A Day tripper's experience of Limerick

Glenomra

A limited visit to Limerick and a detailed report by a visitor who couldn't be bothered visiting a magnificent exhibition thirty yards further on in the hunt museum, nor st. Mary's, nor Perry square etc. Like reporting on Dublin after confining one's trip to Henry street and o'Connell street. Come again and do a comprehensive report on a comprehensive visit.

Hedgelayer

bobbyss wrote: »

Not true. As mentioned above I had a lovely all day breakfast in the latter. I also went into many shops on William Street I think it was. I bought a pair of shoes, a scarf and a shirt.

You should have went into All Star tattoos and got some ink done, it's not far from Colbert station..

He's his own SC signature tattoo, which stands for Stab City
A lot of tattoo artist's got the SC logo to remind them that they've been to stab City.

This isn't a wind and look it up on YouTube

bobbyss

Glenomra wrote:

A limited visit to Limerick and a detailed report by a visitor who couldn't be bothered visiting a magnificent exhibition thirty yards further on in the hunt museum, nor st. Mary's, nor Perry square etc. Like reporting on Dublin after confining one's trip to Henry street and o'Connell street. Come again and do a comprehensive report on a comprehensive visit.

That's a fair comment but it wasn't a question of not being bothered visiting the museum. I wanted to do some shopping primarily. I did make it clear I was there only for half a day. I had wanted to get to the museum and to the library but time was too short. Never heard of Perry Square. Is there a tourist office in the city?
I'm not a journalist, simply Joe Blogs giving my opinion of what I see and what I hear.

Yurt2

Straight Talker wrote: »

Apart from the bit about the foreigners, which was a silly remark.I think the ops post, was not vitriolic in the slightest.And Limerick is as a city, nowhere near as vibrant as Cork and Galway.I like Limerick as a city, but i do find the natives overreaction to the slightest bit of criticism to be hilarious.I think to improve a place, that you do need to be open to criticism if it's valid.

And the bit about accents. Nobody should apologize for their accent, least of all to a daytripper.

Again, Limerick has dealt with relentless 'criticism' over the decades - very little of it constructive. And there was nothing in that post that I'd take as constructive. Basically, you're city looks run down, there's foreigners and the accent sounds crap.

Cheers pal, you can be on your way on the next train, we'll be busy making our city a better place to live in the face of half the country that has decided it's sh*te after reading a few red top articles.

TheDiceMan2020

Criticise the OP all ye want regarding his itinerary but what he pointed out is all true.

What's even more galling is that the council recently spent a fortune redeveloping the station and nearby park and they've destroyed the place.

It's as if the remit was grey concrete slabs everywhere. It's a disgrace

Question for the OP;

What did you hope to achieve with this thread?

RobbingBandit

Day trip to Limerick but no mention of castle why did you go in the first place?

Cookiemunster

TheDiceMan2020 wrote: »

Criticise the OP all ye want regarding his itinerary but what he pointed out is all true.

What's even more galling is that the council recently spent a fortune redeveloping the station and nearby park and they've destroyed the place.

It's as if the remit was grey concrete slabs everywhere. It's a disgrace

The council didn't spend a red cent redeveloping the station. CIE redeveloped their own station.

And in my opinion the open plaza in front of the station is a vast improvement on the enclosed car park.

bobbyss

Deleted User wrote:

What did you hope to achieve with this thread?

I wanted to find out if my observations resonated with people from the area. Whether what I said was confirmed or not.

RobbingBandit wrote:

Day trip to Limerick but no mention of castle why did you go in the first place?

The main reason was to do some shopping and maybe, just maybe, visit museum and library. As it turned out I just didn't have the time.

bobbyss

bobbyss wrote: »

I wanted to find out if my observations resonated with people from the area. Whether what I said was confirmed or not.

So..... you're asking Limerick people to say their city is a kip, that their accents are awful and we've too many foreigners....?

For the record: I'm not originally from Limerick, but I'm living here nearly 10 years and I love the unpretentiousness of the city and it's people. It's the most welcoming and inclusive city that I've experienced.

