Has Limerick always been deprived ?

Special Circumstances

I went to Galway once. Twas fierce noisy and busy. I had a meal there and sure twas only oul bits and pieces of things. Spanish place or something - they had no gravy anyway.

Came home half rattled from all the noise and commotion and starved with the hunger. Had a feeeed of carvery, lashings of it, and decided I'd never go out foreign again.

stefanovich

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I went to Galway once. Twas fierce noisy and busy. I had a meal there and sure twas only oul bits and pieces of things. Spanish place or something - they had no gravy anyway.

Came home half rattled from all the noise and commotion and starved with the hunger. Had a feeeed of carvery, lashings of it, and decided I'd never go out foreign again.

Not a fan of Galway myself now. Too much traffic. City centre is too small. It's a mess. All the fecking hippies too, can't stand them.

goochy

I moved from the greater dublin area to cork 9 yrs ago - job transfer - could have ended up in limerick just as easily.
As said I am a fan of limerick and it's people but I think I would have trouble living there as there's too much variation in the physical enviroment / eyesores.
cork is far from perfect but I don't come across that much depressing sites / eyesores like in limerick. I think I would be depressed in limerick. Know it sounds strange.but look how rundown dock road is - Tipperary road has that terrible halting site and dublin road has horizon mall site . Ennis road has coonagh cross centre - believe that's being redeveloped.

All these things create a very bad impression of a great city . Obviously bad planning is to blame

BoatMad

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I went to Galway once. Twas fierce noisy and busy. I had a meal there and sure twas only oul bits and pieces of things. Spanish place or something - they had no gravy anyway.

Came home half rattled from all the noise and commotion and starved with the hunger. Had a feeeed of carvery, lashings of it, and decided I'd never go out foreign again.

And it's ALWAYS pissing rain in Galway.

Personally I prefer wexford, great eateries , a nice cute linear Main Street , and sunshine cause it's near France . However there isn't a wide street in the place

sleepyman

Yeah despite the progress/improvements there is still alot of tacky streets/shops/eyesores.I'm not sure the City Council have the skillet or open their eyes to the fact that Limerick still has a long way to go.
I'd rather take the money being proposed for that awful proposed bridge and spend it on improving William St and up near the station.

zulutango

Many of us who live in Limerick, and who have lived elsewhere in the past, can see how good life can be here. It's not obvious to outsiders though and we shouldn't be blind to the real challenges, which Goochy has mentioned.

When it comes to the city centre streets these are possibly the least attractive in the country. There's no denying it. The city centre is very ugly. But the thing is, these could be the most beautiful, elegant and appealing urban spaces in Ireland. We could beat the pants off every other Irish city in terms of our appeal, and the transformation wouldn't be that difficult or expensive. The only problem is that the council are so devoid of imagination that they themselves can't see it. Part of the problem is that there is no city architect / urban design department. So, the people tasked with transforming the city are amateurs, who are making things up as they go along.

Same goes for the approach roads. Mulgrave Street, Clare Street, Dock Road (to name just a few) leave a terrible first impression to the visitor. And if you're a commuter or frequent visitor driving these roads you could be forgiven for thinking that the city is a ****hole.

There could be a total transformation of Limerick in 5 - 10 years if these problems were addressed, but the frustrating thing is there isn't even a plan to address them.

stefanovich

zulutango wrote: »

but the frustrating thing is there isn't even a plan to address them.

OR even acknowledgement that there is an issue.

Silentcorner

I don't know, sometimes when I browse this forum I wonder am I living in the same city that is being described here...

Lets be honest, apart from leafy South Dublin all of suburban Ireland is bland at best, Limerick is no different...we do have a few more eyesores as a direct consequence of a dysfunctional local authority structure...but this is not social deprivation...

As dysfunctional as our local authority has been we have never suffered the same planning fiasco Dublin, Cork and Galway have suffered from, ensuring that our commute times are a fraction they are in other Irish cities....this is not from a lack of economic activity...

