[Article]Don't let Galway become Milton Keynes, council are told

simu

http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/dws/story.tpl?inc=2005/09/22/news/22577.html

Well, what do ye think? Will Galway become a boring town-by-numbers or is its spirit indomitable?

Sarky

I thought it already had, tbh.

simu

Possibly but I wouldn't know being a n00b. Well, people can still regale readers of this thread with tales of old.

Sarky

I don't remember (and I could completely have missed it) any fuss being kicked up by the trendifying of the King's Head pub. Or the Lisheen (now the unspeakable cacophany of lurid wallpaper that is the Living Room). King's Head used to be the only really big pub that wasn't a superpub, it had an aged class because of the old weathered tables and floorboards. But they're gone, and shiney new soulless furniture and tiles have replaced it all. I have particularly fond memories of the Lisheen, too. Used to be lovely stone pillars in the middle, and was a great place for Irish music. I remember playing in the sessions there myself, it was brilliant. And now look at it. Crap lighting, aquarium-like front windows, not a trace of frendliness about it anymore. Of all the pubs in Galway, I miss that one the most.

Of course, maybe nobody cares because they're pubs. I don't know. But The Living Room is just another faceless alcohol vendor like so many other places, and the King's Head has lost a lot of what made it unique.

ARGINITE

Sarky wrote:

But The Living Room is just another faceless alcohol vendor like so many other places,

There are just to many of these pubs in galway already.

Asok

Sure look at what they did to taylors! that place was lovely for a pint

Sponge Bob

Sarky wrote:

Of course, maybe nobody cares because they're pubs. I don't know. But The Living Room is just another faceless alcohol vendor like so many other places, and the King's Head has lost a lot of what made it unique.

Uhhhh what ??????

The 'old' Kings Head you were so fond of was an early specimen of Galway superpub built from below the ground up in the late 1970s by O'Malley in an olde englishy style unheard of in Galway in the uuhhhhhh 16th/17th century period it attempted to emulate quite well .

The housheeens on top of the Kings Head/Arcade were the first example of intelligent urban development in the city centre, of any note, bwtween about 1930 and 1985

Amazotheamazing

While the above article is a bit of a doomsday scenario, there is some validity in what the Cllr says.
In the past 5 years several unique shops have closed down to replace by identikit high street uk type stores and superpubs. Good pubs like the Crane are now becoming the exception rather than the norm. I don't know how to stop it happening but once these pubs and shops are lost they won't be replaced.

Robbo

If I was from Milton Keynes, I'd be insulted to be compared to Galway.

Amazotheamazing

Why?
Plenty of good things about Galway.

DRakE

Sarky, you sound very bitter.

po0k

He is. And rightfully so.

Karl Hungus

Part of me is here shaking my fist at the idea, while another part of me is shrugging and saying "so what?"

For a start, I filmly believe that for a lot of products, the age of the high street store is over. Personally, barring the odd impulse buy or a voucher at christmas, I'd far sooner be spending my moneys online when it comes to DVDs, CDs, Books, Gadgets and sometimes Guitars and related paraphernalia. In fact, the only thing I see myself buying in person is clothing, and that's only because of the inconsistency of sizing, but even then I have ordered a pair of boots online before and they were grand.

I'd even welcome the closing of some of the pig ignorant (I won't mention names) retailers in Galway, where staff can be a plain hinderance and downright offputting. There's quite honestly a few shops where I simply cannot understand how they stay open in the first place.

I honestly wouldn't care if we had HMV, Virgin and Tower all in a line, that's just more places where I won't be spending my money.

The only thing I can agree on here is the traditional pub versus superpub arguement, but that's a symptom of the pub licences here in Ireland. It simply doesn't pay to open a small, cosy little pub with great atmosphere and craic, you need to open a huge superpub so you can pack in as many people in as possible. I for one wish that we wouldn't see any more of those characterless clubs and pubs around, but unfortunatly that's not going to happen. All we can do is cling to our dearly beloved pubs while we still can.

Sarky

Sponge Bob wrote:

Uhhhh what ??????

The 'old' Kings Head you were so fond of was an early specimen of Galway superpub built from below the ground up in the late 1970s by O'Malley in an olde englishy style unheard of in Galway in the uuhhhhhh 16th/17th century period it attempted to emulate quite well .

I wasn't alive to remember that. My point still stands. Superpub or no, it was still an interesting place to go for a drink or lunch.

Sponge Bob

That 'interesting' kings head you think you remember (or not) WAS the first superpub in Galway FFS and I prefer the living room to the lisheen and taylors was going downhill since the mid-late 90s (or even after Mick shot himself, take your pick)

Sarky

And? Do you have a point, by any chance?

forbairt

Sponge Bob wrote:

That 'interesting' kings head you think you remember (or not) WAS the first superpub in Galway FFS and I prefer the living room to the lisheen and taylors was going downhill since the mid-late 90s (or even after Mick shot himself, take your pick)

god I miss the lish ... many a great pint / coffee was had in there ... some great trad even if I wasn't into it then as such I appreciate it now and am only sorry I wasn't there more ... and some great pool ..

lecture -> lisheen -> labs -> lisheen -> lecture .. a great combination ... and they weren't too cranky if we sat there with a coffee for an hour or so

The Living Room just has no ... soul to it its just a place to get a late drink or pick up something to leave you scratching in the morning :eek:

Taylors I miss a lot and funnily enough I haven't been in the new place so I couldn't really compare .. when I heard what had happened to it my jaw dropped as did many others ...

with talks of Roisin's being made into another super pub on here ... <-- maybe not super pub .. but expanded so they can fit a bigger crowd in I just have to say

too many high street shops ... I don't buy anything in there if I want things I buy them online ... I've nearly completely given up going up town

Even sallys which I always gone to has converted its image and lost so many of the regulars the few times I've been in there in the last year I've not really had a good time ...

I now live close to 4 ... 5 if you could the statoil supermarkets ... 2 of which are 24 hours ...

a lot of galways atmosphere has gone for me *rant over*