As a capital city is Dublin one of the biggest kips in any 1st world country?

KevinCavan

O’ Connell Street is the area that needs to be targeted by the guards. Zombified junkies make the street look like something from a horror movie.

fritzelly

KevinCavan wrote: »

O’ Connell Street is the area that needs to be targeted by the guards. Zombified junkies make the street look like something from a horror movie.

Yup, had some woman, off her tits on something going round everyone at the bus stop with hands out, wasn't even saying anything bar moving her mouth

_Dara_

I found Berlin to be quite shabby. Lisbon too, despite the pretty buildings.

mick malones mauser

Worse thing about Dublin is listening to some Culchie who has lived in the City for a couple of years pontificating about they would "never live on the northside " blah blah blah.
Apart from that its a great place.
Serioulsy though what do people expect?
All cities have their good and bad points.
Dublin is grand. Its not Paris or New York but its fine.

GoneHome

I go to Dublin about two or three times a year for rugby or hurling matches, spending a night there each time either staying with family or in a hotel depending on the occasion and I have to say it is in measures good and bad, as a rural dweller I can't cope with the noise/traffic/volume of people but equally I love the whole buzz of the place, saying that after one night up there I'm glad to get beyond Newlands Cross and out onto the M7 on the way home!

hatrickpatrick

Hapax Legomenon wrote: »

The real 'scum' (if we absolutely have to use that kind of dehumanising language) are the smooth-talking, influential business lobbyists like Richard Guiney, who treat the city centre not as a pedestrian/cyclist-friendly living space, like other cities, but as a great big money-spinner for hotels and car park owners.

Ah come on. What word do you use to describe the people whose idea of craic is hurling verbal abuse and even physical violence at random passers-by for absolutely no reason, if you don't like us calling them "scum"?

EDIT: Do you remember the "ah leave it ouuu" thing from a few years back? Fun though the memery around that was (and I was one of the memers), the fact that this happened in broad daylight with the faced of those involved clearly caught on camera and we didn't subsequently hear of a Garda investigation, prosecution, and jail sentences for those involved really says it all. Our system tolerates low level violent crime until it reaches a high level of disruption or violence, and that is something which needs to change.

Sunny Disposition

It is a kip, sadly. A horrible city really, most of the city centre is a disgrace.
There are some nice parts, particularly on the south side, but it’s a really grim city.

GoneHome

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

There are some nice parts, particularly on the south side

Yes I'm more familiar with the Baggot Street/Ballsbridge area of the city which is all fine but really the O'Connell Street/Parnell Square area is very dodgy, I've had experience of both

Church on Tuesday

No it's not a kip. It's Ireland's capital city, we should be proud of it.

Sure Dublin has it's problems, but trust me, there are worst places. I lived in Manchester for a time, and it dosen't have the charm of Dublin in my eyes. Homeless people everywhere over there on every street, massive drug problems too.

Dublin has Grafton St, the Phoenix Park, St. Stephens Green, Croke Park, Dublin Castle and Dublin Zoo to name a few. It is an historic town.

We have a bit of a narrow attitude in this country regarding our cultural heritage. You will find plenty of that in our capital and further afield.

Kermit.de.frog

What gets me going is when improvements try to be made - new buildings, skyscrapers, transport - all the nimbys and An Taisce come out to object.

Keeping Dublin a feckless kip seems to be a virtue in their eyes.

hatrickpatrick

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

It is an historic town.

Pay no attention to this dangerous degenerate.

Vita nova

redblaze wrote: »

As a capital city is Dublin one of the biggest kips in any 1st world country?

Junkies everywhere and so many beggers it makes New York before Giuliani look mild. Plus a health service that genuinely makes me ashamed to be Irish, but I suppose that's a nationwide thing and not just Dublin.

...

Using terms like "absolute kip" isn't conducive to constructive responses, assuming that's what you want.
I don't have any easy solutions but considering local politicans and city councillors are the ones that can actually change things then you might be better directing your concerns to them.

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Was this thread started by a bitter and twisted Culchie.
...

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Yes it’s culchies vs dubs.