Franz Von Peppercorn II

As a Dub I think limerick has a lot of potential. It looks like a city, particularly in the Georgian area but also the quays. Galway is more like a large town. I wish limerick well.

bobbyss

Deleted User wrote:

So..... you're asking Limerick people to say their city is a kip, that their accents are awful and we've too many foreigners....?

Not at all. Some posters agree with me regarding the state of the train station and the hotel opposite for example. I don't expect, or really want, people to agree with everything I say.

I enjoyed shopping in William Street. Maybe I should have emphasised that more. All staff very friendly. You can't buy that. And the fact that the place wasn't crowded was great. That's no kip. No hustle and bustle. I never said anything about too many foreigners.

I don't wish to offend anyone but what's important is to accept that no one place is perfect. As regards accents, well that's a personal opinion. I didn't like the Limerick accent. I don't like the Cork or Kerry accent either. You might not like my accent but if you didn't I wouldn't disparage you for your opinion. Many people don't like the scouse accent but I love it.

Do you agree with anything I have said in any of my posts thus far?

Lackadaisical

The impression I'm getting is that Limerick has improved a lot and is becoming more vibrant.

Vibrancy of cities has a lot to do with economic activity and in general we've all been through a major crash in 2008 that stalled activity as spending power took a hammering (both generally due to lack of disposable income and negative consumer sentiment and also state spending on arts and festivals and so on).

Dublin, Cork and to some degree Galway seem to have been slightly less impacted and rebounded faster. Limerick and Waterford have taken longer to feel that resurgence. That tends to be just the reality of how money flows but it does eventually start to spread around.

Limerick seems to be resurging again and that's driving a return to vibrancy.

It's also about enthusiasm. Cork went through a period of deep depression after the closures of Ford and Dunlop in the 80s. It took really until about the early 2000s before that gloom wore off and the city got it's sense of self and pride back. It's been thriving ever since and there's a real buzz of activity at the moment as various big building projects are taking its skyline up.

Dublin also went through a long period of being very depressed both economically and emotionally. It was absolutely grotty in the 80s and 90s. It's thriving now.

Galway City also had a long period of being very dead and depressed.

All I would say is cities are groups of people and people need to feel good to create vibrancy. If people keep whacking Limerick with an unfair meme from a council estate based gangland feud from 20 years ago, it really just drives the city back into a depressed state. I mean do people keep going on endlessly about Dublin on the same basis? There was someone shot in the main Street of Dublin area this week. That's never happened in central Limerick.

I just think this Irish thing of slagging places off really is toxic. Limerick is very definitely going through a revival and it's got good civic life and local political leadership driving that too.

I have never understood why we have a national pastime of mocking cities - Cork for example gets enormous abuse online, almost none of which is deserved.

I was talking to a group of french people who were both living and visiting Cork and were going on and on about how clean, organized, sage and friendly it was compared many cities, yet if you read some of the comments from Irish posters you'd swear it was a dangerous, filthy hell hole.

We're a nation of people who seem to begrudge and mock rather than celebrate success.

We have 5 cities, they should be a network of places we are able to be proud of, not just endlessly slag off.

All I'd say is Limerick: don't be trolled!

Mrs OBumble

bobbyss, ya caught the wrong bus.

Next time, travel with CityLink: more comfort, stops in a nicer area of town, and yes, they take your free-travel pass.

fyi, a friend put together a list of things for tourists to do/see in Limerick - the railway station ain't on it!

Glenomra

In Limerick early today. Market -best in Ireland- busy as usual. Some type of festival in the Hunt close to the river, great buzz. Limerick has its faults but it also has a vibrancy worth experiencing. I like it, and I am a Clareman. Limerick people need to support their city and its businesses.

Sinead Mc1

Don't get this thread at all? What exactly are you asking? So if we agree, Limericks a kip, what then?
I find it odd to start a thread like this. I just wouldn't have the neck to log on to Limericks actual thread and detail it's shortcomings and expect anything other then defense from it's people.
If you met a Limerick native in person would you get into this?

