Athlone West

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

veryangryman wrote: »

Shopping centres, banks, flat land, car parks and an oddity of a rugby team that claims to be in connaught.

Bucks are fierce weird. The only exception within a five mile radius of the bridge. Most on Ros side claim address as westmeath. Even brideswell it seems. But I digress

The only people that use Westmeath in their address in my home area are blow ins from Westmeath having trouble with the fact that they live in Ros! We're about 5 miles out.

witnessmenow wrote: »

We are well out the Ros side, my GF was saying that "we were changed to Westmeath" for our post, not sure exactly what that means but apparently our post gets delivered faster if we use Westmeath as the address as our post is sorted and delivered from Athlone

I don't think having Westmeath makes any difference at all. I know a lot of my parents bills come marked Westmeath but I think that's more to do with the companies themselves. Having said that, I work with a girl in Kerry who used to live past Ballydangan whose postman told her she was a Westmeath address, so no way will she accept it when I tell her she was living in Roscommon, despite the fact that she was nearer to flipping Galway! So maybe there's some truth in it. Or else our postmen are away with the fairies.

Long Gone

John_Rambo wrote: »

The Left Bank West side of the town is nicer. It’s hilly, has the castle, golden mile, the gallery and that pedestrianised area. They should definitely try and pedestrianise more of it. Certainly all around the castle.

Golden Mile ? - What Golden Mile ? ? - And there is no pedestrianised area.

roosterman71

Long Gone wrote: »

Golden Mile ? - What Golden Mile ? ? - And there is no pedestrianised area.

Golden Mile is a walk way around by Leisure world along by the Shannon
View from white brdge

John_Rambo

Long Gone wrote: »

Golden Mile ? - What Golden Mile ? ? .

Calm down. You, like me mustn't be local, I guess it's a hidden gem. A lot of runners, joggers and walkers would be familiar with the golden mile.

Long Gone wrote: »

And there is no pedestrianised area.

My bad. I actually thought that paved area on main street was pedestrianised, but it isn't! I think it should be. I think all the historical area around the castle should be.

dandyelevan

Itzy wrote: »

I completely agree about the parking situation. The west side has absolutely no free parking what so ever and what is there at the moment, isn't great.

There will be plenty of parking room on the far side in 2017 when Custume Barracks closes.
St. Peter's Church will benefit most with a 42 acre car-park, all of it on flat ground !

billbond4

If you put down athlone co.roscommon on your dealings with revenue, your tax office will be galway.
But if you put down athlone, Co.westmeath your tax office is the one in Athlone, so it can make a difference

Long Gone

John_Rambo wrote: »

Calm down. You, like me mustn't be local, I guess it's a hidden gem. A lot of runners, joggers and walkers would be familiar with the golden mile.

Oh I'm a local alright, and I'm very familiar with the walk in question - Never heard it referred to as "the golden mile" before though.... Who came up with that codology ?

John_Rambo

Long Gone wrote: »

Who came up with that codology ?

It's been known as the Golden Mile for a long long time. Who came up with the name Golden Island many years ago? Who came up with any of the various names anywhere? Sometimes history forgets why places are named unless it's very obvious and has "mill" or "lake" in it. Don't know why you think the name is "codology" Do you think the name Monksland or The Left Bank is codology too?

John_Rambo

dandyelevan wrote: »

There will be plenty of parking room on the far side in 2017 when Custume Barracks closes.

Is the Barracks closing?

BoB_BoT

Long Gone wrote: »

Oh I'm a local alright, and I'm very familiar with the walk in question - Never heard it referred to as "the golden mile" before though.... Who came up with that codology ?

We always called it #1, thought it had something to do with the canons.

demanufactured

BoB_BoT wrote: »

We always called it #1, thought it had something to do with the canons.

Number 1...refers to the navigation markers on the river.
I always thought that place was called riverside walk.

Lenin Skynard

dandyelevan wrote: »

There will be plenty of parking room on the far side in 2017 when Custume Barracks closes.
St. Peter's Church will benefit most with a 42 acre car-park, all of it on flat ground !

If rumours are to be believed, the Garda training college is moving from Templemore into that site.

Mearings

demanufactured wrote: »

Number 1...refers to the navigation markers on the river.
I always thought that place was called riverside walk.

http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WM&regno=15003134

Long Gone

John_Rambo wrote: »

It's been known as the Golden Mile for a long long time.

Oh yeah ? By who exactly ? ? - I have never heard it referred to as the Golden Mile. It's the riverside walk to No.1. The Golden Mile is in Kowloon in Hong Kong.

John_Rambo wrote: »

Do you think the name The Left Bank is codology too?

No - I think calling The Far Side "The Left Bank" is a complete load of pathetic Horlicks. (Not to mention that the area is actually on the right bank). That name was invented by some arty farty beardy weirdie marketing buffoon who wanted the place to sound "hip" and "trendy" no doubt. No true Athlonian would ever refer to The Far Side as "The Left Bank". :rolleyes:

Same for the "Golden Mile"......;)

Long Gone

demanufactured wrote: »

Number 1...refers to the navigation markers on the river.

No it doesn't. It's called No.1 because it was the location of the No 1 Battery built to protect the crossing point of the Shannon during the threat of a Napoleonic invasion.

BoB_BoT

Long Gone wrote: »

Oh yeah ? By who exactly ? ? - I have never heard it referred to as the Golden Mile. It's the riverside walk to No.1. The Golden Mile is in Kowloon in Hong Kong.

