Showboat

used to be a great place for the snooker 🎱 back in the 80’s/90’s when every teen wanted to be an Alex Higgins 😀 I wonder are the tables still in there rotting away…?

Yes they are, the snooker hall isn't in a great state thought.

I wonder would it be possible to get a hold of one tables prior to the demolition of the whole place…..? I would assume though they are Probably water or bird sh1te damaged at this stage….?

I was offered a table last year (jokingly) but I'll inquire and get back to you if I get an answer.

Whatever about the snooker tables, I'd say they were 20-30 years old at the time the place closed down so likely would have paid themselves off over the years. Although their book value would be 0 at the time of closure I'd say someone would still have been willing to pay a few bob to take one.

A few years before they closed they put in 6 nice new American style pool tables in the smaller room just as you came in the main entrance door. If I remember correctly they would've been put in around 2009/2010, given the place closed in 2014 they would have been still relatively new by then a worth a few quid. Did they end up selling them? I'd be surprised if they were left in there to rot.

No everything is still in the snooker place was just completely left to rot was in there recently myself had a look around the place the pub can be accessed nowadays . American pool room is destroyed tables on their sides, upside down, legs broken and puddles of water on the floor. The double doors into the snooker hall are smashed open too wide open all the time, there’s nothing left in there only the tables, snooker tables are covered in mould, broken glass, furniture, some even have the cloths torn it’s very sad to see. Nothing left in there either cues, balls, score boards everything was stripped from the place it seems. The back part of the pub itself is in a terrible condition too was obviously ruined by the fire there’s holes in the floors kind of have to watch your step, every window, emergency door etc glass smashed in on everything

Is there some connection between pub closures and Waterford Crystal closure?

That place was doing great business up until the day it closed nothing to do with the fact it wasn’t a thriving business the banks took it as the owners hadn’t filed their accounts in about two or three years at the time and it closed almost over night hence why all the staff at the time staged a sit in protest in the pub for a few weeks. Shame it was just left to rot after. I’m going to try and get in there again at some point to take proper photos and that only took a short video of the snooker hall when I was there

Permission granted to knock the showboat and build apartments

https://www.eplanning.ie/WaterfordCCC/AppFileRefDetails/23279/0

very old buildings tend to be very safe. It is 20th cen structures that are bad or what was altered in the 20th. Asbestos was used until 90s.

Due to the obsession with endless growth of national GDP and de facto open borders. I am well aware people will call me insular or nationalistic in a negative way, but fostering slow growth model is arguably far better for the planet and humanity as a whole as well as allowing better services in Waterford. Right now, it is housing at the expense of services.

While I'm sure you will reign in my opinion, NOTHING, NOTHING NOTHING ever stays the same, society changes every few generations, life is ever evolving, and as we get older and grumpier we say oh things have changed so much, it wasnt like that when I was younger, Thats nature life and its demands evolve. The biggest scandal in this day and age is that 1200 per month is the waterfords/Governments idea of cost rental. We all should be in a position to live in our own secure accommodation and a reasonable cost and there quite simply isnt enough supply to meet demand.

Whats also extremely frustrating as a middle income earner is to see any form of housing work seems to be developed for people on social benefit or in need of social assistance, where as I do not qualify for any assistance to purchase or rent an apartment, IF there was one available but there arent. In fact if you look on the property market there are no new 1 or 2 bed apartments to rent or buy in Waterford

Japans problem is there arent babies being born, as people(the sexes) are mixing much less and therefore having less children which is a huge problem for them, Japan has the highest sales of adult nappies in the world, this is due to them living alot longer thanks to a healthier diet.

anyway just thought id throw that out there

One could argue this is mostly due to the laws of capitalism. Ever more ever faster and concentration of wealth. If all that increased productivity and the massive gains actually contributed to society rather than being concentrated on the super rich its quite possible there would be no health or demographic crisis.

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Showboat used to do a great carvery and the snooker hall was the best and biggest in town. Leon ran the place and 'Horse' worked in the kitchen and carveries were lush and you could get all sorts of trimmings, onion rings, Yorkshire puddings and pepper sauce no end. I dont know any details but I understand it was one of several businesses owned by one family and then inheritance happened and splits between siblings and all sorts of other things?

What I was talking about was before that. The Grand Hotel was owned by the same family.