Anti social behavior Balbriggan?

ThunbergsAreGo

Dont buy there, you will regret it. if you were really set on it however, rent first.

Prices unlikely to increase further

cruizer101

I'm living there a year now after growing up in Skerries.
Have two dogs so I'm regularly out walking around Dun Saithne, Moylaragh, New Haven and the likes and have yet to see any trouble.
In terms of gangs the worst I see is groups of teenagers around Millfield and McD's, which to be fair the other week there was 20 odd outside McD which could be intimidating alright for some but they were just congregating teenagers the same that happens in towns up and down the country not unique to Balbriggan.
I don't doubt there is some trouble, there is in all towns, I've a teenage niece and hear some stories from here but it is no-where near as bad as some make out.

minikin

The skin tone of the group of teenagers seems to convert them into a gang, in the eyes of the less enlightened.

Living here 44 years, the only coloured gang ever in the town was the Black and Tans a hundred years ago.

Find it interesting that boards is ok with allowing a whole town and the reputations of all here to be rubbished like this, without a bye or leave.

Sleeper12

minikin wrote:

Find it interesting that boards is ok with allowing a whole town and the reputations of all here to be rubbished like this, without a bye or leave.

I've never lived in Balbriggan myself but I agree with you. I have noticed "Balbriggan Gangs" getting blamed on almost every bit of anti social behaviour on the north side of Dublin, here on Boards. We've been visited by large groups of teenagers here in Dublin 5 causing trouble. We've been at meetings with the Gardai and they have identified the groups visiting us as West Dublin and not Balbriggan.

It must be very difficult to read people not from the area posting untruths about where you live. It drives me nuts and I live no where near balbriggan

Hal3000

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I've never lived in Balbriggan myself but I agree with you. I have noticed "Balbriggan Gangs" getting blamed on almost every bit of anti social behaviour on the north side of Dublin, here on Boards. We've been visited by large groups of teenagers here in Dublin 5 causing trouble. We've been at meetings with the Gardai and they have identified the groups visiting us as West Dublin and not Balbriggan.

It must be very difficult to read people not from the area posting untruths about where you live. It drives me nuts and I live no where near balbriggan

Yeah they went on a car robbing spree in Dublin 5 only a while back. Sure why not ? You’ll be out the next day if caught by our judges so nothing to lose.

Sleeper12

Hal3000 wrote:

Yeah they went on a car robbing spree in Dublin 5 only a while back. Sure why not ? You’ll be out the next day if caught by our judges so nothing to lose.

No one from balbriggan was robbing cars in Dublin 5.

Hal3000

Sleeper12 wrote: »

No one from balbriggan was robbing cars in Dublin 5.

Never said they were, look at the post I replied to.

Dizzyblonde

Mod note:I've kept a close eye on this thread and have zero tolerance for any type of racism in the DCN forum. I did a thorough search of the thread just now and can't find any mention of skin colour, and I'm heartened to see posters who live in Balbriggan set the record straight when it's being unfairly put down.

LeoB

I have been working in Balbriggan for about 12 years and an odd stint before that.

I like the place but there is concern among locals, born and bread Balbriggan people about anti-social behaviour. Some of it is caused by local kids but the vast majority is from outside gangs who use the train. The same gang are well know to Gardái and have reeked havoc in all towns along the rail line.

Balbriggan is no different to any other town. There are groups of kids hanging around every town and village in Ireland.

The problem as I see it a lack of visible Garda presence on the beat. I dont mean a car driving around I mean Gardái on foot patrol especially in the evenings. Until this changes there will always be some anti-social behaviour.

Balbriggan is a good town with a huge amount going on for people if they wish to get up and get involved. A lot of great people in Balbriggan. You could pick a worse place to live.

minikin

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Mod note:I've kept a close eye on this thread and have zero tolerance for any type of racism in the DCN forum. I did a thorough search of the thread just now and can't find any mention of skin colour, and I'm heartened to see posters who live in Balbriggan set the record straight when it's being unfairly put down.

