Most miserable and grim towns and villages in Ireland

L1011

L1011 wrote: »

Not Bray. Thank feck.

How much?

Seriously - if you've bought there you have a vested interest we need to know about. Cause your defence is insane otherwise.

Your antagonism here is bizarre.

L1011

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Your antagonism here is bizarre.

I just find it amazing that we have a fan club for one of the most run down, dog-feaces riddled dumps in the country. So bad that KFC left.

Posters all but copy/pasting tourist board speils - oh, the restaurants! oh, the hill walks! - to try convince us its not a failed seaside resort with roaring alcoholics preventing anyone from trying to enjoy the seafront. Not that there's much left of a seafront to enjoy, considering its mostly nursing homes and failed hotels.

If we had posters trying to big up Athy or another complete cluster**** of a town, I'd be the same.


Only someone who has incredibly overpaid to live in Bray (and probably wanted and couldn't afford Greystones) would defend it to the extent we've seen on here

L1011

L1011 wrote: »

I just find it amazing that we have a fan club for one of the most run down, dog-feaces riddled dumps in the country. So bad that KFC left.

Posters all but copy/pasting tourist board speils - oh, the restaurants! oh, the hill walks! - to try convince us its not a failed seaside resort with roaring alcoholics preventing anyone from trying to enjoy the seafront. Not that there's much left of a seafront to enjoy, considering its mostly nursing homes and failed hotels.

If we had posters trying to big up Athy or another complete cluster**** of a town, I'd be the same.


Only someone who has incredibly overpaid to live in Bray (and probably wanted and couldn't afford Greystones) would defend it to the extent we've seen on here

<<mod snip>>

Once again, this post just shows what you don't know about Bray and indeed Greystones. You're just quoting stereotypes now. Apart from a couple of areas within Greystones(Burnaby) , it's predominantly just middle class like most of Bray, you know there are less desirable areas within Greystones too, right? Probably not actually. Charlesland and Kindlestown are two for you. Logistically, someone may not want to live in Kilcoole which is positioned as Greystones in a brochure. Some people practically prefer a more frequent dart service from Bray as opposed to being further out into a part of "Greystones". Greystones a great place too but like everywhere, depends on your house and where you're located. Pity you don't get that as you continue to troll Bray. Hilarious really. I'm not from either and I know them both exceptionally well hence why I'm very happy to put someone like you on the straight and narrow.

Also, one of the most expensive private schools in the country is in Bray but I'm sure you knew that, of course 🀣

<<Mod Snip>>

L1011

I'm about as far from anonymous on here as possible. And I'm not from Tallaght

Being so reliant on property (and private school) prices to try defend a town is surreal.

Ted_YNWA

Mod

I never realised Bray was so divisive, can we discuss the pros & cons without resorting to personal abuse.

whisky_galore

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Top class.

Those carpeted pubs preserve the smells of drinks long spilled, the distinct odour of misery with faint notes of vomit and urine.

Just as awful as the "old" Irish pub that had all the original old decor ripped out, replaced with exposed stone walls, candles stuck into bottles and an old bicycle hanging off the ceiling. Like every old pub in days gone by had a random bike hanging up indoors.

partyguinness

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Doesn't sound like you had a lot of respect for her man, not great. Might be that she was an astute judge of character.

Knows her own mind and not afraid to go against the grain, and by "miserable" with money, I assume you mean 'careful', not likely to keep you in pints. I think this post might reflect less well on you than you think it does.

Is that you Mags? Did you ever sort out those black hairy arse cheeks?

Ah come on are seriously getting indignant about my description of an "ex" from 15 years ago...

No she was miserable. Not once did she put her hand in her pocket or even offer to pay for anything. I drove everywhere and the one time I sat in her car (my car was being serviced) on a Friday night she was over to my place on Sunday and actually asked for €5.00 for pertrol. That was the end of her.

No she was a terrible judge of character. She pursued me and I just lazily "fell" into it. I am a complete deginerate and far too urbane and way out of her league (she was way below my league). She needed to hook up with Holy Sean with some frontage and a milk quota.

EmmetSpiceland

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's why I wanted your opinion on areas like...Ballybrack...

Ballybrack is a, truly, awful place.

Randy Archer

partyguinness wrote: »

Sounds like you have a bit of a knacker problem TBH...

You would if you ran/ run a business like a hotel or pub or have pals in the Gardai who have had their ears knocked out of place .

