: »

I not saying the bypass is not wanted, it most certainly is, Im just pointing out how Gorey still seems to be busy where as I just dont see how Enniscorthy would be.

Yes I so agree, don't think they can use the bypass as an excuse as to why Enniscorthy is Dying before our eyes anymore, maybe it may even help, most people that pass throught do not stop in Enniscorthy as its just a matter of gettting over the Bridge and continue on, what ever side you come from. No shops equals no people, it's sad to see, Gorey most definitely a more prosperous town nowadays

kneemos

marnieb wrote: »

Yes I so agree, don't think they can use the bypass as an excuse as to why Enniscorthy is Dying before our eyes anymore, maybe it may even help, most people that pass throught do not stop in Enniscorthy as its just a matter of gettting over the Bridge and continue on, what ever side you come from. No shops equals no people, it's sad to see, Gorey most definitely a more prosperous town nowadays

Tesco?

Cantona's Collars

Was in Wexford this morning,didn't even go into the town centre & the shops I visited such as Tesco,Woodies even Lidl were packed.I'd safely say there were more people in those 3 stores combined than on the streets of Enniscorthy when I returned.
As usual the traffic in Enniscorthy was chronic this morning,most of it leaving the town.

St Senan

Traffic lights at Barrack street Mary street junction.

How long is it that these lights have been installed and they still are not working. Ridiculous in this day and age.