The racism is under the radar, everyone knows what is inferred by “Balbriggan Gangs”, in the same breath as calling the town Blackbriggan. It’s disgusting racism and a superiority complex from some... the same communities of EXACTLY the same kids would be celebrated as wonderful diversity if they lived in Skerries or Malahide.

I get the feeling that if similar threads entitled Skerries Antisocial Behaviour - listing the attacks that have happened there that the thread would be closed in short order, but the threads about Balbriggan are allowed to continue unabated.

We’re doing our damnedest to shake off this negativity that has smothered the town for decades, whipping boy threads on here are not helping... doing more damage to the future prospects of the kids in this town that any fantasy gangs ever could.

Please stop and think, help a town to improve rather than kicking it when it’s down and trying to get back on its knees.

Sleeper12

minikin wrote:

I get the feeling that if similar threads entitled Skerries Antisocial Behaviour - listing the attacks that have happened there that the thread would be closed in short order, but the threads about Balbriggan are allowed to continue unabated.

I don't know if the threads would be shut down but I'd imagine the Skerries Antisocial Behaviour would be blamed on "Balbriggan Gangs" too.

minikin

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I don't know if the threads would be shut down but I'd imagine the Skerries Antisocial Behaviour would be blamed on "Balbriggan Gangs" too.

It might be called exactly what a lot of this anti-Balbriggan commentary is: “trolling” and closed...

Getting more and more like Facebook, I saw a thread on a Skerries oriented group showing nice drone photography of the town and some ‘goat’ just had to get the dig in “great work, and you kept Balbriggan out of every one... even better”

I mean we’re neighbours for god sake... such snobbery. The end result of blackguarding balbriggan is to encourage ‘white flight’ and it’ll become a self fulfilling prophesy. Put an end to such snide under the counter bigotry and maybe, just maybe we come out of it with an enriched society where people are judged on their character, academic achievement and skills rather than prejudged on their postal address.

To the O.P.
If you want a home at a reasonable price in a GREAT town (look, we have ardgillan for flip sake) with great transport links, great shopping facilities, no snobbery about dietary choices, any amount of primary and secondary schools (and if my sources are correct a tertiary facility not too far in the distant future), twenty minutes to the airport, lots of friendly faces, great entertainment and sporting facilities then there is nowhere comparable in County Dublin. Does it have some twits, yes just like any other town, will you read about it ad nauseum? Yes. will they affect you? No.

To the mods:
just by leaving the thread title you are allowing the conflation of antisocial behavior [sic] and Balbriggan to propagate. Just like a crappy tabloid headline. Have a think about that before deciding you might have to put manners on an uppity “half-shirt” for ‘back seat modding’

anewme

OK.

I updated this forum as a friend had experienced the same anti social challenges in relation to Balbriggan as I had in Lucan.

I had youths scream into my face (black power) and I am a 5ft 6 woman. Needless to say, I told them to shove their black power where the sun don't shine, but there is something negative about feeling you are buying in an area where you are in the minority.

It is unfair to say all the challenges are down to diversity.

However it is probably fair to say, barring mental illness, the better the area you live in, the less likely you are to live in an area where it can be accepted that a little dog is kicked to death in front of people. ve lived here 10 years and its not a risk.. Weird as it sounds, I could not cope with that type scumbaggery and it would be a dealbreaker for me.

you dont't live to make life more difficult for yourself, so my advice is to OP is buy where you can afford at a stretch.

At 400K you wont have the challenges you have at 300K or at 200k and so on.

Easier said and not unique to Balbriggan, I realise.

LeoB

minikin wrote: »

The racism is under the radar, everyone knows what is inferred by “Balbriggan Gangs”, in the same breath as calling the town Blackbriggan. It’s disgusting racism and a superiority complex from some... the same communities of EXACTLY the same kids would be celebrated as wonderful diversity if they lived in Skerries or Malahide.

