Dirty, dreary, expensive, nothing to do

Idbatterim

Dublin city council, look at the state of much of the city centre. O’Connell bridge footpaths are tarmac for Christ sake. The amount of dereliction is laughable. Once Gorgeous Georgian buildings now a disgrace. They are great at stopping new developments though ! and for all their talk of the skyline and Georgian Dublin, action speaks louder than words. The absolute state of some areas of central Dublin , after two booms now In relative close succession is unbelievable!

Thelonious Monk

Yeah the roads/paving in Dublin is really ramshackle in parts. Baggot St and South Anne St are in an absolute state. I have no idea what DCC do half the time.

Idbatterim

Dublin has lovely geographical setting. Many people I chat to here that have moved here from other countries love it. As usual it could be better here and the authorities really fail us on that front. Transport is laughably bad. There is no stand out good modern architecture, it’s all bland rubbish. The anti development dcc trying to stop hotels being built , of course they are expensive when supply is being limited coupled with large demand. The cost of drink is pricey enough , at least with three new spoons that will be open centrally soon, Us locals or visitors don’t have to be robbed anymore. Food wise eating out here I find pretty good value.

silverharp

:pac:

https://twitter.com/Rubberbandits/status/1198187942440779777

Blueshoe

silverharp wrote: »

:pac:

https://twitter.com/Rubberbandits/status/1198187942440779777

Blindboys opinion. Lol

Rufeo

Fritzbox wrote: »

That doesn't stop Dublin being one of the most popular tourist cities in Europe. Why are there so many tourists in London and Paris if they are also so expensive?

Probably trying to avoid a 28 euro price tag for a sub par steak in a over priced gastropub.

mikhail

Fritzbox wrote: »

Is the weather any better in any of these places? I read recently that the rainfall is greater in Amsterdam is heavier than in Dublin, could be true?

Dublin is in the rain shadow of the Wicklow mountains. It's not a particularly wet city. https://www.timeanddate.com says it has 493 mm a year vs 550 mm annually for Amsterdam. Some others: London 596.5, Galway 732.5, Cork 849, Copenhagen 312, Paris 589, Lisbon 295, Oslo 701. All from the same site, for whatever it's worth.

The opinions of a handful of tourists should be of concern to Failte Ireland, and to **** all else, though as usual there's a scramble as culchies with chips on their shoulder race to gloat that their hatred of their own capital is justified.

Thelonious Monk

mikhail wrote: »

Dublin is in the rain shadow of the Wicklow mountains. It's not a particularly wet city. https://www.timeanddate.com says it has 493 mm a year vs 550 mm annually for Amsterdam. Some others: London 596.5, Galway 732.5, Cork 849, Copenhagen 312, Paris 589, Lisbon 295, Oslo 701. All from the same site, for whatever it's worth.

The opinions of a handful of tourists should be of concern to Failte Ireland, and to **** all else, though as usual there's a scramble as culchies with chips on their shoulder race to gloat that their hatred of their own capital is justified.

London gets a summer though, regardless of all the rain. It has felt like non stop rain in Dublin this year since August!

fatknacker

Museums and galleries are free. A trip to howth / dun laoghaire is about €6 or so return and they can walk around there for free. A double cheeseburger in McDonald's is €2 or do a shop in lidl and make their own food.
They can enjoy Dublin for cheap if they like or they can shove it up their holes.
I don't care, I'd prefer fewer tourists, myself. Piss off to Paris.

Ready4Boarding

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

My two cents

Most tourists seem to go to dreary parts of dublin and ignore other nicer parts

By that I mean they congregate around

The north quays
O connell st
Abbey st middle and lower
Mary and Henry st
Parnell st
Temple bar
Dame st

And they seem to be in much less numbers around the “grafton quarter” and leeson/baggot area. Nicer areas if you ask me.