There are some ugly buildings in the City Centre, there are in all Irish city centres, we are in a period where there are more than all of us would like but it is only in the last 10/12 years that Cork has improved significantly so as a much smaller city we will see that kind of investment after Cork, not before it...I can confidently predict that there will always be ugly buildings in Limerick City Centre...just like Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford.

I believe that certainly at first glimpse Limerick is a very ordinary city, on a rainy day it looks particularly grim, the local people here also have a tendency to engage in self flagellation at a rate seen nowhere else in Ireland, that being said it is these days a very clean city, during the summer it is well presented but its ordinary look disguises a city with an extraordinary history and culture, probably the most impressive of all 4 regional cities...

As a city it completely lacks pretense, which means that it will never look nor feel like a wealthy city...never...it also makes it a very warm and open city, this is the unspoken part of Limerick that so many people, when they see past the tabloid version of Limerick, which suggests that it is a crime riddled, socially deprived sh*thole (and many Irish people will never be able to see past that) when they see past ordinary look of place fall in love with...but you need to have lived away from here to appreciate that....

goochy

Was in cork city centre today first time in long time - was quiet enough . Would say aside from limerick having more empty shops not much in it between two cities. Both have their problems and think its outskirts of city that's limericks problem.
however the previous poster is naive .

Limericks council estates have been like something you would see in 3 world country for years and as I said before the outskirts of limerick city are a disgrace . I visit all the cities except Galway quiet regularly and limericks physical enviroment is much worst than corks or Waterfords . I used to think castletroy was nice but now alot of the houses seem to be rented out and estates look shabby.

ongarboy

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I went to Galway once. Twas fierce noisy and busy. I had a meal there and sure twas only oul bits and pieces of things. Spanish place or something - they had no gravy anyway.

Yes, I always hate it when tapas bars don't pour gravy as standard over every dish! :rolleyes:

iguana

goochy wrote: »

Limericks council estates have been like something you would see in 3 world country for years and as I said before the outskirts of limerick city are a disgrace.

What outskirts? Like the Ennis Rd, O'Connell Ave, the city suburbs of Corbally, the parts of Ballysimon Rd and the Dublin Rd nearest the city and the estates around them like Lynwood, Woodlawn, etc. All solidly, pleasant middle class/upper middle class areas right on the outskirts of the city. No one is denying there aren't really bad areas on the outskirts but have you ever been up around the streets just off Parnell St in Dublin? Dominic St for example. Total kip, at a minimum it's just as bad as the worst street in Limerick. Or in the southside parts of the Coombe, heading towards St James' are very unpleasant. Even just over the canal from Ranelagh and Portobello, the flats on Charlemont St and swathes of Camden St are awful. And then there is Dolphin's Barn.

As for the state of the council estates, Garryowen is mostly just fine, Assumpta Park on the Island is too. Certainly Moyross, South Hill, St Mary's Park have severe problems but if you were walking around them and somehow went through a portal to Darndale it would take you a long time to realise anything had changed.

None of that is to say Limerick is without it's problems. It has suffered from stupid, stupid planning for a long time. And stupid initiatives that have made things worse rather than fixed what they were supposed to. But the problems here, and the ugly, anti-social estates are not worse here than they are in other parts of the country. What is worse here is that the potential is so high for this city to be small but quite magnificent and that has been all but squandered.

Special Circumstances

ongarboy wrote: »

Yes, I always hate it when tapas bars don't pour gravy as standard over every dish! :rolleyes:

Tapas! That was it. Thank jesus we have none of that messing in limerick. A good carvery in smyths can't be beat, none of that foreign malarkey!

iguana

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Tapas! That was it. Thank jesus we have none of that messing in limerick. A good carvery in smyths can't be beat, none of that foreign malarkey!