I get the feeling that if similar threads entitled Skerries Antisocial Behaviour - listing the attacks that have happened there that the thread would be closed in short order, but the threads about Balbriggan are allowed to continue unabated.

We’re doing our damnedest to shake off this negativity that has smothered the town for decades, whipping boy threads on here are not helping... doing more damage to the future prospects of the kids in this town that any fantasy gangs ever could.

Please stop and think, help a town to improve rather than kicking it when it’s down and trying to get back on its knees.

Very good post and some valid points.

However, people infer correctly who these gangs are without actually saying it, thats not racism thats fact.

I get your point about Skerries and Malahide.They do have a lot of diversity especially in Malahide but without the AS behaviour. neither appear to have the level of anti social behaviour that Balbriggan, Rush or Lusk have. Is this because they have not had the same level of massive estates built as other Fingal areas I mentioned? It is well know outside elements are causing most of the trouble. Skerries have had a number of serious attacks over the last 12 months which are widely publicised on Facebook.

I think Balbriggan is on the rise. Some great work getting done around the town. But like other areas where there is big diversity there has to be a higher level of policing.

SporadicMan

LeoB wrote: »

Very good post and some valid points.

However, people infer correctly who these gangs are without actually saying it, thats not racism thats fact.

I get your point about Skerries and Malahide.They do have a lot of diversity especially in Malahide but without the AS behaviour. neither appear to have the level of anti social behaviour that Balbriggan, Rush or Lusk have. Is this because they have not had the same level of massive estates built as other Fingal areas I mentioned? It is well know outside elements are causing most of the trouble. Skerries have had a number of serious attacks over the last 12 months which are widely publicised on Facebook.

I think Balbriggan is on the rise. Some great work getting done around the town. But like other areas where there is big diversity there has to be a higher level of policing.

A lot of diversity in Malahide and Skerries? Really?

I see next to no diversity when I'm walking around there when compared with Balbriggan.

skooterblue2

anewme wrote: »

OK.

I updated this forum as a friend had experienced the same anti social challenges in relation to Balbriggan as I had in Lucan.

I had youths scream into my face (black power) and I am a 5ft 6 woman. Needless to say, I told them to shove their black power where the sun don't shine, but there is something negative about feeling you are buying in an area where you are in the minority.



you dont't live to make life more difficult for yourself, so my advice is to OP is buy where you can afford at a stretch.

At 400K you wont have the challenges you have at 300K or at 200k and so on.

Easier said and not unique to Balbriggan, I realise.

Imagine the same 15 year old youths in 10 years time without training and employment. Then add in drugs. Do you want your largest assets tied up in an environment like that? Look at the schools and how they perform is also a good indicator. I had a lecturer tell me to my face "I can tell how you are going to perform on the course based on where you went to school and who was your maths teacher". He wasnt wrong.

minikin

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Imagine the same 15 year old youths in 10 years time without training and employment. Then add in drugs. Do you want your largest assets tied up in an environment like that? Look at the schools and how they perform is also a good indicator. I had a lecturer tell me to my face "I can tell how you are going to perform on the course based on where you went to school and who was your maths teacher". He wasnt wrong.

Not a great idea to make major financial decisions based on your imagination. That’s the sort of thing that resulted in the bust of the Celtic tiger.... why would you consider it likely that a preponderance of today’s 15 year olds (anywhere) will be untrained, uneducated and on drugs? Very negative thinking... what percentage of the population end up in that predicament, do you think???

Broaden your thinking for a while... replace Balbriggan with Fingal or Dublin every time you think, say or write something negative about the place. Last time I checked Balbriggan is part of these larger areas and (shocker) the residents are not walled into the town... so you’re disparaging your own area and county - what will that do for your precious property prices???

