Underrated town/city/village in Ireland?

rosedream

What Irish town, city or village do you think is underrated and deserves more recognition in regards to culture and tourism, the locals and how welcoming they are to people from other counties, community, shops, restaurants, nightlife, etc, etc.

0byme75341jo28

Athy.

The Backwards Man

My town.

snubbleste

Oileán Thoraigh

Pat Mustard

Rathkeale.

An eclectic melting pot of culture, well known for its sophisticated citizenry and their elegant weddings.

fleet_admiral

Sligo

The jewel of the northwest

Nib

Galway City.

Spent a weekend there once and I have to say, it's unbelievable. The nightlife is amazing, such a vibrant atmosphere around the streets. There's very few beggars, apart from those Roma cretins. It's very clean and not too expensive. The locals and hotel/bar/restaurant staff are very friendly too.

Tail Docker

"Insert random town, as "I" live there."

MadYaker

Nib wrote: »

Galway City.

Spent a weekend there once and I have to say, it's unbelievable. The nightlife is amazing, such a vibrant atmosphere around the streets. There's very few beggars, apart from those Roma cretins. It's very clean and not too expensive. The locals and hotel/bar/restaurant staff are very friendly too.

It has that reputation, it isn't underrated, it's overrated in some ways imo.

fleet_admiral

Nib wrote: »

Galway City.

Spent a weekend there once and I have to say, it's unbelievable. The nightlife is amazing, such a vibrant atmosphere around the streets. There's very few beggars, apart from those Roma cretins. It's very clean and not too expensive. The locals and hotel/bar/restaurant staff are very friendly too.

Galway town isnt underrated its overrated

mariaalice

There are a few place, Ardmore in Waterford the cliff walk is gorgeous on a sunny day, The coast line north of Sligo before Donegal the beaches are lovely, a few places in Leitrim there are lots of hidden gems in Ireland.

Donnielighto

Strandhill

Donnielighto

Limerick is underrated actually due to historical issues.

TeamJesus

Definitely Dundalk

neil_hosey

Eyeries and Allihies on the beara peninsula, beautiful places.

c_man

Ah there was a little village outside Limerick I visited last year. It was just lovely. There was some castle/big house and really impressive grounds near-by. A nice park in the middle of the village. Umm, no name. I'll think of it yet.

edrof

MadYaker wrote: »

It has that reputation, it isn't underrated, it's overrated in some ways imo.

Yes I agree it is overrated in ways. And Im from there! Another overated one is Westport..the destination for stags and hens from Dublin. The Irish Times has a lot to answer for

Archeron

I visited Cobh recently for the first time, and it's a beautiful town with such a history. Well kept, great public spaces, well priced hotels, friendly people, I'm really looking forward to going back someday soon. The cathedral is an amazing building and some of the sculptures dotted around are very cool.

First time I've ever woken up in a hotel room to see people on a cruise liner waving as the ship sails out to sea, while I was still lying in bed!

indigo twist

c_man wrote: »

Ah there was a little village outside Limerick I visited last year. It was just lovely. There was some castle/big house and really impressive grounds near-by. A nice park in the middle of the village. Umm, no name. I'll think of it yet.

Bunratty?

c_man

indigo twist wrote: »

Bunratty?

Nah, it was in county Limerick.

edrof

indigo twist wrote: »

Bunratty?

Or Adare?

lufties

Limerick city.

Fat Christy

Longford Town

First_October

Lismore - gorgeous village

biko

Carlingford, County Louth

Capt'n Midnight

Donnielighto wrote: »

Limerick is underrated actually due to historical issues.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/limerick-has-lost-its-stab-city-claim-to-infamy-1-4976111

THE STATE pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy, said Limerick’s former reputation as ‘Stab City’ is now wholly undeserved, as the murder rate in Limerick has dropped dramatically in recent years.