The question we're all truly ignoring here is, is it really a mile long? And where is all this gold? :P

malachy47

http://books.google.ie/books/about/Athlone_s_Golden_Mile_1920_1980.html?id=in3NHAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Athlone's Golden Mile is a book written by the late Frank Egan in 1980. I *think* it refers to Church/Castlemaine St. but my memory may be faulty, it could well be the whole way from Connacht St. down to Castlemaine St.

Mearings

Rereading the attachment on post #44, would it not be wonderful if No 1 Battery were tidied up & an archaeological dig to take place? This could be done in conjunction with the restoration of the canal which appears to have started.

demanufactured

Long Gone wrote: »

No it doesn't. It's called No.1 because it was the location of the No 1 Battery built to protect the crossing point of the Shannon during the threat of a Napoleonic invasion.

I stand corrected..

John_Rambo

Long Gone wrote: »

Oh yeah ? By who exactly ? ? - I have never heard it referred to as the Golden Mile. It's the riverside walk to No.1. The Golden Mile is in Kowloon in Hong Kong.




No - I think calling The Far Side "The Left Bank" is a complete load of pathetic Horlicks. (Not to mention that the area is actually on the right bank). That name was invented by some arty farty beardy weirdie marketing buffoon who wanted the place to sound "hip" and "trendy" no doubt. No true Athlonian would ever refer to The Far Side as "The Left Bank". :rolleyes:

Same for the "Golden Mile"......;)

Yeah, sure destination branding is a joke, look at the Gold Coast, Wild Atlantic Way, Garden Route, Great Western Greenway, Ring of Kerry, Wine Route, Wicklow Way… they never caught on.

Mearings

John_Rambo wrote: »

Yeah, sure destination branding is a joke, look at the Gold Coast, Wild Atlantic Way, Garden Route, Great Western Greenway, Ring of Kerry, Wine Route, Wicklow Way… they never caught on.

It's the Left Bank except it is the right bank.

“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

John_Rambo

The left bank of any river is on the left hand side as you travel downriver. (with the flow)

Lenin Skynard

John_Rambo wrote: »

The left bank of any river is on the left hand side as you travel downriver. (with the flow)

Well that'd make it on the right hand side surely as the river flows south. Not that I've any objection to the name, I always thought it was called that beause it's on the left bank as you approach it coming over the bridge.

Anesthetize

Mearings wrote: »

It's the Left Bank except it is the right bank.

I'm pretty sure it was named the Left Bank by one of the many people who can't tell their left from their right

John_Rambo

Mearings wrote: »

It's the Left Bank except it is the right bank.

Yeah, I get this. I guess it's one of Athlone's quirky idiosyncrasies.

Mearings wrote: »

“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

Not sure I get the relevance of the Lewis Carroll quote. In bold?

Mearings wrote: »

Rereading the attachment on post #44, would it not be wonderful if No 1 Battery were tidied up & an archaeological dig to take place? This could be done in conjunction with the restoration of the canal which appears to have started.

This however makes sense. A proper decent proposal and a good idea. You should get to it and see if you can head up a team to carry out the work. I volunteered on a similar project in Dublin. Very rewarding and good social fun.

martin1

ok

I herby volunteer...................next !!

Lt J.R. Bell

Long Gone wrote: »

Lack of parking is a big part of the problem - They need to open out somewhere so that people can park and start developing the area properly - And no more of that pathetic "Left Bank" b***oxiligy.

Even the residents and their guests at the flats on Pearse Street, who despite actually having parking passes, get clamped by the Independent Groups, around the small car parks around the flats.

The Left Bank might be nonsense (I don't really think so, there is charm to the area around the castle), but at least there is some colour and life in what is a horrible looking area. Sad, West Side use to be were all the action happened. Most of the South Roscommon Brigade would cycle in to Athlone to shop there back in the day.

Sure, Irishtown has turned into a ghost area too

Lt J.R. Bell

nice_guy80 wrote: »

garda station, post office, tax office, barracks, church, castle on the west bank

whats on the other side?

The commercial side of the town, and bar the Town Centre and Golden Island, nothing. (Well, it's a lot for the size of the town)

The best pubs and restaurants start from the Bridge area to down as far as the Shamrock Lodge. Oh, and you forgot the Dean Crowe Hall (hey, the All Ireland Drama Festival goes there, that's culture right? As is the Castle and Art Gallery)

Would like to see something go into the building that was once the Palace. What though?

Lt J.R. Bell

veryangryman wrote: »

Shopping centres, banks, flat land, car parks and an oddity of a rugby team that claims to be in connaught.

Bucks are fierce weird. The only exception within a five mile radius of the bridge. Most on Ros side claim address as westmeath. Even brideswell it seems. But I digress

Buccaneers were originally Ballinasloe/Athlone. Played games in Ballinasloe when the good teams came over, Moher Park was smaller.

Most on Roscommon side.....? Who is calling Brideswell part of Westmeath? Blown ins? Monksland and onwards is clearly in Roscommon and always have been.

athlonelad

Lt J.R. Bell wrote: »

Buccaneers were originally Ballinasloe/Athlone. Played games in Ballinasloe when the good teams came over, Moher Park was smaller.

Most on Roscommon side.....? Who is calling Brideswell part of Westmeath? Blown ins? Monksland and onwards is clearly in Roscommon and always have been.

Athlone RFC played in Connacht long before they merged with Ballinasloe and before they became Buccaneers. They always played in connacht.

There was a time however I believe that there was a club based in Athlone who played in Leinster but that was before WWII.