The Buttery is a Tapas bar in the evenings.

goochy

I blame settled travellers . I think the council estates are worst than in rest of country outside of dublin . I think dublin and limerick are just as bad for rundown areas. You naming a few places on outskirts that are nice doesn't make up for horizon mall site , dock road , Ennis road further out at coonagh and Tipperary road which are all quite bleak introductions to the city .

badboyblast

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Tapas! That was it. Thank jesus we have none of that messing in limerick. A good carvery in smyths can't be beat, none of that foreign malarkey!

I was in a bar once in Spain and the bar man smacked everyone on the arse when they entered the bar , thought is was weird and when I asked the locals they said it was a tapas bar ....,,

Cityslicker1

Silentcorner wrote: »

I don't know, sometimes when I browse this forum I wonder am I living in the same city that is being described here...

Lets be honest, apart from leafy South Dublin all of suburban Ireland is bland at best, Limerick is no different...we do have a few more eyesores as a direct consequence of a dysfunctional local authority structure...but this is not social deprivation...

As dysfunctional as our local authority has been we have never suffered the same planning fiasco Dublin, Cork and Galway have suffered from, ensuring that our commute times are a fraction they are in other Irish cities....this is not from a lack of economic activity...

There are some ugly buildings in the City Centre, there are in all Irish city centres, we are in a period where there are more than all of us would like but it is only in the last 10/12 years that Cork has improved significantly so as a much smaller city we will see that kind of investment after Cork, not before it...I can confidently predict that there will always be ugly buildings in Limerick City Centre...just like Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford.

I believe that certainly at first glimpse Limerick is a very ordinary city, on a rainy day it looks particularly grim, the local people here also have a tendency to engage in self flagellation at a rate seen nowhere else in Ireland, that being said it is these days a very clean city, during the summer it is well presented but its ordinary look disguises a city with an extraordinary history and culture, probably the most impressive of all 4 regional cities...

As a city it completely lacks pretense, which means that it will never look nor feel like a wealthy city...never...it also makes it a very warm and open city, this is the unspoken part of Limerick that so many people, when they see past the tabloid version of Limerick, which suggests that it is a crime riddled, socially deprived sh*thole (and many Irish people will never be able to see past that) when they see past ordinary look of place fall in love with...but you need to have lived away from here to appreciate that....

I never feel much difference in the physical size between Cork & Limerick & if anything I find Limerick city centre is more spread out and grand than Cork. In regards to ugly buildings Limerick cc trumps both Cork & Galway when it comes to architecture as it's just more grand overall with the likes of Pery Sq, John's Sq, the Cresent and the extensive uniform Georgian streets - there's nowhere as grand in both Cork or Galway.

For me the shabbiness in Limerick is found around the immediate retail core where the main landmark buildings have been destroyed and replaced with some very soulless ugly buildings notably the Brown Thomas Building - for such an expensive shop I can't understand how they have never made any improvements, Pennys which was once a landmark - Cannocks a very ornate impressive building, Cruises Hotel which is now lego land Cruises st & the lower end of William st.
In comparison to the other two cities the original landmark buildings appear to be still intact making them more attractive - compare the Brown Thomas buildings in both Cork & Galway with Limerick. These buildings need to be addressed if the overall city centre is to be aesthetically improved.

Limerick is lucky that the majority of the cc is Georgian redbrick as it doesn't need to be painted on a regular basis. However I find a lot of the buildings in Cork get shabby quiet quickly once the paint work deteriorates which can be seen especially around north main st, Castle st, parts of Grand Parade etc. It's a pity Limerick city council do not maintain the Georgian buildings that are left as they are one of the city's main strengths.

iguana

goochy wrote: »

I blame settled travellers . I think the council estates are worst than in rest of country outside of dublin . I think dublin and limerick are just as bad for rundown areas. You naming a few places on outskirts that are nice doesn't make up for horizon mall site , dock road , Ennis road further out at coonagh and Tipperary road which are all quite bleak introductions to the city .

