Full scale gang fight near the Parkway

Zapho

I agree with IceHawk. Its all too easy to point at social problems in an effort to damage a places name, but what city/town doesn't suffer from these? Limerick has been going through a major face lift in the past few years with major developments not only in the city center but in outskirts too which are not only making the city more attractive but it is providing extra amenities for people and hence helping to solve social difficulties.

Amazotheamazing

If I'm not mistaken (no promises) they are building a town centre in Moyross, 25 years late, but better late than never. Also Ginger McLoughlin (city councillor, ex-Ireland prop) does a lot of work with underprivileged kids in that area. Another councillor has set up a community games programme on the northside. Small steps certainly, but better than nothing. John Gilligan is always working ot help the Island. Another Councillor is looking to get a burned-down community centre rebuilt, though thats in the weston area. I know these are all very small steps Raiser but hardly fair to dismiss the city councillors as only worrying about traffic wardens and the like.

Raiser

Point taken - anyone doing such work is to be commended and no matter what bitching goes on here they have my respect for devoting time and energy towards helping folk out and making Limerick a better place.

limerick_man

Really thats great about Moyross!

Amazotheamazing

I've cut and pasted this from another forum. It details the development of Moyross. Slowly it's improving, not quite a town centre, but still an improvement.


"Moyross started housing families in 1975.

1977 is the year the church opened

1986 after much canvasing by locals & politicans the primary school opened. kids had to be taken by bus every morning to go to primary school.

in 1992 the community centre opened. This has given base for the credit union to setup an office, for clubs to start etc. & the community garda is also based there, but there is a generation who grew with nothing to do except sit around & do nothing & some ended up hooked on drugs & getting involved in crime. I'm not saying that it would have prevented it, but there would have been alot less involved in drugs/crime today if the facilites were there when the estate started.

then in 2004 work started on the new shopping complex which has now got a supermarket & a pharmacy already up & running. a Library is also opening up soon.

the point I'm trying to make is, that its being a struggle to get this stuff into moyross, but without grants, ec funding etc. alot of places, & not just moyross would be in far worse place now."

Karmafaerie

Raiser, I simply pointed out that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover!
Just because a person comes from Moyross, or SouthHill, doesn't mean that they are going to be scumbags.
I spent the first few years of my life growing up in Moyross, and even though I left there while still a child, I never had any problems with the area.
My gradmother lives in the island field, and I used to play daown there with my cousins every week, yet again, never experiencing any problems!
Now don't get me wrong here, I know just how dangerous these places can but because I know a hell of a lot of decent people from these areas, I tend to ake offence when somebody, who for all I know, has never even been to the area, bundles them all together as white trash!
If me saying this makes you feel like lashing ou at me, then, so e it.

P.S. I miss live at 3, Derek was cool!!!!!

Raiser

Karmafaerie I know there was room for my comments to be taken in a certain way, I assure you that I have been fortunate enough to know some very decent people from the Island field and Moyross. It is a great pity that people are labelled in a certain way because of something as superficial as their address.

After all of my smart-arse comments etc. etc. I suppose what it comes down to is that if Limericks problems are played down or outright denied as being untrue media stories etc. they will never be solved. Sometimes ya gotta admit something is wrong and meet it head on.....

Redneck_Rebel

"Now don't get me wrong here, I know just how dangerous these places can but because I know a hell of a lot of decent people from these areas, I tend to ake offence when somebody, who for all I know, has never even been to the area, bundles them all together as white trash!"
I'd be the first to say that there are people that are ordinary decent hard working citizens coming out of myross and southhill, but you seem to be showing a limerick quality. Ignore the other side of the coin. There are hardened criminals coming out of these areas, all be it a small percentage they extremly dangerious after beign give a free raign aby locals saying stop reporting the bad side of limerick. Now the sooner you admit there is a problem the sooner you can start to tackel it. It is no good throwing money at a problem that you won't acknolage!!!!

pleuraXeraphim

A few points on the interesting posts you have all made above.