Got family in all these towns bar Mullingar , they give those areas terrible reputations . It hurts trade and tourism . Also, they are utter hunts who will walk all over you unless you stand up to them , fire with fire. When you do that , they cry inequality etc

Oh I remember the early 1990s in Glenamaddy. After Big Tom song it was the only time the place made national news . A whole herd of the travellers camped in the town due to links with a former publican . Even the cops were willing to turn a blind eye once the locals had enough of their ****e - google travellers, moving pint pub - the locals ran the ****ers out of town. Rather scary if I recall and I’m from a bigger town that had more of them (but they were actually sound ) of course a few spivs like Anhramhanson (now a Film director ) reported for The Hot Press , a laughable article about the whole affair , knowing nothing about what went on in the area

murpho999

L1011 wrote: »

I just find it amazing that we have a fan club for one of the most run down, dog-feaces riddled dumps in the country. So bad that KFC left.

Posters all but copy/pasting tourist board speils - oh, the restaurants! oh, the hill walks! - to try convince us its not a failed seaside resort with roaring alcoholics preventing anyone from trying to enjoy the seafront. Not that there's much left of a seafront to enjoy, considering its mostly nursing homes and failed hotels.

If we had posters trying to big up Athy or another complete cluster**** of a town, I'd be the same.


Only someone who has incredibly overpaid to live in Bray (and probably wanted and couldn't afford Greystones) would defend it to the extent we've seen on here

So how is a KFC leaving Bray for whatever reason a bad thing? I actually view it as a positive.
You can't just ignore the pluses like restaurants and hill walks that are part of the town just to suit your argument.

There's also only once closed hotel on the seafront that has been sold. There's a few nursing homes in older residential Victorian buildings, I don't see the problem with it.

L1011 wrote: »

How much did you pay for the gaff in Bray, precisely?

It was a dump in the 90s, 00s, and 10s as well as the 80s and amazingly - its still a dump now. With incredibly defensive residents.

It's not defensive residents , it's people who know the place better than prejudiced posters on here.

To say the seafront is failed and full of alcoholics as you said in above is a complete fabrication and just shows bitterness. As I said I was down there yesterday and it was packed with families out enjoying themselves.

How an image like below could be described as grim is beyond me.

partyguinness

TBH most seaside towns are grim.

They are grand as small quaint little villages but when they grow to quasi commuter towns they get too big and beyond redemption.

You should see seaside towns in England. So grim even Morrissey wrote a song about it.

CrankyHaus

Yeah Howth's such a minging kip. Skerries and Malahide too. Don't get me started on Dingle, Kinsale and Baltimore.

Randy Archer

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Yeah Howth's such a minging kip. Skerries and Malahide too

Howth is delightful until the riff faff pile in on a nice day and throw rubbish around (bins over flow) Portmarnock too

joeguevara

partyguinness wrote: »

TBH most seaside towns are grim.

They are grand as small quaint little villages but when they grow to quasi commuter towns they get too big and beyond redemption.

You should see seaside towns in England. So grim even Morrissey wrote a song about it.

Morrisey would write a misery song about unicorns and candyfloss.

L1011

murpho999 wrote: »

To say the seafront is failed and full of alcoholics as you said in above is a complete fabrication and just shows bitterness. As I said I was down there yesterday and it was packed with families out enjoying themselves.

Go there on a wet weekday.

partyguinness

As mentioned above it's when the common riff raff from the large towns and cities start piling in it's all over.

The best thing to do is jack up the prices.

EmmetSpiceland

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Yeah Howth's such a minging kip. Skerries and Malahide too. Don't get me started on Dingle, Kinsale and Baltimore.

I like Skerries, it’s just a bit of “trek” to get to. Lovely spot on, both, a summer’s day and in the middle of winter.

kg703

I'm confused about the hate for Bray.... I mean its not perfect by any means but to compare to some of the grimmest places in Ireland??? I'd rather live in Bray then probably 60% of places in Ireland. My best friends live in Ballinasloe so I go down from time to time. Grim isnt the word guys, theres no comparison here.

As someone mentioned, even the nicest areas have rough ones beside them. I'm in So Dub (originally from northside) so I'm not far from Bray but also not far from Ballybrack! Some parts of Sallynoggin and Monkstown Farm... woof.

Dont know where that person was saying Raheny is the rough side of Clontarf..... Lol. Raheny is not rough. Clontarf runs straight into Fairview / Summerhill / Ballyboch though and you get some of the gangs of kids from those areas on the strand.