I mean how do you think a cork man would vote?

Name-calling and scapegoating doesn't help either.

CB19Kevo

Sorry to say but yes i think it is a kip.
And by that i really don't want to offend people but it is unfortunately my opinion despite my best attempts to want to view our national capital city as something more.

Main problem as i see it is Crime or more so the perception of it being unsafe (Mainly down to junkies and scumbags hanging around streets), Second being a terrible transport system. (2 luas lines and Dublin bus.....! Not great is it..)
Thirdly is the filth and generally unkept nature of many buildings / streets in the city.

Now much of this could be said about any part of this country but it really is not good enough in the capital city, Have to say it puts me off and i regularly choose London over Dublin for events because of these factors.
(And we all know London has its problems as well!)

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

uck51js9zml2yt

Op has never been to India!!

Giraffe Box

redblaze wrote: »

But the thing is, it *is* a capital city. That's the point of the thread.

As a capital city it makes me ashamed to be in it.

Well then, as they might say in your beloved London, 'Do one'!

forward8

Karlee Elegant Stock-still wrote: »

Op has never been to India!!

India would not really be considered 1st world though. I think part of the point being made is that for a 'first world' country/ city we are way behind other major country/ cities in many areas.

Looks like people here are fairly split according to the poll.

irishguitarlad

_Dara_ wrote: »

I found Berlin to be quite shabby. Lisbon too, despite the pretty buildings.

I loved that aspect of Lisbon, especially the Alfama (the old town) that has actual working class people living there, not like in a lot of old towns in Spain that are a bit too pristine and ****ty touristy shops everywhere.

ArchXStanton

keepalive213 wrote: »

Im well and truly amazed at the poll, almost 50-50... or is this just a country v city thing...
However the city is judged I cant see it improving any time soon.The incompetent, corrupt and narrow minded nature of the people in power will see to that.

And that's about what it boils down to,look at any travel video on YouTube about Dublin and you'll see the comments "its not the real Ireland" "you need to go west" ....its a city ffs,its hardly going to have donkey drawn carts of turf going down O Connell st.

mick malones mauser

Culchies out
North and South
Lets get a campaign going..

And for the intellectualy challenged...The above along with my earlier reference to,bitter and twisted Culchies, is ever so slightly tongue in cheek.

zell12

Well, man o de peeple, Joe Duffy, labelled Dublin an unadulterated kip

Vita nova

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Culchies out
North and South
Lets get a campaign going..

And for the intellectualy challenged...The above along with my earlier reference to,bitter and twisted Culchies, is ever so slightly tongue in cheek.

For the record, those that engage in name-calling are usually considered the "intellectually challenged" ones and are about as funny as a fart in a space suit.

mick malones mauser

Vita Nova
Get over it. Its an online discussion of a ridiculously trivial topic.
Anyone who takes it seriously needs to get out more.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Was up last in January and had the most Dublin 100m/20 seconds ever walking from Smithfield into town. First up was a pigeon (and not a nice pigeon, one of them really bate ones) eating some vomit, then two gentlemen smoking I assume heroin, right on the street, right outside a methadone clinic :pac:

The people are great craic (when in Dublin,there's a tendency to forget how to function normally outside the pale) some of the accents are lovely, parts of the city are really gorgeous and no other city in Ireland can touch them.

But it's not NOT a kip the problems it has: addiction and anti-social behaviour, housing, traffic, posh people, are out of all proportion to its size and many many times worse (particularly anti-social behaviour) than the rest of the cities.

Infrastructural and social problems are making it less attractive to the big multinationals as well, especially housing. Tourists, who are apparently the other arbiters of taste, will probably keep coming but they will literally lap up any auld shíte as long as it's got a harp on it or someone uses the word "craic" so I wouldn't be relying on their presence to prove somewhere is great.

Giraffe Box

Ayden Helpful Software wrote: »

Was up last in January and had the most Dublin 100m/20 seconds ever walking from Smithfield into town. First up was a pigeon (and not a nice pigeon, one of them really bate ones) eating some vomit, then two gentlemen smoking I assume heroin, right on the street, right outside a methadone clinic :pac:...