In Ireland, we labour under the delusion that O'Connell Street is our main street, mostly for sentimental reasons, and expend great energy griping that it's not the street we want it to be. But what other capital's main street has exclusively tatty shops and fast food restaurants, extensive counsel housing in the immediate vicinity and reaches the edge of the commercial city at its top end? If we acknowledge that the the centre of the city has moved elsewhere, we are freed of cognitive dissonance and can appreciate it for what it is. We can then embrace that College Green is the central axis of the city and make the necessary improvements, like pedestrianising it, that will cement it as such. Tourists find themselves in O'Connell Street because it's still where we instinctively point to as being the city centre.

And I'm glad you used the term Grafton Quarter (albeit in quotation marks!). There is little doubt that the most attractive part of the inner city is the area south of Dame Street, from George's Street to Dawson Street. The streets have a common character and retail mix, so it makes perfect sense to group them. People viewed the Grafton Quarter sign as some branding exercise (that someone was being paid a fortune for having created), but if you want South William Street pedestrianised, proper policing of where delivery vans parks, a prohibition on obstructive bin bags left out over night, etc, it will only happen if there's a shared planning strategy for the area.

Idbatterim wrote: »

There is no stand out good modern architecture.

Berkeley Library at Trinity and the former Central Bank on Dame Street are fantastic (IMO) but Dublin has much under-appreciated Georgian and Victorian architecture that we should be prioritising.

silverharp wrote: »

:pac:

https://twitter.com/Rubberbandits/status/1198187942440779777

They really are insufferable at this point.

Sonny noggs

Walking along the quays earlier, ****1ng Roma’s walking in the opposite direction with their hands out asking for money. F*ck off. What a **** hole Dublin has become.

Muahahaha

It doesnt really matter what the bored housewives of Slough and Maccelsfield think. Dublin consistently ranks no 5 or 6 as the most popular European city for a short break. Once you take out the heavyweights of London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam there we are in terms of popularity. Way outstripping capitals like Helsinki, Oslo, Vienna, etc. Our tourism market is well heeled Europeans who like that Ireland is much different to the rest of the European capitals. We dont need the cheap charlie type tourism anymore.

Blueshoe

fatknacker wrote: »

Museums and galleries are free. A trip to howth / dun laoghaire is about €6 or so return and they can walk around there for free. A double cheeseburger in McDonald's is €2 or do a shop in lidl and make their own food.
They can enjoy Dublin for cheap if they like or they can shove it up their holes.
I don't care, I'd prefer fewer tourists, myself. Piss off to Paris.

I'm sorry but that sounds like a ****e holiday

Sonny noggs

Blueshoe wrote: »

I'm sorry but that sounds like a ****e holiday

Maybe the people complaining already tried fat knackers advice.

fatknacker

No need to apologise if free culture / nature are not your bag in a trip. I'm sure you could find more amazing things to do without spending money.

Quackster

ittakestwo wrote: »

It Does rain a lot here. We seem to have a lot of days where it just does not stop raining. Of course that will piss people off no end. We dont really show in failte ireland brochures what really the street scape will probably look like if you visit. Pissing rain with umbrellas.

Anyone who thinks it rains a lot in Dublin obviously has spent feck-all time on the west coast! :pac:

is_that_so

Blueshoe wrote: »

I'm sorry but that sounds like a ****e holiday

It's hard to tell from the in-depth analysis how long they came here for. Very few cities, with the exception of Rome, offer enough interesting things for more than 3 days. Fewer still offer activities for very small people and there is a realistic minimum age for city visits so that they don't whinge about being bored every 5 minutes. That said, people in and around Dublin find something to do all year round with sproglets, inside and out.

riffmongous

Sonny noggs wrote: »

Walking along the quays earlier, ****1ng Roma’s walking in the opposite direction with their hands out asking for money. F*ck off. What a **** hole Dublin has become.