Silentcorner

I'd say if you got a thousand (well traveled) English rugby supporters that have traveled to Limerick on numerous occasions, and a thousand Irish people who weren't from Limerick...you'd get a description of two vastly different cities. One of those groups consume Irish media the other doesn't.

I can understand the first impressions the city can make, it's a proper gritty little city...but that grittiness hides a city full of history, culture and a personality that would surprise any Irish person who isn't riddled with pretentiousness!

bobbyss

Mrs OBumble wrote:

Next time, travel with CityLink: more comfort, stops in a nicer area of town, and yes, they take your free-travel pass.

Mrs OBumble wrote:

fyi, a friend put together

Misread the BE timetable. The 08:00 from Galway is not not stop. It arrived in at 10:20 at exactly the same time as the 09:00 non stop. That was two hours and twenty minutes, almost as long as Citylink or Gobus to Dublin both yes, definitely more comfortable.

However Citylink don't have on the hour departures from Limerick which meant if I got tired walking around the place I was snookered.

Also the BE Limerick Galway x51 (i think it is) is punctual and leaves on time. The Citylink comes from Cork I believe and i don't know if that leaves Limerick on time? So it was a compromise I was willing to take. Before I got off I was already tired and kicking myself for my own stupidity.

Forgot to mention the first port of call in the Treaty City was the toilet in the train station and I was pleasantly surprised by the cubicle. Very clean and well maintained I have to say which was at odds with its surrounds
Will look at your things to do. Thanks

Jupiter Mulligan

bobbyss wrote: »

I posted this in the Limerick forum precisely because I wanted to know from Limerick people themselves if any of it resonates. No upset intended. Are my impressions correct? The station? That hotel? Fine but decrepit buildings?
Let's be honest here.

I used to stay in the Railway Hotel occasionally when I went down to Limerick for rugby games. A bit run down, but clean and comfortable good bar food and breakfasts and a warm welcome was guaranteed. A decent bar too. I'm sorry to read that it has closed down.

If memory serves me right, wasn't it owned by a Fianna Fail TD or his family?

bobbyss

Jupiter Mulligan wrote:

I used to stay in the Railway Hotel occasionally when I went down to Limerick for rugby games. A bit run down, but clean and comfortable good bar food and breakfasts and a warm welcome was guaranteed. A decent bar too. I'm sorry to read that it has closed down.

Jupiter Mulligan wrote:

If memory serves me right, wasn't it owned by a Fianna Fail TD or his family?

I have no idea who owns it but it's a lovely looking building. Quite elegant. And a superb location.

Jupiter Mulligan

bobbyss wrote: »

I have no idea who owns it but it's a lovely looking building. Quite elegant. And a superb location.

Just did some digging. It was formerly owned by FF tax-dodging TD Michael Collins.

http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2017/12/sold-signs-raise-questions-about-future.html

bobbyss

Jupiter Mulligan wrote:

Just did some digging. It was formerly owned by FF tax-dodging TD Michael Collins.

If it went for the going price of just over €500, 000 it would be a steal. But I'm sure it needs a lot of work done.

Mrs OBumble

bobbyss wrote: »

Also the BE Limerick Galway x51 (i think it is) is punctual and leaves on time. The Citylink comes from Cork I believe and i don't know if that leaves Limerick on time? ......


Will look at your things to do. Thanks

My experience is that it's been on time, but is sometimes not correctly labelled. So if CityLink bus turns up and the right time with the wrong sign, check with the driver anyway. That said, I only go down occasionally to shop.

If you find anything on the list that's wrong, please do let me know. A local contact put it together a while ago but has since moved on. And I don't go down often enough to really test it out.

Straight Talker

Yurt! wrote: »

And the bit about accents. Nobody should apologize for their accent, least of all to a daytripper.

Again, Limerick has dealt with relentless 'criticism' over the decades - very little of it constructive. And there was nothing in that post that I'd take as constructive. Basically, you're city looks run down, there's foreigners and the accent sounds crap.

Cheers pal, you can be on your way on the next train, we'll be busy making our city a better place to live in the face of half the country that has decided it's sh*te after reading a few red top articles.