..... great.

Are you sure the vomit wasn't potato salad, that pigeon could have been doing a Barry Humphries:

Barry Humphries staged Melbourne’s first Dadaist art exhibition, which featured a work titled Pus in Boots, an installation of gumboots filled with custard. On a flight to Europe, he later reprised his disgusting dégustation performance when he appeared to vomit into a sick bag and then eat it (he had previously filled the bag with potato salad).

mick malones mauser

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Culchies out
North and South
Lets get a campaign going..

And for the intellectualy challenged...The above along with my earlier reference to,bitter and twisted Culchies, is ever so slightly tongue in cheek.

Ahh yes, because some Dub who has never left the city except to go drinking in Ibiza is so much more sophisticated than someone from the countryside. :rolleyes:

It's hilarious the attitude of some Dubliners. I'll happily match my educational qualifications, and experience living in major cities to anyone going on about Culchies....

Hector Bellend

redblaze wrote: »

Junkies everywhere and so many beggers it makes New York before Giuliani look mild. Plus a health service that genuinely makes me ashamed to be Irish, but I suppose that's a nationwide thing and not just Dublin.

I'm back in it and in shock after 15 months living in London, a city known for been quite rough in parts too. But it looks like a Summer's day in Florence compared to Dublin.

"Fair City" my arse.

Such horseplop.

Greyfox

Dublin is the greatest city in the world, lived in London for 6 months and missed Dublin too much and had to go back home, I've travelled a fair bit but il never live outside Dublin again, it has many good things we take for granted. It has it's problems of course but so does every other city, if people don't like it there free to leave. Dublin has tons of variety and everything you could possibly want is close by, a great history, a really beautiful city and Irish people really are the worlds friendliest people.

mick malones mauser

Klaz
I hope you are also being tongue in cheek
However let me put you right
I go on me holliers to Bray (at least that way if i get withdrawal symptoms I can jump on the dart and be back safely ensconced in me darling city in half an hour)
But apart from that your contribtion is interesting.Good to hear that provincials are being well educated and are well travelled these days

Taytoland

It's certainly one of them, a kip is a kind description.

mick malones mauser

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Klaz
I hope you are also being tongue in cheek
However let me put you right
I go on me holliers to Bray (at least that way if i get withdrawal symptoms I can jump on the dart and be back safely ensconced in me darling city in half an hour)
But apart from that your contribtion is interesting.Good to hear that provincials are being well educated and are well travelled these days

being tongue in cheek? Not really. The superiority some here have displayed about Culchies vs Dubliners is rather retarded. I've met plenty of Dubliners who seemed one step away from being Travellers... so, no, I don't appreciate the Culchie references.

Spanish Eyes

I love Dublin, but sometimes don't like the way it is cared for much.

There are so many dilapidated buildings on the Quays both sides, but maybe the upturn
and abandoned buildings tax (or whatever it's called) will help there. Such prime real estate and some of it is falling to bits.

A big city with a huge chunk of its population both scumbags and up and coming professionals living within a hen's trot of the centre is bound to cause issues somewhere along the line.

There is a distinct lack of leading by example. For instance, keeping the paths in good condition, cleaning the streets regularly, emptying rubbish and so on. That is up to Dublin City Council, and with all the LPT and business rates they get, they should have pride in the city. That really does filter down.

The police should patrol much more. Even the presence is a godsend to ordinary mortals. That instils confidence. I hope the new Commish takes this on board.

Lastly, the area from Trinity across Dame Street, Sth William Street, Grafton Street and Stephen's Green and surrounds is usually pristine. The North side of the Liffey (Inner City) is not anything like that. Now no one wants a museum of a city, but a little bit of investment into the basics would go a long way.

It really doesn't take much other than the will of the City Manager and the Police. A lot could be achieved for a relatively small price.

ChikiChiki

No its utopia..... to the people that live there.

