Cork - Sandymount equivalent?

Captainsatnav

I know yea - Uam Var?! Bishopstown in general?!! Come off it.

Captainsatnav

On a somewhat related note - is there any public swimming spots these days in Cork (prior to any future Marina Park development)?

forzacalcio

Captainsatnav wrote: »

I know yea - Uam Var?! Bishopstown in general?!! Come off it.

I assume you're having a pop off "Corksfinest" but I said Model Farm Road near Bishopstown but you knew that.

Raconteuse

limnam wrote: »

Comparing Ballincollig to Sandymount is a bit of a stretch...


I think Tallaght would be a better comparison

The OP mentioned Ballincollig and said they liked the look of it though. It's certainly not like Sandymount, although its bad parts are a lot nicer than Tallaght's bad parts!

Love St. Luke's but it's hard to find a place with off-street parking there.

Actually, speaking of Model Farm Road (Dennehys Cross end) Farranlea behind the County Hall really reminds me of Sandymount.

limnam

Raconteuse wrote: »

The OP mentioned Ballincollig and said they liked the look of it though. It's certainly not like Sandymount, although its bad parts are a lot nicer than Tallaght's bad parts!

Love St. Luke's but it's hard to find a place with off-street parking there.

Actually, speaking of Model Farm Road (Dennehys Cross end) Farranlea behind the County Hall really reminds me of Sandymount.

Been slightly less **** than Tallaght != Sandymount

Raconteuse

limnam wrote: »

Been slightly less **** than Tallaght != Sandymount

And I clearly said in that post you quoted that Ballincollig is certainly not like Sandymount but the OP did still say that they liked the look of Ballincollig! "Ballincollig seems brilliant with loads of amenities, if quite far out".

As an aside though, don't see how Ballincollig could be sh1tty. It's a standard suburb.

limnam

Raconteuse wrote: »

And I clearly said in that post you quoted that Ballincollig is certainly not like Sandymount but the OP did still say that they liked the look of Ballincollig! "Ballincollig seems brilliant with loads of amenities, if quite far out".

As an aside though, don't see how Ballincollig could be sh1tty. It's a standard suburb.

If the subject of the thread was find me a standard suburb in Cork, it'd have been a decent shout.

Raconteuse

Crikey!

Say that to the OP for mentioning that they liked Ballincollig so!

Captainsatnav

Cobh anyone?

the beer revolu

Captainsatnav wrote: »

Cobh anyone?

Cobh could be quite nice but you'd want to be in the town, not in an estate around it.
Train into town is handy.

Captainsatnav

the beer revolu wrote: »

Cobh could be quite nice but you'd want to be in the town, not in an estate around it.
Train into town is handy.

That's what we're thinking exactly. Reminds me of Dún Laoghaire. Looks lovely. I realise it has problems with an 'ambition defecit' for itself but who's to know what it could be like in 5 years with cafes and shops etc if developed properly.

cantalach

When I first moved to Cork and was getting to know the wider area, if I ever said to a Cork person that Cobh seemed nice, I invariably got a grimace and words to the effect that it was very rough. As I understand it, closure of all the heavy industries in the area over the years meant that the town was (is?) an unemployment blackspot. That inevitably led to social disadvantage and associated ills.

But I’ve often said to herself that Cobh should be *the* place to live in many ways. The town centre is lovely, and there are some beautiful Victorian houses on the main approach to the town (those high-ranking Royal Navy officers had to live somewhere back in the day right?). There are also some nice estates here and there around the town. And just off the East Hill there is an exclusive little development under construction with amazing harbour views. Dún Farraige if you want to Google it.

Do give due consideration though to the commute from Cobh. If you’re going to Cork City Centre then the train is perfect. But if you’re going to anywhere on the Southside, your choices are tunnel or ferry. Both slow at times, and expensive in the case of the ferry.

pwurple

Yes, Cobh is beautiful. It has some issues though.

First is that it's a cancer blackspot. No clear cause, whether it's radon from the bedrock it's on, or industry locally, or some lifestyle factor there...
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/revealed-the-town-with-the-highest-cancer-rates-in-ireland-34736634.html

Second is the sewage. 19 pipes of raw sewage are pumped from cobh town directly into the sea. They have no adequate waste treatment yet, but this is in progress
https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/Contract-signed-to-end-the-dumping-of-raw-sewage-into-Cork-Harbour-through-19-outfall-pipes-0e4f90df-6df5-4489-ae35-dd7fa8745822-ds


3rd is it's reputation for being a smidge rough and an unemployment hotspot. Cobh garda station is known to be busy place for the size of town. Some judge made a comment a few years ago about the number of cases that come to him from Cobh, which harmed it's reputation there too.

4th is the tourists. all asking directions. You need the patience of a saint there. Now, I know you get this in kinsale and the city center too (drives me nuts in the english market, they are in the way constantly), but the cruise ships dump hundreds of people into Cobh with basically the titanic museum to go to...

the beer revolu

pwurple wrote: »

4th is the tourists. all asking directions. You need the patience of a saint there. Now, I know you get this in kinsale and the city center too (drives me nuts in the english market, they are in the way constantly), but the cruise ships dump hundreds of people into Cobh with basically the titanic museum to go to...