First off:
When the fued in Limerick got very bad and escalated with the kidnappings two years or so ago. I remember a very senior politican coming on the TV and stating that - the people of Limerick need to take acocunt of themselves and to start obeying the laws of the state just like everyone else in the country.
Initially I was furious. It was like every one of us down here were being blamed and we were all responsible for what was happening. The media and just about every person from around the country take the same sneering view of Limerick.
Well I'm sorry, but its not something myself or the people of this city can change on our own.
The rest of the country have to take large responsibilty too for what is happening here.
Why you may ask.....

That comment came from the government who had made so many election promises, one of which was to introduce two thousand new guards. None of their election promises were delivered upon.
Nor were the extra gardai, in a country which has seen a big rise in its population in the past ten years and also a huge increase in organised Crime.
In the end it had reached breaking point here so they had to bring in extra guards and huge resources. It was at this stage they brought in the helicopters and really started to clamp down on the thugs. Lo and behold having finally got off their over paid asses and gave the guards the extra resources they needed, they finally were able to achieve quite alot.
Limerick has been murder free for a year now and most of the more serious gansters are locked up.


So why do they let things go to breaking point like they did with Veronica Guerin. The signs were there for years - going back to the eighties. They let the situation get to nearly a state of anarchy. These people are supposed to run this country and are paid very nice sums to do so. Our safety and law and order of the state are paramount.
Lets face it, as the media loved calling it, "Martial Law" was brought into Limerick at the time of the kidnappings. There was witness intimidation, jury tampering and no one would testify in the courts, and you can be damn sure I wouldnt. No wonder we wouldnt.
The government failed to act on a serious crime problem that has existed since the early eighties. A crime problem where thugs were left to their own devices and were able to challenge the instituitions of this state. What sort of a government allows scum like that to challenege the stability of our state. Then they trun around and blame us!! What the story with that like


Instead of our government being leaders they wait for things to fall apart and then try and fix the problem. Look at our health system, our transport network, kids cant get to school at the moment as there is a shortage of safe school buses, I could go on and on.....
This is not a proactive government. It has sat on the fence for way too long and no matter how much they screw up we still vote them back in.

Crime is not just a problem with Limerick. Most people who are not from Limerick but are resident here for a few years will testify that while Limerick has serious problems, that their own home towns suffer similair if not worse random violence.

And that is where the problem is and it is why we all have to take responsibility for the level of violence in the ic country. We put these people in government to do a job and we should demand a better service and more action but we dont.

Also when some of you talk figures/stats. Kerry/Tralee had the highest rate of murders last year per head of population I do recall i know I know it made me laugh but figures dont tell the whole story.

Anyway despite the above I dont get worked up as much about it anymore and am not as worried about defending Limerick. I dont blame people for defending the city to the last despite everything thats happening. This has affected us all here morale wise and also jobs wise. I recently was sitting in a bar up the country with the girlfriend and we were asked where we were from by two respectable Kildare couples. When my girlfriend told them she was from Clare there was great banter and chat about Clare. The I told them I was from Limerick haha. I then got a tirade of abuse about it from one of the guys. I was very taken a back by it, but over the years I suppose I have become accustomed to this and just smiled and went along with it and just played it all down. Very quickly the guy realised how bad he looked out of it and indeed his wife and the other couple were extremely embarassed. Then ensued aplologies and a big discussion about how Limerick has prouduced many famous people and that its a great sporting city and that really it was not all that bad. Was in New York in January as well. Was In an Irish bar and the lad who was from Kerry but in New York for a good few years was asking where we were from. "Your from Limerick, Ah Limerick your a lady....." Which was nice. Not the reply I have come to expect. Then two Americans right in front of me at the bar, without turning around, start off about stab city and all the Limerick people being scum. In fairness to the Irish fella behind the bar, he shut them up and defended Limerick. But no wonder there is bad morale in Limerick. You go a few thousand miles and get slagged by Americans for being from Limerick. haha

Morale is very low here as the people of the city have been put down for so long. Hence as some of you were suggesting that Limerick people are unfriendly. Which can be true.
Limerick people can be very hard to get to know but are very decent and genuine once you do.
You will find that they are less two faced and more solid underneath it all. i.e less of the bull.
Grant it... It can take a while but thats only natural as people can be suspicious at first.