Wow a beggar in Dublin, headline stuff right there

stateofflux

they are complaining how wet it is in the middle of winter....enough said.

meeeeh

Personally I find a lot of continental cities nicer to spend time in. Partly because of weather, partly because of outdoor markets, public squares and pedestrianised city centres. You can't fix the the weather but the rest could be improved. There is more to the city than museums and the offering of craft souvenirs (except drink) is pretty poor in Ireland. The most souvenirs are aimed at drunken student market with couple of Aran jumpers thrown in for Americans. Ireland has great food but areas with most people are littered with fast food joints and better food is hidden away because decent restaurants are priced out.

IAMAMORON

Blueshoe wrote: »

I'm sorry but that sounds like a ****e holiday

Throwing out the options here, thanks for taking part.:rolleyes:

IAMAMORON

Mothers bringing kids on a city break need their heads examined. Kids get bored as soon as their sweets are finished. What a waste of a holiday and if I am honest you would think they would have a lot more consideration for their offspring.

I used to hate going shopping with my ma when I was a nipper. Hanging around the changing rooms in Switzers stuffing myself with cola lollys and getting headaches. It was awful.

If anything it typifies how vacuous the modern mummy has become.

Blueshoe

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Throwing out the options here, thanks for taking part.:rolleyes:

Keep your thanks to yourself pal

NSAman

It is funny, I read some of the reviews and honestly while some points are valid, i.e. homelessness, drug aggicts, places looking run down...it all depends o what you want.

I bring many people to Ireland regularly. My last trip was with three women from the States. They had planned on spending 5 days in Ireland and then going to London. After our five day tour of Ireland we headed back to Dublin. One day in Dublin and they didn’t want to go to London. They LOVED the place.

Obviously, with a fantastic Irish native to guide them, I had told them what to avoid.

They arrived in Dublin and we spent one day there before heading off around the country.

Some of the misconceptions that they came with were completely blown away. These were:

Food... they had heard the food was terrible. We didn’t have a bad meal anywhere.

Boring... seeing as they had heard this prior to arrival, they were worried. They literally did not have enough time. They did not know much of the history of Ireland and loved the fact that most people they talked to could tell them about places we visited. The fact they are all planning a return visit with their husbands means they didn’t find it boring.

The people... while they knew most Irish people they had met were friendly, they were literally blown away with the fun and chats they had wherever they went.

Finally, DUBLIN... obviously it is small.. they were worried that they wouldn’t find much to do. I left them alone while I ent to visit family for a day and when I came back all plans had changed. They loved Dublin. They raved at the friendliness, the history, the things to do (including shopping). I took them to a restaurant one night and they were shocked at the level of service and the quality of food. (These ladies are married to multimillionaires and used to the best!).

Needless to say, I was shocked myself. They absolutely loved the “atmosphere” of Dublin. Next year, 20 of them are planning a trip back....

ChikiChiki

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Yeah the roads/paving in Dublin is really ramshackle in parts. Baggot St and South Anne St are in an absolute state. I have no idea what DCC do half the time.

I walk up Westland Row, East Merrion Square and up Baggot St daily. Some of the pavement stones are loose and you can feel them shift.

Also in regards to Mumsnet. That particular audience wouldn't be suited to a Dublin City break. I reckon it would be a nightmare to bring a young family to. Transport is ****e and museums etc would bore the life out of kids.

It more suited to people travelling without kids, stags, hens etc.

Thelonious Monk

ChikiChiki wrote: »

I walk up Westland Row, East Merrion Square and up Baggot St daily. Some of the pavement stones are loose and you can feel them shift.

Also in regards to Mumsnet. That particular audience wouldn't be suited to a Dublin City break. I reckon it would be a nightmare to bring a young family to. Transport is ****e and museums etc would bore the life out of kids.

It more suited to people travelling without kids, stags, hens etc.

Ha, yeah I do that walk or cycle every day too. The worst part is Merrion Street and Baggot St crossroads, the pavements are barely wide enough for 2 people to stand at the corner and they get packed with people, while cars and trucks speed by at ridiculous speeds. Most of the centre isn't great for walking around, as you're sharing space with speeding cars.