What sort of weird bee have you got in your bonnet about settled travellers? Are you mixing the city up with Rathkeale? I've never actually been in Rathkeale but I understand settled travellers make up a large part of the town demographic. I've never heard of Limerick city having a particularly high demographic of settled travellers and I, nor anyone I know, has ever had a problem of any sort to blame on them. There are a family of settled travellers living not too far from me but I've never had any issue at all with them. Their house in nice, their grounds are kept well. They do have some horses but they are healthy well treated animals, kept in fine looking stables and free to graze on the couple of acres of garden which the family owns. So no problems there.

As for a few places being nice not making up for some derelict sites, well let me contradict you there. They do, because thousands and thousands of people live in those nice areas. Living in a good sized family house, in a safe, pleasant area, surrounded by excellent amenities, for a price that leaves you with a very nice disposable income, more than makes up for a few horrible eye-sores that are in no way visible from your house/local area. Nobody is denying that there haven't been some absolutely disastrous planning decisions in and around this city. The Horizon Mall isn't too far from where I live and I've walked past it on occasion and taken a really good look at it. It could well be the worst eye-sore in the country. And it's far, far worse than an eye-sore. The underground car parks are full of water. Literally full, like giant underground reservoirs. I really hope something is done with that site before someone drowns in there. But Limerick doesn't have a fraction of the problems you claim. As for impression of the city. I don't know how you travel to Cork, but I went through the bus station there 6 times last year and that introduction to the city is hardly the gardens of Versailles either.

panda100

iguana wrote: »

I don't know how you travel to Cork, but I went through the bus station there 6 times last year and that introduction to the city is hardly the gardens of Versailles either.

:D The outskirts of Cork driving from Limerick is pretty grim too.Don't you pass some type of lap dancing club and brewery?

iguana wrote: »

What sort of weird bee have you got in your bonnet about settled travellers? Are you mixing the city up with Rathkeale? I've never actually been in Rathkeale but I understand settled travellers make up a large part of the town demographic.

I spend a lot of time in Rathkeale as my parents live there and can't say there are any significant issues with the settled travelers there. Of course there are issues, but nothing to the extent Goochy is suggesting. Rathkeale is a very friendly and pleasant place to live imo.

I've lived in Dublin, Cork and London and I would say Limerick is the least deprived city I have lived in. You certainly don't see that visible inequality between rich and poor that you see in other cities. It always saddened and disgusted me to see so many homeless people in London and Dublin, juxtaposed with flashy cars, restaurants and shops.

Special Circumstances

From the volume and tone of the replies here I think we can safely say Limerick people have the city they want and deserve.

This emerging tapas trend could throw a cat amongst the pigeons though. :-(

goochy

I think a visit to limerick is due soon , I must have been wearing black coloured tinted glasses the times I visited. No one said Cork is perfect its just not as bad as limerick.

also I am blaming settled travellers as I see a lot of people having horses and carts outside their houses .

Special Circumstances

Breweries. Yawk. Awful things, couldn't even live in the same county as one.

Some places even have them in the city centre.

Some even in the very bar where they serve the beer.

Showing it off, in your face, waving it around, "look at our local beers". Eeeeuw. Really really bad, I don't know what anyone sees in them. Nothing turns me off a city than a succesful local brewing industry. Give me a caravan site / scrapyard on every approach road, no contest.

At last count cork city has 3 micro breweries. Do you sit around milking parlours smacking your lips with a big jug of milk in front of you? Well whether you do or not,that's beside the point, but when I'm having a bud light (non of that cork heineken for me!) with my carvery I don't want to be looking pipes and vats and things that's for sure.

Cookiemunster

goochy wrote: »

I think a visit to limerick is due soon , I must have been wearing black coloured tinted glasses the times I visited. No one said Cork is perfect its just not as bad as limerick.

also I am blaming settled travellers as I see a lot of people having horses and carts outside their houses .