Anyway - my grim towns I've been to:

Ballinasloe (sorry friends)
Waterford City
Shannon
Drogheda
Dundalk
Theres a town on the way from Dub to Donegal I drive through - cant think of the name but its such a dive. Everytime I go through it theres at least 2 jungfellas with souped up cars driving up and down the road and queues of obese people at the chipper.

Dublin wise:
Belcamp
Summerhill/Ballyboch
Edenmore
Monsktown Farm
Anywhere in Finglas West

Havent spent too much time in the West of Dublin.

Spent a night in Wexford town not too long ago and it started fine until the pubs all started playing ooh ahhh up the ra....my god

CrankyHaus

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

I like Skerries, it’s just a bit of “trek” to get to. Lovely spot on, both, a summer’s day and in the middle of winter.

I was being incredibly sarcastic. They're 6 of the nicest towns in the country; disproving the suggestion that seaside towns are kips.

The basis for that suggestion is the British phenomenon of older seaside resorts, first opened up to tourists from urban areas by the railways, that declined after mass air travel enabled their customers to go abroad instead.
It doesn't really apply to Ireland, it at least not to the same extent.

partyguinness

CrankyHaus wrote: »

I was being incredibly sarcastic. They're 6 of the nicest towns in the country; disproving the suggestion that seaside towns are kips.

The basis for that suggestion is the British phenomenon of older seaside resorts, first opened up to tourists from urban areas by the railways, that declined after mass air travel enabled their customers to go abroad instead.
It doesn't really apply to Ireland, it at least not to the same extent.

I think the east coast does suffer from the scourge of working class Dubs hitting the likes of Wicklow and Wexford in their caravans. In Cork Youghal gets the working class Cork City folk.

murpho999

L1011 wrote: »

Go there on a wet weekday.

Go anywhere on a wet weekday and it's different.

Seriously, your points and arguments are just weak and based on nothing.

murpho999

Randy Archer wrote: »

Howth is delightful until the riff faff pile in on a nice day and throw rubbish around (bins over flow) Portmarnock too

Howth and Portmarnock are lovely but the problem with the Dart is it's easy for people to access places.

Overflowing bins are a sign of popularity and how busy places are and then people leave rubbish beside the bins and they get blown all over the place.

Either way I don't see how either place could be described as grim. I think Dublin is unique as a capital city to have so many nice coastal spots on its doorstep.

CrankyHaus

murpho999 wrote: »

Howth and Portmarnock are lovely but the problem with the Dart is it's easy for people to access places.

Overflowing bins are a sign of popularity and how busy places are and then people leave rubbish beside the bins and they get blown all over the place.

Either way I don't see how either place could be described as grim. I think Dublin is unique as a capital city to have so many nice coastal spots on its doorstep.

And then the mountains up in Wicklow. It's all fantastic if you put just a tiny bit of effort into avoiding the crowds. And most of Ireland is a similar story. The types you get on Boards would emphasise the negatives in anything.

gourcuff

drumcondra, just a run down kip with howiyas on either side of the main road

ScallionAyter

Malahide.

An overpriced cross-roads that has an ugly 'marina' with poor souls living on top of each other and paying through the nose for a view of...another block of flats.

The village is heaving at the weekend, full of drunks taxi'd in from the even more boring suburban sprawl of the Fingal. The village is overflowing with the same stumbling drunks, falling out of the three pubs and a rancid Chinese takeaway.

Cultured place!

ChikiChiki

gourcuff wrote: »

drumcondra, just a run down kip with howiyas on either side of the main road

Drumcondra is huge, some very nice places in it. Think you are moreso referring to South Drumcondra.

Aongus Von Bismarck

The reality is that most small towns in Ireland are absolutely awful places. The towns are as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants. I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave these places, if even for a few years.

Small towns breed small minds.

whisky_galore

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Not forgetting the bizarre twinning with (mostly) French towns. Ballinsalsoe, for example, is twinned with Chalonnes-sur-Loire in the beautiful Loire Valley.

Poor bastards. Some kind of sick joke I reckon.

Bet there was disappointment from the poor visiting French expecting some cute Irish village straight out of Bord Failte propaganda and getting Ballinasloe.

Lots of places still have the by-now faded Special Olympics signs proudly proclaiming they hosted Turkmenistan or wherever, their one moment of international fame.

freshpopcorn

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

The reality is that most small towns in Ireland are absolutely awful places. The towns are as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants. I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave these places, if even for a few years.