Unfortunately there is very little civic pride at the moment and its not hard to see why with all the Limerick bashing. The one saving light for us all here has been the Rugby.
It has given so many here something to be proud of and is engrained in our psyche
If things keep on improving and the government start to provide more facilities here
and push ahead to develop some of the poor slum areas of the city as planned. You will see a renewed civic pride. Oh and as for breaking election promises Limerick has not too many non pub related outlets for recreation. I will never forgive our current leader for the cuts to the Arts industry which nearly shut places like the Belltable. Talking about making bad worse. Just cause he mismanaged the economy at a time when things were booming. Muppe!!

But anyway contrary to many of your suggestions, Limerick is actually bustling with tourists.
Any given evening there are so many tourists here now that its hard now to spot the locals.
I know alot of this is due to Ryanair flights dumping them here at Shannon. It may not be the most attractive city but it has a long history, much of which is still very evident. So there are may things to see here and it acts as a base for touring the midwest of the country. Also there are big plans to pedestrianise many of the smaller streets and refurbish them. So in time there hopefully will be a more attractive, prosperous and safer city centre. And there is loads to do here if your living in Limerick. But you have to get involved. Theres many clubs and theatre groups and debating groups. You get involved in any of these it really opens up the rest of the city to you. So anyway Limerick is not there yet but its getting there. Be positive people.

Oh and as for Ballycummin, in recent months some of Limericks finest have been relocated out to that area of the city. As someone who is buying property at the moment, I will definitely be staying well away from there.

My ramble is over
Slainte

LB6

pleuraXeraphim,


"Oh and as for Ballycummin, in recent months some of Limericks finest have been relocated out to that area of the city. As someone who is buying property at the moment, I will definitely be staying well away from there. "

Who, where, when?

ricey

LB6 wrote:

pleuraXeraphim,


"Oh and as for Ballycummin, in recent months some of Limericks finest have been relocated out to that area of the city. As someone who is buying property at the moment, I will definitely be staying well away from there. "

Who, where, when?

Now now cant be saying any names.

pleuraXeraphim

ricey wrote:

Now now cant be saying any names.

Dont worry not a hope of me doing that. Just saying that a lot of friends of mine have bought lovely property out there and are mighty pissed off with a minority that have been moved out there. But anyway....

jammin

pleuraXeraphim, your views on the government are refreshing to hear, most people I encounter these days just say 'oh isn't it great willie o dea is a minister'. All im thinking is 'well so what, willie going to do for us'. Our government seem to think they are figure heads , to be seen, occasionally heard but god help you if you have the audacity to actually question them in depth about anything really. A few good publicity stunts here and there to look good in all communities and keep favour with all. The rest of time it's buddy buddy back scratching and those of us that disagree well your either not in the know or in their pockets already. Limerick may be pissing me off more and more lately but then again I see it as a microcosm of our country. 'Nostalgic' as this may seem I miss the quiteness, yes quiteness and simpler charm we always had in limerick even when we had the same amount of factories colleges etc as everywhere else. Galway and Cork city willl never make the same mistake as Dublin has in their expansions and become faceless and sprawling. I see no reason why we should become some super productive hub in the middle of Ireland without first clearly defining where we are going and how we want limerick portrayed. We wont always speak with trepidation when we're asked where we're from, bad press becomes yesterdays news very fast when you superseed it with good news, I mean ..the day russell crowe went on the piss in limerick for instance, that shut the sad fu**s up for a few weeks nearly.
there are plenty tourists here at the moment and the city is improving comestically at a suprising rate but we are forgetting an amount of things along the way. I'll be back again with anotther few cents at another stage coz right now its gone 3am and im drinking and im probably going to be sorry i posted this in the morning an all that so... to be continued. some great posting going on in this one I must say, now i think its time for a little humour to be thrown into the pot in the form of pictures relevant to the above postings. When I say a little humour I actually mean I nearly wet myself laughing while making the first of these pics...

*The traffic wardens of limerick loitering outside Aurthers Quay... (take notice of the lightening speed at which he takes his notepad out to write a ticket;) )
http://img151.imageshack.us/img_viewer_framed.php?loc=img151&image=tankslimerick9dj.jpg&gal=img151/201/parkies1ye.gif click on images to view, this one moves ...