As a 1st world country a good grade would be "must try harder"

forward8

Greyfox wrote: »

Dublin is the greatest city in the world, lived in London for 6 months and missed Dublin too much and had to go back home, I've travelled a fair bit but il never live outside Dublin again, it has many good things we take for granted. It has it's problems of course but so does every other city, if people don't like it there free to leave. Dublin has tons of variety and everything you could possibly want is close by, a great history, a really beautiful city and Irish people really are the worlds friendliest people.

I think many people on here are letting their sense of national pride influence them. There's very clear clannish behavior going on. As far as i'm concerned it depends on what we are comparing Dublin / Ireland to. If you've lived in the likes of Japan where the people are much friendlier, crime is incredibly low, streets are beautiful and tidy and transport is unbelievably efficient the difference is night and day. Not that Japan is perfect but it's leaps and bounds better than Dublin imo.

_Dara_

irishguitarlad wrote: »

I loved that aspect of Lisbon, especially the Alfama (the old town) that has actual working class people living there, not like in a lot of old towns in Spain that are a bit too pristine and ****ty touristy shops everywhere.

Well, that’s true. It did look great in the sun. On a dull day, it might not look so nice. But yeah, at least it wasn’t sanitised.

mick malones mauser

Deleted User wrote: »

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Klaz
I hope you are also being tongue in cheek
However let me put you right
I go on me holliers to Bray (at least that way if i get withdrawal symptoms I can jump on the dart and be back safely ensconced in me darling city in half an hour)
But apart from that your contribtion is interesting.Good to hear that provincials are being well educated and are well travelled these days

being tongue in cheek? Not really. The superiority some here have displayed about Culchies vs Dubliners is rather retarded. I've met plenty of Dubliners who seemed one step away from being Travellers... so, no, I don't appreciate the Culchie references.

Now now Klaz
Dublin welcomes everybody, all races and creeds including travellers (whether new age or other) and even well educated provincials like yourself (note how politically correct I have become I haven't even used the word Culchie, though obviously they are welcome too)
Anyway this Northside Skanger must break for lunch
Toodle pip

alias no.9

redblaze wrote: »

London population: 8 million
Dublin city population: 500,000

So of course, statistically, London will have more incidents.

redblaze wrote: »

Ok let's play silly semantics then. Greater London is 8,817,300

And?

Hardly silly semantics to use a valid comparison. You brought population into it using a comparison between the Dublin City Council area (not even the 4 local authorities within county Dublin) with that of greater London, spanning 5 or 6 ceremonial counties. We all know London is bigger than Dublin, nobody would try to argue different but your overstatement of the difference in populations was quite frankly bull****, sincere apologies if you don't like being called out on your bull****.

alias no.9

TallGlass wrote: »

Hold on a moment there now, that's Wicklow and Kildare! Not part of Dublin in anyway shape or form.

Well done on your selective quoting of my post, excluded the bit where I've already acknowledged areas exist in other counties that are for all intents and purposes suburbs of Dublin, and for the record you missed out on Clonee and Dunboyne being in Meath.

harry Bailey esq

Sal Butamol wrote: »

At least there isn't 20 pound bags of human excrement lying around the place like in San Francisco

Sit down, think about what you said and take a deep breath Sal Butamol. I watched the documentary about the police precinct thats responsible for patrolling the Tenderloin district... There are many, many more addicts visible both day and night. It resembles Westmoreland St on childrens allowance day, except its 24/7 365 days a year.

tylercheribini

Please see any English city.

Sycamore Tree

tylercheribini wrote: »

Please see any English City.

Yes but Dublin should not be trying to mimic grotty English cities. The Dublin city centre has been grotty for decades.

tylercheribini

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Yes but Dublin should not be trying to mimic grotty English cities. The Dublin city centre has been grotty for decades.

In response to original OP though I dont think its anywhere near the worst in my experience. I spent a month in San Diego back in 2005 and it has to be worst for vagrancy and general harassment from undesirables ive ever experienced. This was not reserved to the back alleys of the city centre either but mainly clustered at one of the cities prime tourist attractions, its beaches. The homeless flock there from all over the country for its year round favourable weather and seeming blind eye turned to them by authorities.

shakeitoff

forward8 wrote: »

I think many people on here are letting their sense of national pride influence them. There's very clear clannish behavior going on. As far as i'm concerned it depends on what we are comparing Dublin / Ireland to. If you've lived in the likes of Japan where the people are much friendlier, crime is incredibly low, streets are beautiful and tidy and transport is unbelievably efficient the difference is night and day. Not that Japan is perfect but it's leaps and bounds better than Dublin imo.