MrMusician18

Muahahaha wrote: »

It doesnt really matter what the bored housewives of Slough and Maccelsfield think. Dublin consistently ranks no 5 or 6 as the most popular European city for a short break. Once you take out the heavyweights of London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam there we are in terms of popularity. Way outstripping capitals like Helsinki, Oslo, Vienna, etc. Our tourism market is well heeled Europeans who like that Ireland is much different to the rest of the European capitals. We dont need the cheap charlie type tourism anymore.

It clearly does matter since we are talking about it and not just us, other media outlets are running the story. It's an interesting example of how one thread on a free site can undo lots of expensive marketing.

I think some of the criticism laid at Dublin is down to missed expectations. Dublin isn't like a lot of other European capitals on the tourist trail, with many of them being capitals of former empires. It really is unfair to compare Dublin with Paris, London or Amsterdam, since it doesn't have the architectural legacy that those have from the age of empire.

Other criticism is valid however. Dublin has some serious long standing problems that spoil the city and it's something which many people here have long complained about being deficient. Public transport is expensive and low quality. Many parts of the city are very neglected and a particular example of this which is very visible to tourists is O'Connell St. Littering is endemic, especially the proliferation of stickers on street furniture throughout the centre. Drug abusers are very visible largely as a result of the moronic decision to locate treatment centres in the very centre of the city.

Again, none of this is news to people who live and work in the city. Yes, it can be hard to hear it from visitors (especially those that come from cities with worse problems than Dublin). The hardest criticism to take is the one with some truth to it.

fatknacker

Can't walk down Grafton today, it's black with visitors. Don't know why it's worth getting defensive over what a few miserable British mummys say.

As for no nice cheap, authentic places to eat, whoever said that is talking through their hoop.

If you're a miserable uninterested ****e at home, changing location ain't gonna help with that.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

meeeeh wrote: »

Personally I find a lot of continental cities nicer to spend time in. Partly because of weather, partly because of outdoor markets, public squares and pedestrianised city centres. You can't fix the the weather but the rest could be improved. There is more to the city than museums and the offering of craft souvenirs (except drink) is pretty poor in Ireland. The most souvenirs are aimed at drunken student market with couple of Aran jumpers thrown in for Americans. Ireland has great food but areas with most people are littered with fast food joints and better food is hidden away because decent restaurants are priced out.

That’s the way in most cities, you’ve to do a bit of searching off the main thoroughfares to find good places to eat.

stateofflux

fatknacker wrote: »

Can't walk down Grafton today, it's black with visitors. Don't know why it's worth getting defensive over what a few miserable British mummys say.

As for no nice cheap, authentic places to eat, whoever said that is talking through their hoop.

If you're a miserable uninterested ****e at home, changing location ain't gonna help with that.

I agree with this.I would say dublin has the one of the highest standards of restaurant food and the widest choice compared to almost any city in the world.

The amount of competition alone keep prices down...for example the lunch deals on dawson st are pretty incredible for the standard of food you are getting

Potential-Monke

Everyone is saying that it's cheap, but I'm wondering are ye comparing it to other places in Dublin, or in general? Can we have a few examples? I want to see what Dubliners consider cheap...

I haven't been to Dublin in years but my memory of if is its dirty/grimey. Like it could do with a good powerwash and some paint.

Too many people dressed in tracksuits too which would bring the impression of anywhere down. Too many gangs of little scrotes too.

Potential-Monke

Deleted User wrote: »

I haven't been to Dublin in years but my memory of if is its dirty/grimey. Like it could do with a good powerwash and some paint.

They did power wash the streets recently enough, think it was during the water ban...

Potential-Monke

Potential-Monke wrote: »

They did power wash the streets recently enough, think it was during the water ban...

Mind you I'll tell you a city that could do with a good powerwash more than Dublin and that is Rome.

Rubberchikken

visited a european city last week.
coffee excellent and a lot cheaper than here. food much the same price but nicer.
hotel very reasonably priced incl breakfast and all excellent.
things to see and do.

dublin - overpriced, nothing to see or do, tired, dirty and vastly overrated by its upstanding citizens.