Seriously, where in Limerick have you seen this outside houses?? I think you're equating badly placed halting sites on the Dublin Road and Ennis Road with the whole of Limerick.

zulutango

Funnily enough, in spite of the perception of deprivation, isn't the Limerick region (which I guess would include East Clare and North Tipperary) supposed to be the wealthiest region outside of Dublin/Kildare?

iguana

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Seriously, where in Limerick have you seen this outside houses?? I think you're equating badly placed halting sites on the Dublin Road and Ennis Road with the whole of Limerick.

It's actually such a bonkers comment I don't know where to start. I've never seen people with carts outside the fronts of their houses. There are travellers, in halting sites who have horses and sulkie carts. In a lot of those cases the animals are not well cared for and are left tied beside busy roads on small patches of grass. It's disturbing to see, I've reported it on occasion but I understand the limitations of animal welfare officers in these situations. There are also some horses poorly housed and cared for in some corporation estates but the 'owners' of these animals are not settled travellers. I have also seen similar situations in numerous parts of Dublin both at and around halting sites and in areas like Darndale.

As I mentioned there are some settled travellers on my road who keep horses. But they have a large plot of 2+ acres on which they have a fine paddock and stables. My nextdoor neighbour, who is not a settled traveller, also keeps horses. He has stables to the back of his house and several acres of fenced in grass land for them to graze on. So again, absolutely no problem. In fact it's quite lovely as horses are very nice animals and my son loves getting to visit nextdoor and pat their nose/feed them some carrots.

Insect Overlord

I've seen sulkies in a couple of gardens along the Hyde Road, but not too many people would go for a stroll along that route every day.

Special Circumstances

I would have gone for the "city X is much worse" defense there rather than the complete denial. I know, I know, sometimes it feels like it's overplayed but a better fit on this occasion I think.

iguana

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I would have gone for the "city X is much worse" defense there rather than the complete denial. I know, I know, sometimes it feels like it's overplayed but a better fit on this occasion I think.

Where is the complete denial? There are poorly treated horses in unsuitable places. But they are kept there by travellers on halting sites or people who are not travellers, neither of which are settled travellers as the OP is constantly, bizarrely claiming. Limerick does not have any particular problem with settled travellers.

The Snipe

Anyone heard of the Curse of Saint Munchin?

The workmen employed on the building of the ancient
church of St. Munchin were one day striving to raise a
very heavy block of stone to a certain part of the work.
The saint who, at that time, was standing by, called on
some of the citizens to help the men to put the stone in its
desired position. These, having refused to lend their aid,
the saint appealed to some strangers who were passing,
who readily lent their assistance, whereupon St. Munchin
fervently thanked them and prayed that the strangers
may always prosper in Limerick and the natives be unfortunate
and unsuccessful. This story has been well confirmed
fram time to time by the fact of affairs turning
out as the saint devoutly wished. (Michael Hogan, Shawna-Scoob.
1868).

http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/curse%20of%20st%20munchin.pdf

Never know.. it could be true? :pac:

um7y1h83ge06nx

I'm happy out living in Limerick well just outside a village about 15 minutes from the city.

In terms of income I could earn a bit more in somewhere like Dublin but my other half wouldn't as she works in the public sector.

Living costs are much lower than a lot of places. We couldn't afford the house with have if it was in commuting distance to Dublin.

Limerick is also easy enough to get around. Those living in the city can be strolling on a nice country looped walk fairly quickly while those of us in the countryside can be in the city centre, Cresent etc. without too much bother.

All in all I'm very happy where I am.

Cityslicker1

The thing I've noticed with Limerick that differs with other cities is how the city centre is practically encircled with social housing. Within Childers road you have Garryowen, Roxboro, Janesboro, Ballinacurra Weston etc & they all border the city centre. Then you have Thomond Gate, Kings Island - St Marys park at the King Johns castle end of the city centre.

With the other cities once you leave the immediate city centre there's old residential terraces and then further out you might see social housing that was built in the 40's, 50's, 60's etc - rarely would you see estates that border the city centre.