Worst Towns in Ireland

[Tir Oilean]

Sligo - lived there a few years but met some sound folk but mainly tossers
Buttevant/Charleville- now the bane of my life every Friday.
Shannon- Dead as a dodo
Mallow- Depressing ****hole but has 1 or 2 characters

[SligoBrewer]

Can't believe I forgot this..

Drogheda.. what a soulless commuter belt kip

[Mad Moose]

Tisk tisk, sorry for not playing by the rules
:rolleyes:

no bias whatsoever....its a kip !

No need for the dictionary friend.

Of course it is. There are far worse towns in Ireland.In fact its a pretty ordinary town. Not too spectacular.Just ordinary. There are so many worse towns. So yes it was your own personal bias. Perhaps its as far in life as you have so managed to venture because but you and I know it there are worse towns.

[sligoman]

Harpsbear, dortie has an opinion. He expressed it, no need to attack him for it.

[Paddyfield]

The general rule of thumb is that most inland towns are kips and most costal towns are okay.

My Dad is from Tuam and he reckons it is the best town in Ireland...to leave. Sligo town is dull enough but there are some wonderful places just outside Sligo like Rosses Point and Strandhill which are uniquely beautiful.

Shannon would still be a cattle farm had they decided to build an airport elsewhere. Clifden is in the middle of the most photographed scenery in Ireland but the town itself is not so easy on the eye.

[inexile]

Was in Belfast on Sunday/Monday and have to say it's an awful dump.
Visited Bobby Sands grave on Sunday and this was the Highlight.
The City Centre is completely devoid of soul or atmosphere.
sorry to any of the Belfast Lads on here if I'm being over critical but I just couldn't wait to get out of it,

i have been up to belfast a few times and i think its a great spot, some beautiful buildings in the city centre area queens university being one of note, very good nightlife, very friendly people and some very very attractive women

[noby]

I'm somewhat relieved that the worst Dungarvan has to offer is that at chucking out time it can get a bit rowdy. I normally just avoid the square at that time. Actually it's rarer that I'm around town on a Saturday night. Still it's more loud mouth drunkenness than anything else (usually). We don't hit the headlines as often as the town folk just over (or on) the Tipperary border. So I nominate Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel.

[ifk101]

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Portlaoise. Although I think Athy is the worst town in Ireland, Portlaoise is a close second. Bagenalstown in Carlow and Castlecomer in Kilkenny are other towns high up on my list.

[First]

Plane-spotting is nothing? You must have been really spoilt for entertainment growing up. :p Ah shur tis great for all the kids so they realise there is an escape!

When in a previous life you spent time spraying planes, trust me spotting them is not a good idea. As for the escape, some of the people I grew up with still haven't figured out that you can use these metal birds to escape.

Reminds me when we played football in Newmarket-on- fergus (home) yearrrrrs ago , the flight path to the airport is directly over the pitch, and as a plane was making its approach to land the 11 players on the opposition used to stop playing and look up. It was funny to watch the awe that this induced on these young fellows. As Smellyfeet has said with a population of 10K+ there is sweet fanny adams to do. Of course there is always the 4 pubs . Shannon is like the town in Willy Wonkas chocolate factory and if corporate America ever up roots it will be like Lionel Ritches vote Clonmellon. It really is a bad bad place to live. Sadly it looks like I will be here for a few more years. Thank God for those metal birds.

[First]

ah man.. i hate sligo personally.

its a soulless kip which is getting worse.
our main street is pedestrian where most people if any are on it still walk on the footpaths..:o


Noticed that , it always makes me laugh, even mothers screaming at their kids to get off the street.:)

[DvB]

ah man.. i hate sligo personally.

its a soulless kip which is getting worse.
our main street is pedestrian where most people if any are on it still walk on the footpaths..:o

The funniest thing about Sligo town is the fact the 'Town Bypass' road goes smack bang through the middle of the town, good to see someone in Sligo Co Co has a sense of humour at least!:D