Calibos

Bray. Will take a few more years to recover from the legacy of lack of confidence and under-investment caused by an undeserved reputation from several decades of being the daytrip destination of choice for Dublins finest. The reversal began in 2006 when the Darts closed every weekend for an entire Summer for line works and Dublins Finest had to find somewhere else to have their fun. They never came back en masse like before. Hence Howth/Portmarnock Riot 2008,09,10,11,12,13,14 on Youtube. Brays seafront became gentrified and now its packed every day with kids and families and picnickers and walkers/joggers etc etc Coffee shops and restaurants popping up all over the place etc.

WinnyThePoo

Calibos wrote: »

Bray. Will take a few more years to recover from the legacy of lack of confidence and under-investment caused by an undeserved reputation from several decades of being the daytrip destination of choice for Dublins finest. The reversal began in 2006 when the Darts closed every weekend for an entire Summer for line works and Dublins Finest had to find somewhere else to have their fun. They never came back en masse like before. Hence Howth/Portmarnock Riot 2008,09,10,11,12,13,14 on Youtube. Brays seafront became gentrified and now its packed every day with kids and families and picnickers and walkers/joggers etc etc Coffee shops and restaurants popping up all over the place etc.

Big fan of Bray myself. Seafronts lovely.

I'm from Greystones so I suppose I have to go for my home town.

Totally Tropical

rosedream wrote: »

What Irish town, city or village do you think is underrated and deserves more recognition in regards to culture and tourism, the locals and how welcoming they are to people from other counties, community, shops, restaurants, nightlife, etc, etc.

Most underrated town Youghal in Cork.Village Ardmore in Waterford and for cities it's between Waterford and Limerick.Both of those cities are great places, they have some great architecture and genuinely warm and welcoming locals yet they are ignored by a lot of visitors to this country.Limerick for example has the best examples of georgian architecture in this country outside Dublin.Cork City is underrated as well imo.It's over shadowed by Dublin and Belfast but i think it's a nice city with plenty to offer.

retalivity

Ardara
Rathmullen
Ramelton
Sligo
Howth

Balmed Out

Of places people dont go on about so much Id mention Dungarvan and Derry.

fat_sam

limerick city
mullingar
navan

BMJD

Ballymun, the car tax office is lovely.

Frank Lee Midere

I was in Dungarven recently. Nice place.

Killaloe/Ballina is not well known. Lovely spot.

Frank Lee Midere

retalivity wrote: »

Ardara
Rathmullen
Ramelton
Sligo
Howth

Howth is getting Bray's old reputation. Exaggerated I think.

Sweet Rose

Dunfanaghy in Co.Donegal. Lots of forward thinking people live there and it's a very picturesque wee town with lots of lovely shops, cafes and pubs. It hosted an amazing Jazz and Blues festival at the weekend. I love Donegal

Last_Minute

Waterford is an underrated town, it has some nice restaurants and is small and compact.

Frank Lee Midere

Last_Minute wrote: »

Waterford is an underrated town, it has some nice restaurants and is small and compact.

It is. The people living there and nearby ( I'm looking at you Kilkenny) don't rate it but it's pleasant to visit.

ben.schlomo

Another one for Limerick although the shops are mostly sh1te, the Milk Market is great, some lovely pubs and the castle is worth a look too.

fat_sam

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Another one for Limerick although the shops are mostly sh1te, the Milk Market is great, some lovely pubs and the castle is worth a look too.

limerick is better for shopping than galway and houses are least 40% cheaper

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Cork and it's inhabitants are consistently rated very poorly by many people on this site but according to Lonely Planet it's one of the best cities to visit in the world.

Totally Tropical

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Another one for Limerick although the shops are mostly sh1te, the Milk Market is great, some lovely pubs and the castle is worth a look too.