The constant snobbery about the town will backfire on surrounding towns as the residents of Balbriggan will get sick of it... they will then resist further expansion in the town and skerries, Malahide etc will start seeing its fair share of social housing, fast food outlets... oh the horror - get me my smelling salts Veluvia, common people will be eating food...etc. If that’s what you want then keep on running the town down. Or live and let live and if you’re fortunate to life somewhere ‘nice’ don’t feel the need to justify your massive mortgage payment each month for the next 35 years by punching down on people who actually have a lot more in their bank accounts at the end of the month.

High property prices are a terrible thing for community cohesion... Balbriggan is quite multi-generational as kids can afford to buy in the same town as their parents and grandparents. So families are more closely knit. How many children from dalkey or foxrock can do the same? That’s the future you are wishing on your own area and that’s why Balbriggan attracts the good people of surrounding towns who need a family home that’ll leave them with a good work life balance and be actually able to afford to raise more than one ‘meat asset’ or child as we call them here.

vladmydad

Balbriggan is another example of how “diversity“ definitely is not a strength. No matter how Pat Kenny and his D4 luvies try to spin it. It is becoming another Luton.

minikin

vladmydad wrote: »

Balbriggan is another example of how “diversity“ definitely is not a strength. No matter how Pat Kenny and his D4 luvies try to spin it. It is becoming another Luton.

Yeah irexit now!!!?
Are there lots of Lutonians moving here???

Step 1. Go to some raging nutbar Facebook page.
Step 2. Copy
Step 3. Go to where normal well-adjusted people hang out.
Step 4. Paste
Step 5. Go back to making white power flags out of own faeces.

Oh, and TV3 is full of D24 luvvies...

Hal3000

All of this leads back to one crucial element in Ireland. Lack of accountability. Doesn’t matter what colour you are, commit a crime and you must pay the price. This isn’t happening anywhere in our country. Black and white youths are running a muck in this kip and our leaders do sweet FA about it.

minikin

Hal3000 wrote: »

All of this leads back to one crucial element in Ireland. Lack of accountability. Doesn’t matter what colour you are, commit a crime and you must pay the price. This isn’t happening anywhere in our country. Black and white youths are running a muck in this kip and our leaders do sweet FA about it.

Don’t we have detention centres, youth diversion schemes and prisons? Nobody does nothing???

Ireland isn’t a kip, stop talking like some mutt in a British pub and have some respect for yourself and your nation.

Hal3000

minikin wrote: »

Don’t we have detention centres, youth diversion schemes and prisons? Nobody does nothing???

Ireland isn’t a kip, stop talking like some mutt in a British pub and have some respect for yourself and your nation.

We have huge issues with Anti Social behavior and justice in this country. Perhaps you need to leave your ivory tower once in a while.

kaahooters

Hal3000 wrote: »

All of this leads back to one crucial element in Ireland. Lack of accountability. Doesn’t matter what colour you are, commit a crime and you must pay the price. This isn’t happening anywhere in our country. Black and white youths are running a muck in this kip and our leaders do sweet FA about it.

your looking for the parents, why are you trying to shift blame to politics? whats your agenda then.

Hal3000

kaahooters wrote: »

your looking for the parents, why are you trying to shift blame to politics? whats your agenda then.

My agenda is tougher sentencing for repeat offenders. Stop the 100+ conviction brigade doing whatever they want in this country. Stop roaming gangs intimidating entire neighborhoods without any fear of law. Stop our jjudges accepting that a hard upbringing gives you Carte Blanche to do whatever you want and have zero accountability for your actions. The whole system is broken and that’s exactly why we are discussing this here.

LeoB

I am on the ground every day in NCD. I see what is happening and it is not nice. Like others I fear for what lies ahead of us if we dont get a grip on housing, crime and school places. People have to be held accountable be they Civil servants, Politicans, Social workers and Parents. A lot of people will not express themselves for fear of been branded racist when they are more fearful. Balbriggan has been lucky in many ways with some who have intigrated very well and are assets to the community, I meet them every day, lovely people.. Sadly like a lot of other places there is a growing element of no particular racr or creed who contribute nothing.