Small towns breed small minds.

Are you from Tipperary town?

castletownman

kg703 wrote: »

I'm confused about the hate for Bray.... I mean its not perfect by any means but to compare to some of the grimmest places in Ireland??? I'd rather live in Bray then probably 60% of places in Ireland. My best friends live in Ballinasloe so I go down from time to time. Grim isnt the word guys, theres no comparison here.

As someone mentioned, even the nicest areas have rough ones beside them. I'm in So Dub (originally from northside) so I'm not far from Bray but also not far from Ballybrack! Some parts of Sallynoggin and Monkstown Farm... woof.

Dont know where that person was saying Raheny is the rough side of Clontarf..... Lol. Raheny is not rough. Clontarf runs straight into Fairview / Summerhill / Ballyboch though and you get some of the gangs of kids from those areas on the strand.

Anyway - my grim towns I've been to:

Ballinasloe (sorry friends)
Waterford City
Shannon
Drogheda
Dundalk
Theres a town on the way from Dub to Donegal I drive through - cant think of the name but its such a dive. Everytime I go through it theres at least 2 jungfellas with souped up cars driving up and down the road and queues of obese people at the chipper.

Dublin wise:
Belcamp
Summerhill/Ballyboch
Edenmore
Monsktown Farm
Anywhere in Finglas West

Havent spent too much time in the West of Dublin.

Spent a night in Wexford town not too long ago and it started fine until the pubs all started playing ooh ahhh up the ra....my god

Wexford town is lovely. I genuinely think it should be ear-marked for potential city status (in conjunction with Rosslare Port) as it has all the amenities and infrastructure. The bridge and the prom are beautiful on a sunny day.

From a Wexford perspective though, Enniscorthy and New Ross in particular fit the conversation in this thread, and Bunclody is the worst of the lot. There are a few rather lifeless villages dotted along the county too, particularly around the southern end. Courtown had become grim over the last ten years, mainly due to a huge influx of undesirables into the area, and the hotels closing in the village itself.

partyguinness

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

The reality is that most small towns in Ireland are absolutely awful places. The towns are as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants. I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave these places, if even for a few years.

Small towns breed small minds.

But sure you can build a monster sized totally inappropriate house on site down the road and marry Mags the local prmary teacher. All set.

EmmetSpiceland

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Ballybrack is a, truly, awful place.

Exactly, that's my whole point about places like Bray, Greystones, Rathfarnham, Cabinteely, Foxrock, Templeogue etc because you're never more than about 5 mins away from a less desirable part of said area.

Re: Ballybrack, it's a 30 second walk from Killiney - that's the whole point I'm making. You can't write off one of the biggest towns in the country (Bray, nearly 40,000 people) because there are lower classes on the outskirts of said place. It's the exact same all over South Dublin as I've mentioned already.

L1011

L1011 wrote: »

Go there on a wet weekday.

Have you ever been in any housing estate in South Dublin/Wicklow on a rainy day? They're all grim because the weather is grim. You need to wake up and stop the blatant trolling ffs.

partyguinness

I have to admit that I have not heard of half of the places mentioned here.

Dyr

kg703 wrote: »

Spent a night in Wexford town not too long ago and it started fine until the pubs all started playing ooh ahhh up the ra....my god

At the same time? That's quite impressive.

The Nal

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

The reality is that most small towns in Ireland are absolutely awful places.

I wonder how many towns in Ireland are just, pub, church, Gala or a Daybreak and some weird fashion shop. Must hundreds and hundreds

murpho999

CrankyHaus wrote: »

And then the mountains up in Wicklow. It's all fantastic if you put just a tiny bit of effort into avoiding the crowds. And most of Ireland is a similar story. The types you get on Boards would emphasise the negatives in anything.

Exactly, I don't think people know how nice Ireland is. Of course there's some less attractive places but go look abroad.

Great scenery, decent architecture and a varied landscape for such a small place.

Lived in Holland for several years and found it featureless and dull. Some nice town centres but lots of built up areas with houses that are all the same colour and souless.

Was delighted to get back to Ireland.

kg703

Bambi wrote: »

At the same time? That's quite impressive.

Simultaneously... it was nuts

Ah no two separate pubs I went into played it and quite young people singing it. It was just really bizarre.

Wexford town is nice though, we had fun there. Lots of nice places to eat and drink.