I think the shopping is great in Limerick. You have the oldest independent book store in Ireland O'Mahonys and the Discount Shop on Bedford Row is a great spot for some bargain price menswear. I also like the Limerick Sports store and Gleesons sports shop is good as well. I always found the clerks in the Limerick shops to be particularly friendly. It has a nice rivefront and it would be my favourite Irish city along with Cork for just wandering around and taking in the atmosphere. Oh and the Crescent is the biggest shopping centre in Ireland outside of Dublin. The bus from town to the Crescent runs every 15 minutes as well. It also has the Texas Steakout! Granted it aint Michelin star cuisine but you'll struggle to find better when it comes to no fuss good and wholesome fair. For higher end dining the French Table is very good and you can enjoy a lovely view of the river while you eat your food. For hotels the George is very good value for a four star hotel and you have the the shopping georgian and nightlife district all on your doorstep.

dgt

Underrated? Slane. So much happens in such a small village

fat_sam wrote: »

limerick city
mullingar
navan

Fairly underrated alright. Whilst the town has modernized and changed dramatically in places it somehow managed to retain most of the miserable auld whingey f*cks that frequent the town day to day, a feat in itself!

I suppose, what other poor souls would put up with that lot though

John Doe1

Letterkenny

*Largest population centre in the northwest
*A great nightlife
*3rd level college
*Great parks and Shopping centres
*Theatre and Arts centre
*Impressive cathedral that is a great landmark for the town.
*20 mins drive to the majestic Glenveagh national park
*only 30 mins from Derry and 1 hr 45 mins from Belfast
*Pretty central to explore the rest of Donegal and has plenty of hotels.

Other underrated cities/towns/villages:
Glaslough, Co. Monaghan
Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
Cobh Co. Cork
Derry City(Last walled city in Europe with cannons actually used in Siege of Derry dotted around!)

Gerry069

c_man wrote: »

Ah there was a little village outside Limerick I visited last year. It was just lovely. There was some castle/big house and really impressive grounds near-by. A nice park in the middle of the village. Umm, no name. I'll think of it yet.

Askeaton.
One of the oldest town in Ireland.

DLMA23

Garrykennedy

https://www.google.ie/search?q=garrykennedy&client=firefox-a&hs=dhf&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&biw=1245&bih=905&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=RfYrVLqhB--07QbqyoDIDg&ved=0CDAQsAQ

DublinWriter

Drogheda.

Mal-Adjusted

Nib wrote: »

Galway City.

Spent a weekend there once and I have to say, it's unbelievable. The nightlife is amazing, such a vibrant atmosphere around the streets. There's very few beggars, apart from those Roma cretins. It's very clean and not too expensive. The locals and hotel/bar/restaurant staff are very friendly too.

Everything you say about the city is true, but I wouldn't consider it underrated as it already has the reputation. Though I would consider some places within it to be overrated, for instance, i never saw the almost fanatical Mcdonagh's has among people.

Archeron wrote: »

I visited Cobh recently for the first time, and it's a beautiful town with such a history. Well kept, great public spaces, well priced hotels, friendly people, I'm really looking forward to going back someday soon. The cathedral is an amazing building and some of the sculptures dotted around are very cool.

+1. I had to kill a few hours after dropping someone off in Cork so took a spin out to Cobh. It's a great little town. Their Titanic museum isn't half bad either.

I 'd like to add Carrick-on-Shannon to the underrated list. it's a gorgeous little town with nice food and a good nightlife. I stayed there for a weekend last year and loved it.

donegaLroad

Sweet Rose wrote: »

Dunfanaghy in Co.Donegal. Lots of forward thinking people live there and it's a very picturesque wee town with lots of lovely shops, cafes and pubs. It hosted an amazing Jazz and Blues festival at the weekend. I love Donegal

Dunfanaghy is booming at the minute. Im up there regularly, a lot of northern people have retired there.

Knight who says Meh

Donnielighto wrote: »

Limerick is underrated actually due to historical issues.

Spent 10 days based in Limerick last year as a base to explore Clare and North Kerry etc. Thought it was an excellent city
Oh aye, probably cos Im a sucker for Castles and ancient buildings but I think Dundalk is a great spot.

tritium

Dublin is a lovely and massively underrated city that gets too much bitterness thrown at it by folks who often done very well out of what it provides. Has some beautiful spots and a great history and culture.