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Imagine the same 15 year old youths in 10 years time without training and employment. Then add in drugs. Do you want your largest assets tied up in an environment like that? Look at the schools and how they perform is also a good indicator. I had a lecturer tell me to my face "I can tell how you are going to perform on the course based on where you went to school and who was your maths teacher". He wasnt wrong.

Alot of professionals would agree with you about what it could be like in 10-15 years time.

minikin wrote: »

Not a great idea to make major financial decisions based on your imagination. That’s the sort of thing that resulted in the bust of the Celtic tiger.... why would you consider it likely that a preponderance of today’s 15 year olds (anywhere) will be untrained, uneducated and on drugs? Very negative thinking... what percentage of the population end up in that predicament, do you think??? .

Look at Luton, Bradford, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool in fact most major cities in Uk then look at Paris, Munich, Stockholm. Without a proper plan we are creating a mess for our next generation.

minikin wrote: »

High property prices are a terrible thing for community cohesion... Balbriggan is quite multi-generational as kids can afford to buy in the same town as their parents and grandparents. So families are more closely knit. How many children from dalkey or foxrock can do the same? That’s the future you are wishing on your own area and that’s why Balbriggan attracts the good people of surrounding towns who need a family home that’ll leave them with a good work life balance and be actually able to afford to raise more than one ‘meat asset’ or child as we call them here.

A lot of locals cant afford to live locally and most certainly the crowd from Foxrock and Dalkey wouldnt move here.

Hal3000 wrote: »

All of this leads back to one crucial element in Ireland. Lack of accountability. Doesn’t matter what colour you are, commit a crime and you must pay the price. This isn’t happening anywhere in our country. Black and white youths are running a muck in this kip and our leaders do sweet FA about it.

Agree 100%. there is no accountability. Our politicians, civil servants who make these decisions need to be held accountable. Building massive estates with zero facilities, few school places and little or no policing is adding to the mess. Did we not learn from mistakes in other Dublin suburbs?

minikin wrote: »

Don’t we have detention centres, youth diversion schemes and prisons? Nobody does nothing???

Ireland isn’t a kip, stop talking like some mutt in a British pub and have some respect for yourself and your nation.

We dont have enough detention centres, kids come and go on a lot of courses, basically do as they please. Figures can be manipulated to state we have so many doing these courses but speak to some people on these course they might go in for hour get bored and head off.

You are right Ireland isnt a kip, its a great country but between corruption and a lack of planning we are doing our best tio run it into the ground.
Irish people accept to much sh1t.

Hal3000 wrote: »

We have huge issues with Anti Social behavior and justice in this country. Perhaps you need to leave your ivory tower once in a while.

Like the people these decisions and actually see what is happening on the ground

Hal3000 wrote: »

My agenda is tougher sentencing for repeat offenders. Stop the 100+ conviction brigade doing whatever they want in this country. Stop roaming gangs intimidating entire neighborhoods without any fear of law. Stop our jjudges accepting that a hard upbringing gives you Carte Blanche to do whatever you want and have zero accountability for your actions. The whole system is broken and that’s exactly why we are discussing this here.

Our system is broken and in need of serious repair. Yes we need tougher sentences, we need to stop these 100+ conviction people doing as they please. Again the judges who give them the free pass to reoffend are untouched by all this and they are not held accountable either.

In a nut shell Balbriggan is a good town, full of good people from different walks of life but there is element doing as they please and it has to stop.
I would have no problem living in Balbriggan

skooterblue2

LeoB wrote: »

Our system is broken and in need of serious repair. Yes we need tougher sentences, we need to stop these 100+ conviction people doing as they please. Again the judges who give them the free pass to reoffend are untouched by all this and they are not held accountable either.