*In relation to pleuraXeraphim's point about martial law...this is a real picture of tanks going up o connell street (on there way to drive out the infidels). So if one was a tourist that day maybe a few strange stories went home with them..!!:)
http://img151.imageshack.us/img_viewer_framed.php?loc=img151&image=tankslimerick9dj.jpg&gal=img151/201/parkies1ye.gif



Catch ye Later lads, got some jammin to do

billy the squid

it is either the late hour or the fact that the traffic on patrick street never goes anywhere anyway, but the image aint moving for me.



that gave me a giggle though

bazz26

Better watch out, Beedle's about.....

jammin

Oh me head! No sorry billy , it's just the traffic wardens that move, the pic with
the tanks in it is a static one, i might try and get it moving later for you!!!(after
i've shaken off this hangover). Bazz26, your comments are like tv adverts, i
dont even really see them anymore. in your first post you say we all have alot of
growing up to do, then you come in in with a post like your one above . This
thread is not another 'my place is better than yours' effort, we are simply having
a general discussion on limericks future, but then again you'd know that if you
read the full text of whats being said instead of just looking at the pictures;) .
Limerick clearly is capable of having a bright future, what nobody wants to see
is repeats of past mistakes and building ourselves a bigger version of what we
already have.


p.s excuse me if i come across as a little bit reactionary and abbrasive this evening but when im hungover thats the way the cookie will usually crumble for a few hours.

bazz26

My earlier comments about us having to grow up were in reference to a small bit of bashing that appeared on this thread such as Limerick is a kip, etc or something like that. This seems to be the norm in Ireland. The same thing goes on in Dublin, etc, Northsiders slagging Southsiders and vice versa just because of where they live. It really is petty imo.

I am proud to be from Limerick and I am proud of its culture and heritage despite the best efforts of a small few feuding families trying to drag it into the gutter. And I will defend against such remarks, sorry if this doesn't agree with sombody's hangover.

Also my last comment was a reference to the image of the two traffic wardons Billy posted and the infamous Jeremy Beddle as a traffic warden, just a small bit of humor nothing sinister here, again sorry if this doesn't agree with somebody's hangover.

luv2stomppuffs

LordChessington wrote: »

Okay, this was one of the craziest things ive seen in my life, and i saw it yesterday, approx 5:00pm...

I was driving up to The Parkway (from the castletroy direction) with 2 friends of mine in the car. traffic was relatively heavy, and when i was 200 yards away from the parkway, i saw a red Toyota Avensis, in my lane, a good bit ahead of me, reversing at full speed. It managed to turn 90 degrees in the right-hand lane, and i just passed it. Then i saw a group of 5 or 6 'gangsters' (they were scobes) chasing after it in the middle of the road, throwing rocks at it. Then it drove the wrong way back along the road, and i joined the traffic queue at the roundabout.

I looked behind to try and see something, and the Avensis had turned again, and had driven up onto the path and tried to knock down some of the 'gangsters' who were on the path, but missed them. It then drove further up the path and joined the traffic, before driving up onto the small island dividing the lane turning left and the roundabout traffic, and some pedestrians had to avoid it. By now, its tyres were punctured.

We were stunned, and drove into the parkway and parked. One of my friends had a camera and ran down to near the road to see if he could see anything, but according to him, they had gotten out of the car, and there was a load of scumbags kicking the crap out of each other.

Anybody else see this? Ive been living in limerick since 2002, and this is the first time ive actually witnessed any violence.

"scobes".....just goes to show that with absolutely no understanding of the situation u label those involved as "scobes". No1 likes violence but maybe there was a good reason they were doing what they were, Limerick has its fair share of ***** who deserve to be battered with rocks. But its easy tell your a yuppy piece of **** good for nothing only peepin out windows at the "scobes" and talking **** about it with your ****** pals. Living in Limerick most my life iv seen and been a part of **** loads of violence,its because of that iv learned not everyone having a fight or doing something considered "gangster" is a bad person or a "scobe". Things just happen in a bad envoironment like Limerick. Ive lived it and still do regularly when i meet my "gangster" enemies but i dont look on ayone else as a "scobe",ppl just clash over bad attitudes or family incidents etc. Its yuppys like yourself is part of the problem,pre judging ppl. Maybe a few digs in the mouth might put a bit of sense in you and u might realise violence is everywhere,not just in Limerick. Dont expect anywhere u live to be perfect because that place doesnt exist.

billy the squid

Five year old thread. locked