Potential-Monke

Deleted User wrote: »

Mind you I'll tell you a city that could do with a good powerwash more than Dublin and that is Rome.

Never been, doesn't interest me. The only way I'll visit Rome is to do the Path of Illumination tour, just so I can see the places and statues from the book. Other than that, I've no interest in the place.

Same with most capitals tbh. I'd rather go to a quieter town outside of the typical norms, as I find you experience a lot more without the crowd.

Rubberchikken wrote: »

dublin - overpriced, nothing to see or do, tired, dirty and vastly overrated by its upstanding citizens.

You're not allowed say that. Shur don't you know it has museums, and churches, and buildings, and... and... museums!

Spanish Eyes

Potential-Monke wrote: »

They did power wash the streets recently enough, think it was during the water ban...

They get the water from the Canals.

Dublin is great but could be SO much better for everyone including tourists. As a pp said, where are the indoor markets with cafes and restaurants? The Fruit and Veg place off Capel Street will probably take forever to become reality like so many other proposals.

I would agree that apart from museums and other cultural places there are far too few places to get out of the rain and mooch around. London has Borough Market, Barcelona has La Boqueria, in fact most cities have an indoor market, but Dublin has Moore Street. Enough said!

There really is nothing North of O'Connell Bridge that is worth it both for interest or your own safety now. Nicest places are around Sth William Street, Camden Street, the Green, Merrion Square. I am sure I have forgotten some!

Failte Ireland should really take note of the mummys, they possibly reflect a lot of views of the entire UK. Instead of going on the defensive, Failte Ireland together with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the Gardai and DCC should go on the attack and see it from the eyes of visitors and a residents and try and sort it out.

They don't. They sit in their fancy offices and produce great booklets and advertising but do not have a clue what's going on on the ground.

Dublin has great potential but it is not invested in. The traffic is awful, public transport has its limits, crime is visible everywhere and nothing is done, the streets ARE dirty, with cracked pavements and infills with dirty tarmac.

I better stop for the moment, because I lose my rag sometimes to see a lovely city being run down like this.

Sardonicat

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Not much history,

Huh?

MrAbyss

meeeeh wrote: »

Personally I find a lot of continental cities nicer to spend time in. Partly because of weather, partly because of outdoor markets, public squares and pedestrianised city centres. You can't fix the the weather but the rest could be improved. There is more to the city than museums and the offering of craft souvenirs (except drink) is pretty poor in Ireland. The most souvenirs are aimed at drunken student market with couple of Aran jumpers thrown in for Americans. Ireland has great food but areas with most people are littered with fast food joints and better food is hidden away because decent restaurants are priced out.

Nail in the wood right there. The reason streets pedestrianized is UNDERGROUND RAIL SYSTEM. The underground rail plan for Dublin was first approved in 1973 and still not a shovel in the ground yet, while traffic gets worse as another generation of inbred kunts exclaim 'buses are enough' while they sit in 3 hours of traffic everyday.

Just think of the millions of tourists who spend an hour in the bus in the pissing rain from the airport to the city centre as their gloom builds and sets the tone for the entire trip. Everywhere in Europe, even in cities much smaller than Dublin you get a metro at the airport and are at your hotel in 15 mins. If it is raining it's a minor issue as you are not trapped into it as you trundle through Whitehall stopping at every traffic light and wondering what the **** you let yourself in for as the bus arrives in Dorset Street.

Elemonator

I would take Dublin over most British cities anyday, with the exception of London.

Have you ever been to Birmingham? Have no ever noticed once it is dark that nobody walks anywhere and they all drive? Tells you everything you need to know about how dangerous it is. A dangerous place it is too.

meeeeh

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

That’s the way in most cities, you’ve to do a bit of searching off the main thoroughfares to find good places to eat.

No it's not. Not every country allows their city centres to be littered by fast food restaurants and burger chains. I'm not talking about Michelin star food, just decent good quality food. Italians especially are very strict.