Someone mentioned courtown and I totally forgot about there..... grim is a perfect description. We used to go down there to my aunties caravan (yes blow ins from dublin) when I was a kid and I remember playing tennis, beautiful beaches, packed pubs and hotels...

I went there a couple of years ago for a drive. Oh man it was so sad. Barely anything even open down there and 4000 wasps. Pirates Cove was still there though and went for a game of golf

Sultan of Bling

kg703 wrote:

I went there a couple of years ago for a drive. Oh man it was so sad. Barely anything even open down there and 4000 wasps. Pirates Cove was still there though and went for a game of golf

Stayed in the amber springs in gorey a few years ago and visited courtown.

The amount of wasps was unbelievable in both the hotel and courtown.

Nightmare.

gourcuff

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

The reality is that most small towns in Ireland are absolutely awful places. The towns are as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants. I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave these places, if even for a few years.

Small towns breed small minds.

kinda like being born in dublin, living with your parents until your 25, living in dublin your whole life. Narrow circle breeds narrow minds.

Dublin is as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants.

I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave Dublin, if even for a few years.

fixed that post for you....

handlemaster

Longford would have to be up there. And not only for certain people who live there.

skooterblue2

kg703 wrote: »

Simultaneously... it was nuts

Ah no two separate pubs I went into played it and quite young people singing it. It was just really bizarre.

Long forgotten are the days of murdering widows, bookies and bank tellers.

Oops!

gourcuff wrote: »

kinda like being born in dublin, living with your parents until your 25, living in dublin your whole life. Narrow circle breeds narrow minds.

Dublin is as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants.

I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave Dublin, if even for a few years.

fixed that post for you....

Takes me back to the boom days when a young South Dublin born and bred relation was after buying a shoe box of a place down the road from his parents with his new wife for almost 400k...

When i asked him "Do you have any idea what that would buy you down my way?" (Mid Tipp) He replied "Shur what the hell would i be doin living down in the sticks?"... I left it at that....:rolleyes:

Roll on 15 years later and he finally gets my point.... Loves the peace and quiet and getting down here every chance he can get.

I Am Nobody

The Nal wrote: »

I wonder how many towns in Ireland are just, pub, church, Gala or a Daybreak and some weird fashion shop. Must hundreds and hundreds

Don't forget the prefab community centre.

skooterblue2

gourcuff wrote: »

kinda like being born in dublin, living with your parents until your 25, living in dublin your whole life. Narrow circle breeds narrow minds.

Dublin is as ugly, soulless, and unkempt as its inhabitants.

I always think there’s something wrong with people who finish up in school and never leave Dublin, if even for a few years.

fixed that post for you....

There is no middle in Dublin, its extreme at both ends. scumbags and junkies and snobs. The decent people in the middle are squeezed out to the satellite towns.

More realistically people are living with their parents until they are well into their 30's because they cant afford to rent or buy in Dublin.

whisky_galore

I Am Nobody wrote: »

Don't forget the prefab community centre.

The concrete GAA hall with constantly weeping walls.

The national school/play school with kiddies drawings displayed on windows that resemble Munch's "The Scream".

Stuff worthy of a Hibernian Stephen King novel.

mariaalice

whisky_galore wrote: »

The concrete GAA hall with constantly weeping walls.

The national school/play school with kiddies drawings displayed on windows that resemble Munch's "The Scream".

Stuff worthy of a Hibernian Stephen King novel.

This thread comes up over and over again and I am always fascinated, how the same small village or small town can be heaven on earth for some and hell on earth for others. It is the same place.

Mad_maxx

murpho999 wrote: »

Exactly, I don't think people know how nice Ireland is. Of course there's some less attractive places but go look abroad.

Great scenery, decent architecture and a varied landscape for such a small place.

Lived in Holland for several years and found it featureless and dull. Some nice town centres but lots of built up areas with houses that are all the same colour and souless.

Was delighted to get back to Ireland.

architecture aint much to write about in this country for the most part

joe40

For a lot of towns very simple action like painting rundown buildings, simple plants etc would make a difference.
Especially smaller villages.

Surely owners of buildings on main streets should be compelled to maintain a minimum standard in terms of presentation.

I Am Nobody

mariaalice wrote: »

This thread comes up over and over again and I am always fascinated, how the same small village or small town can be heaven on earth for some and hell on earth for others. It is the same place.

Because each one seems to think they can offer more than the others.In their mind they are more cultural and cutting edge.When in reality they are no different than the others.