Better how though? Depends what you're looking for.

I lived in Madrid and Vancouver, both are nice in different ways. Madrid probably better but it's inland and so far away from the sea. Vancouver's nature kills Dublin but the city itself and environs, I would put Dublin slightly ahead. In Van, there was nowhere to escape into nature, you had to drive everywhere for it. Either way uglier or gaudy in the suburbs than Dublin.

K.Flyer

redblaze wrote: »

The vast majority of the inner city is a cesspit of scumbags.

No it's not!
Every week I travel and work around Dublin City Centre and the surrounding areas and I can tell you that you are spouting nonsense.
Every city in the world will have a certain level of open criminality and drug / alcohol abuse, but in Dublin the demograph you dislike is most definitely in the minority.

redblaze wrote: »

I didn't see it in the 80s, but are you honestly saying there were more junkies and scum in the city centre compared to now? I find that hard to believe

Ha!
Do some reading up on Dublin in the eightes.
Entire families wiped out over heroin addiction. What you see in Dublin today is nothing, not saying its nice or right, but its the tail end of that era and just doesn't compare.

bobwilliams

redblaze wrote:

So of course, statistically, London will have more incidents.

redblaze wrote:

London population: 8 million Dublin city population: 500,000

I have a few friends who work in London and one in particular who is a detective sarg tells me the amount of stabbings going on that are not recorded in official figures is 'staggering'..

suicide_circus

a kip compared to Vienna? Yes.

a kip compared to La Paz? No.

_Dara_

Greyfox wrote: »

Dublin is the greatest city in the world, lived in London for 6 months and missed Dublin too much and had to go back home, I've travelled a fair bit but il never live outside Dublin again, it has many good things we take for granted. It has it's problems of course but so does every other city, if people don't like it there free to leave. Dublin has tons of variety and everything you could possibly want is close by, a great history, a really beautiful city and Irish people really are the worlds friendliest people.

Ah now, calm down. I like Dublin but is it SHITE the greatest city in the world. :pac:

Berserker

Threads like this make me laugh. Dublin/Ireland has it's downsides but it's a pretty decent spot when you compare it to other places out there. The UK & RoI are nice places to live. We are very lucky in that regard.

wakka12

Manchester , birmingham and belfast are all much worse than dublin and countless smaller former industrial cities across UK and europe are also much worse than dublin

Id have to wonder where poeple who come out with this tripe have ever visited. Dublin is absolutely decent by any metric, its not amazing, and could be so much better in many ways, but it is definitely a nice city and a good place to live

It has bad parts sure but go around Grafton quarter/Stephens Green/college green/The quays/Merrion square/trinity campus/fitzwilliam square/charlemont/ranelagh/portobello/harcourt&camden street/Baggot street/rathmines/the docks and tell me its a ****hole

And its also improving in so many ways too, the council are undertaking massive regeneration projects in deprived areas like O devany gardens, dolphnis barn, charlemont flats and theres lots of other big projects like Dublin central, guinness brewery, DIT grangegorman, newmarket square and parnell square cultural quarter in the pipeline or u/c

mick malones mauser

Good to see a couple of sensible posts.
Like wakka12 above I do wonder why people start these threads. Has something upset them (mugging break in ?) or are they just lonely living in a place thats not home (presuming of course it wasnt a dub that started the thread)
Those things are understandable reasons for venting their frustration with this.
The truth is no where is perfect. The best and most exciting cities in the world have their problems.
What do people expect from a city ? Nice bars restaurants museums theatres parks shopping areas,good transport, for the most part safety at night I suppose.
Dublin has all of those...unless you go to coppers on a Wednesday when the nurses from mullingar wrestle with the guards from Belmullet while agreeing what a thundering kip Dublin is.