I know Kilkenny is a lot smaller but in my opinion miles better at creating a lot more upmarket experience of Ireland than something that predominantly caters to people who are drunk 90% of time.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnn.com/travel/amp/mcdonalds-rome-ruins-scli-intl/index.html

Seamai

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Mind you I'll tell you a city that could do with a good powerwash more than Dublin and that is Rome.

Spent a week in Naples is September, it's fair to say it's filthy but I really liked the place and would go back there in a heart beat. A big plus was the lack of tourists.
Dublin is certainly not as dirty (though parts are in need of powerhosing and paint job), it's the skangers that put me off the city, Naples has bad reputation but I felt safer there than I do in places like Dublin, Barcelona or Amsterdam.

Seamai

Elemonator wrote: »

I would take Dublin over most British cities anyday, with the exception of London.

Have you ever been to Birmingham? Have no ever noticed once it is dark that nobody walks anywhere and they all drive? Tells you everything you need to know about how dangerous it is. A dangerous place it is too.

Birmingham is a **ithole, as are the majority of British cities, the only city there that I have any time for is Edinburgh which to be fair has a pretty gritty edge to it away from the city centre and sadly it's pretty much sold out to tourism.

Thelonious Monk

Birmingham isnt pushed as a tourist city though, everyone knows its a kip

ChikiChiki

MrAbyss wrote: »

Nail in the end right there. The reason streets pedestrianized is UNDERGROUND RAIL SYSTEM. The underground rail plan for Dublin was first approved in 1973 and still not a shovel in the ground yet, while traffic gets worse as another generation of inbred kunts exclaim 'buses are enough' while they sit in 3 hours of traffic everyday.

Just think of the millions of tourists who spend an hour in the bus in the pissing rain from the airport to the city centre as their gloom builds and sets the tone for the entire trip. Everywhere in Europe, even in cities much smaller than Dublin you get a metro at the airport and are at your hotel in 15 mins. If it is raining it's a minor issue as you are not trapped into it as you trundle through Whitehall stopping at every traffic light and wondering what the **** you let yourself in for as the bus arrives in Dorset Street.

Na Fianna holding metro north up. Plough through it to fook. They'll get pitches elsewhere.

Local political pandering is a blight on this countries development.

MrAbyss

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Na Fianna holding metro north up. Plough through it to fook. They'll get pitches elsewhere.

Local political pandering is a blight on this countries development.

Home Farm FC got the station instead are are looking at millions and millions in compensation. When the NaFianna knuckle-scraping morons realized they lost so much money because of the histrionics of a few lunatics and Z list 'celebs'

they were pissed off. FOOK EM.

MrAbyss

Seamai wrote: »

Birmingham is a **ithole, as are the majority of British cities, the only city there that I have any time for is Edinburgh which to be fair has a pretty gritty edge to it away from the city centre and sadly it's pretty much sold out to tourism.

Liverpool has come on in spades in recent years. Loads of smaller UK cities like Bath, Colechester etc are very nice. It's not all 'football weekend' dumps overthere.

What about the tracksuit clad riff raff. What can be done about them?

IAMAMORON

Deleted User wrote: »

What about the tracksuit clad riff raff. What can be done about them?

March them to the cliffs of Moher at gunpoint and demand that they jump over. If they "survive the dive " they should be shot for insubordination and witchery.

Day Lewin

The OP wrote that Dublin is not much different than a drab town in the north of England.

I guess they must have never lived in Crewe, or Washington or Darlington....

Dublin is livelier than most cities, (I've travelled extensively) and there's only a small handful of VERY large cities that are more interesting. Obviously we aren't competing with London, Paris or New York, but on the smaller scale...there is no possible comparison with Bucharest.
That may be the OP's hometown, of course, which would account for an increased sensitivity to dreariness and dirt.
You find what you look for, OP.

Try the streets of Lancaster or Peterborough on a Saturday night. Enjoy!