In a nut shell Balbriggan is a good town, full of good people from different walks of life but there is element doing as they please and it has to stop.
I would have no problem living in Balbriggan

I think a childs destiny is more or less sealed by the time they are 7 and by the time they are 14 it is decided by who their friends are and what is their home environment is?

I always say the cost of an attempted drug rehabilitation would fund a whole soccer club for a year (insurance, jerseys, away matches, professional coaching). Nobody does drugs for the first time in their 20's it is something that is learned at home or neglected to be nipped in the bud at home.

kaahooters

so, theirs a lot of "we should do this and that and fix things".

have any f you tried to start up youth clubs? joined the local councils?

nothing but "its the governments fault", what have you done to help? complain on a niche internet forum?

if your not going to set an example for the kids you fear about how they'll turn out in 10 - 15 years, who is?

and im pretty sure youll all come back and say "its not my place" "i dont have time" ect ect.

skooterblue2

kaahooters wrote: »

have any f you tried to start up youth clubs? joined the local councils?

I would be terrified to be on one of those groups. There is insurance, being held publicly and personally responsible. Considering what has come out of Scouting Ireland, Swim Ireland, altar servers and a few other coaches. I would love to be involved with scouting as an ex-FCA member. I wouldnt want to work anywhere near kids or adolescence for a whole load of reasons.It doesnt matter if it is true or not, just the implication can ruin a career, marriage or a life.

I will pass, thank you.

koutoubia

I have been reading this thread and would like to make a contribution.
I am gonna say something in this first paragraph that I heard many years back.
'Fingal County Council and successive govts over the last few years have continually taken a dump on Balbriggan from a height'

I cant remember who said it or when but its a very sad truth.


I have now spent more then half my life here.
I have just about raised a family here and played my part.
I have made what I hope will be now lifelong friends with people who grew up here and are decent good people to their very core.
However when FCC view Balbriggan and its surrounds as building site and how many people can they fit in regardless of nation,creed or whatever else and not improve infrastructre, policing and so forth it will only lead down one path.Look at the recent uproar about the planned extension of castlelands...More housing with little or no infrastructure. And dont try and spin me the swimming pool and such line. That spin has being going on as long as I am living here if not longer.
If FCC and so on are so fixated on it why dont or rather why didnt they build before they built thousands of extra homes?

Its not just the 'new' people that are leading to the area's downhill spiral.
I live very close to a school.....some regulars here will know where I am .....and when its school time and for whatever reason I am home I try not to look out the window. If the kids follow the parents lead we are gonna have a very broken society very very quickly.

With relation to the poster who is standing up for Balbriggan fair play. Yes its a great place however I urge you to take off your rose tinted glasses for a little bit.
Drugs are rife in Balbriggan. Lots of teenagers hang around with some of them as Pat Kenny says 'Ner do Wells'. Even if we get 100 guards tommorrow ,as mentioned earlier, while we operate with a severley disjointed juducial system it simply wont get any better. There is no fear when caught.I have seen it first hand.

Petty Crime is simply now a fact of life in some areas.
You leave a door unlocked, something that may or may not be of worth on view in your car etc at your peril.


As for LeoB stating that its no worse then Skerries or Malahide.....Come on Leo you know that thats not right!!!

Dont get me wrong I love living here and have never regretted coming out but my eyes are also wide open to the deep deep problems that exist and are growing.

Remember that first paragraph .....
The first posters form your local TD's (remember them? The people who come around every few promising you the world!) and their parties have gone up. How about asking them about where they were when playgrounds are getting destroyed or dogs and cats are getting kicked to death.

The area is full of great people but sadly outnumbered by a growing army of scrotes!

Donald Trump

SporadicMan wrote: »

A lot of diversity in Malahide and Skerries? Really?

Of course there is diversity. There was a fella from Cork in Malahide once - although he was just stopped to ask for directions after he got lost after driving up through Fairview on his way back from Croker.