Aren't the majority of the cruise patrons bussed to Killarney or Kinsale?
I was of the impression that Cobh and Cork city got no real benefit from the cruise ships.

rob316

the beer revolu wrote: »

Aren't the majority of the cruise patrons bussed to Killarney or Kinsale?
I was of the impression that Cobh and Cork city got no real benefit from the cruise ships.

Eh no. Between the Titanic and Blarney it's a tourist hotspot.

Balmed Out

Think Cobh is a real up and coming area and has improved massively in the last ten years.

Stark

pwurple wrote: »

Yes, Cobh is beautiful. It has some issues though.

First is that it's a cancer blackspot. No clear cause, whether it's radon from the bedrock it's on, or industry locally, or some lifestyle factor there...
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/revealed-the-town-with-the-highest-cancer-rates-in-ireland-34736634.html

I wonder if the Chromium-6 output from Haulbowline also had an effect.

whatever76

thoughts on Turners cross area - Doyle Road, St Patricks Road, Derrynane etc ???

Been viewing a few places there recently but all require bit of work but I like the area - handy for town etc.

CHealy

whatever76 wrote: »

thoughts on Turners cross area - Doyle Road, St Patricks Road, Derrynane etc ???

Been viewing a few places there recently but all require bit of work but I like the area - handy for town etc.

Bought a fixer upper here a couple of years ago, couldnt be happier with it, I consider myself lucky to have got it. Older mature area but its dead quiet for a place so close to town, and its literally just a 10 minute walk down in there. The houses are solid as can be but most would need modernisation on the inside. Theres a good few houses for sale all the time as the older folks pass.

Padraig Mor

pwurple wrote: »

Second is the sewage. 19 pipes of raw sewage are pumped from cobh town directly into the sea. They have no adequate waste treatment yet, but this is in progress

Not for much longer - they're literally doing the works right now.

3rd is it's reputation for being a smidge rough and an unemployment hotspot. Cobh garda station is known to be busy place for the size of town. Some judge made a comment a few years ago about the number of cases that come to him from Cobh, which harmed it's reputation there too.

Think it may have changed recently, but Cobh Garda station is/was the HQ for a huge swathe of Cork county up as far as north Cork, and including Glanmire.

the beer revolu wrote: »

Aren't the majority of the cruise patrons bussed to Killarney or Kinsale?
I was of the impression that Cobh and Cork city got no real benefit from the cruise ships.

They are, and it's certainly a bone of contention in the town but if only 10% of the passengers stay in town that's still a few hundred in many cases, plus add in the many hundreds of crew who tend to stay around Cobh. A lot of people come from around Cork too. On a sunny Sunday with a big liner in, the town is thronged.

frustrated_

Captainsatnav wrote: »

That's what we're thinking exactly. Reminds me of Dún Laoghaire. Looks lovely. I realise it has problems with an 'ambition defecit' for itself but who's to know what it could be like in 5 years with cafes and shops etc if developed properly.

Cobh is highly underrated IMO. I'm a South Co Dubliner that made the move down there.

The town was somewhat derelict and unloved a few years ago so maybe thats where peoples impression that the place was rough came from, although I'm yet to experience any of that. As a towns architecture goes I think it's one of the most picturesque in Ireland. Granted it still needs a lot of work and is not perfect, it's certainly not Sandymount. Since I made the move it has been booming for house purchases and renovations. About a year ago you could see a skip on nearly every street near the village with work being carried out.

Restaurants
You have 3 waterfront establishments, The Titanic, The Quays and The Waterfront with decent enough food (all good but not very adventurous) with great outdoor space and even better maritime views. Even if the cruise ships aren't in you can watch sailing/tour boats and the navy passing by with clear views over to Spike Island. However the town badly needs a decent restaurant or two for the evening times.

Cafes
Seasalt is excellent, nearby Fota Clubhouse, Bramley Lodge on the road in and Bakestone in Fota Retail park would have the best menus for me. There are more cafes in the town if you're a fry up or toastie type of person (they haven't discovered quinoa just yet)

Shops
Supervalu, Aldi, Lidl (all on the road in) and a large Centra in the village. Like a lot of towns in Ireland it has too many charity shops, bookies, takeaways and not enough independent shops. There are a few artists in the town with a couple of small art galleries.

Houses
Lots and lots of victorian houses and cottages in the area, on hilly slopes which makes for a picturesque town and gives stunning views. Annoying coming home from the pub. Very few are done up or modernised, that is changing though.


Public Realm and Parks
Cobh Tidy Towns do stellar work in the area and have won gold several times. The park across from the Commodore that they maintain would have you thinking you are on the English seafront and the area around Whitepoint is stunning.

The town needs TLC though. The pathways and light fixtures are old, crumbling and a mish mash of shoddy materials, shopfronts need attention and the outdoor areas need greening up and calming down, it can feel a bit hectic. Despite most of the town buildings being protected Cork County Council don't appear to enforce this. So you end up with plastic kebab shop signs and white PVC everywhere.

TLDR: The town is beautiful but needs further development. I hope a few more really good restaurants open up to feed me in the evenings.

PS: The locals are ridiculously friendly.

JupiterKid

Cobh is a picturesque town in a great setting and with interesting built architecture. It has always reminded me somewhat of Dun Laoghaire.