Well done on proving my point about overreacting to criticism.;) All i said was that Limerick city centre, is not as vibrant as Cork and Galway.A criticism that is valid, and a criticism that some of your fellow Limerick folk, also agree with.I said nothing about red tops or crime etc.Just do yourself a favour, and lose the persecution complex.

windy shepard henderson

bobbyss wrote: »

Took bus to Limerick. Spent half a day there.
Bus / Train Station: I felt I had to wash myself in hot water when I left. Absolutely filthy. Old. Unkempt. The last time I was there it was exactly the same. Must be a depressing place to work in. Why don't they clean/ fumigate it.

Some fine looking buildings. Opposite the train station was the Railway Hotel. Fine building but I think closed and looking dirty and filthy.

Huge empty space outside the station. What's going on there? Seemed like a waste and all concrete.
Lots of foreigners around.
Overall impression was a shabby place.
The people in the shops were very friendly and warm.

That accent! I thought Cork was bad but Limerick seems to be some kind of cross of Cork and the even worse Kerry.

That place outside Arthur's Quay. Was it a tourist office? Now empty and falling apart. Shabby. Noticed a few characters lazing about in the adjacent park.

Third biggest city in the country should offer more.

Not quite sure what part of the country you are from. It couldn't be Dublin because that place is an entire **** hole nowadays, limerick is a nice spot most people are dead on, and the crime level is almost non existent

As regards places being closed and looking dirty, this Is normally what happens ireland when fine geal are in power they do nothing for people with good ideas or trying to run a small business sooner they go the better

windy shepard henderson

Straight Talker wrote: »

Well done on proving my point about overreacting to criticism.;) All i said was that Limerick city centre, is not as vibrant as Cork and Galway.A criticism that is valid, and a criticism that some of your fellow Limerick folk, also agree with.I said nothing about red tops or crime etc.Just do yourself a favour, and lose the persecution complex.

Galway is not as good as limerick if you live in the area, Galway might be full of tourists but limerick is light years ahead in terms of night life nowadays, 10 years ago it was probably the other way round , plus the crime level is probably worse in Galway now

It's complete ****e talk that limerick has a crime problem any more

Yurt2

Straight Talker wrote: »

Well done on proving my point about overreacting to criticism.;) All i said was that Limerick city centre, is not as vibrant as Cork and Galway.A criticism that is valid, and a criticism that some of your fellow Limerick folk, also agree with.I said nothing about red tops or crime etc.Just do yourself a favour, and lose the persecution complex.

I don't believe I overreacted. I called it a thoroughly boring post that has nothing to say to the people of Limerick. Much of it was mean spirited and couched in judgemental language under the guise of 'telling it like it is.'

Well, now that he's 'told it like it is' , he's free to go to (insert city) forum to tell them how miserable they are and how shoddy the public realm is. I wish him the very best of luck on his pointless journey.

Straight Talker

Yurt! wrote: »

I don't believe I overreacted. I called it a thoroughly boring post that has nothing to say to the people of Limerick. Much of it was mean spirited and couched in judgemental language under the guise of 'telling it like it is.'

Well, now that he's 'told it like it is' , he's free to go to (insert city) forum to tell them how miserable they are and how shoddy the public realm is. I wish him the very best of luck on his pointless journey.

I would just like to say, that i don't hate Limerick at all.I like the river front, the georgian architecture, king johns castle, the hunt museum.From an architectural and historical perspective, it's a very interesting city.I think it still has a bit to go, before it can rival Cork and Galway for vibrancy.I think the place suffers badly, from what you would call the doughnut effect.But Limerick is still a great city, and it is very underrated.

windy shepard henderson

Straight Talker wrote: »

I would just like to say, that i don't hate Limerick at all.I like the river front, the georgian archtecture, king johns castle, the hunt museum.From an architectural and historical perspective, it's a very interesting city.I think it still has a bit to go, before it can rival Cork and Galway for vibrancy.I think the place suffers badly, from what you would call the doughnut effect.But it's still a great city, and it is very underrated.

How .... Can it plus the crime is far worse in both Cork and Galway at the moment tune a little