Koh

[gustavo]

ah man.. i hate sligo personally.

its a soulless kip which is getting worse.
our main street is pedestrian where most people if any are on it still walk on the footpaths..:o

To be fair its only cos the idiots at the CC havent laid the road out like a pedestrian road yet

[WoodquayBoy]

I also noticed the pedestrian thing in Sligo, it is funny, and agree about the unusual location of the bypass, but all in all, quite like the place. Also have a fondness for the cities of Cork and Limerick. But seen as we are being asked for negatives, my list of of 10 to avoid would be Tuam, Ballymote, Tubbercurry, Bundoran, Thurles, Moate (as it has been renamed), Manorhamilton, Charleville, Newcastle West and Shannon. God help the locals.

[stann]

We don't hit the headlines as often as the town folk just over (or on) the Tipperary border. So I nominate Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel.

Agree with the first one certainly. Carrick is real bandit country! :D
Clonmel had the Fleadh Ceoil a couple of years, and that was great craic, but it's gone very edgy in recent times.

[paul_oshea]

does it define the irish psyche, that the worst town in ireland has far more posts and views than the best towns in ireland, given the threads their relative time dif in creation?

[stann]

Not at all.
A more obvious interpretation is that there are far, far more terrible towns than nice ones! :D

[dcfcsteve]

does it define the irish psyche, that the worst town in ireland has far more posts and views than the best towns in ireland, given the threads their relative time dif in creation?

It's just international human nature. People are much more interested and motivated in slaggin off and saying bad things about places they don't like, as opposed to heralding the places they do like.

It's why papers the world over sell more when they're exposing dirt on people/companies/places than when they're saying something good about them !

Channel 4 in England tonight has the Top 10 Best and Worst Places to live in thing. I bet you you'll hear more chat about the worst than the best places afterwards...! Likewise, I doubt a book called 'Great Towns' would sell as many copies as the 'Crap Towns' one has.

[paul_oshea]

It's just international human nature. People are much more interested and motivated in slaggin off and saying bad things about places they don't like, as opposed to heralding the places they do like.



Whats the difference between human nature and international human nature? :confused:

[DaveyCakes]

Just about all the commuter towns in Kildare/Meath/wherever.

Dundalk
Bundoran
Nenagh

[Dodge]

Nothing, he was just pointing out it doesn't define the irish psyche

[dortie]

Perhaps its as far in life as you have so managed to venture because but you and I know it there are worse towns.

:rolleyes:

Rest assured i have have travelled, partied and even worked in more countries (not counties) than you have.

Longford comes a close 2nd to Ballybofey btw.

[BohsPartisan]

Dare I say it but I think Dundalk is a nice enough town. Pity about the inhabitants though!;)

[CollegeTillIDie]

Bundoran. Should be burned down. Simple as that.Well as slot machine hell holes go it's up there with Tramore :D
Dare I say it but I think Dundalk is a nice enough town. Pity about the inhabitants though!;)
Are you advocating a Neutron bomb perchance? :D At least El Paso has the ice hockey stadium, the all weather race track and Oriel Park, not forgetting the RED DIESEL, going for it. And it can be bypassed in two directions if all of the above doesn't tickle your fancy
Ballybofey at least, has Finn Harps and I have always found the locals very hospitable .
An Eircom League club is a beacon of civilization in my book :D

[dortie]

Dare I say it but I think Dundalk is a nice enough town. Pity about the inhabitants though!;)Few sessions in Dundalk myself, always enjoyed it, decent folk there too.
Well as slot machine hell holes go it's up there with Tramore :DBundoran, great for a 2 day **** up and recovery session playing the slots, not to mention the wee women who wear a glove on their hand to ensure their partners/husbands/sons or daughters dont see the dirt on their hands, as they are obviously deadly gambling addicts. House repossessions gallore.

[SligoBrewer]

To be fair its only cos the idiots at the CC havent laid the road out like a pedestrian road yet

to be fair. the road should never have been closed in the first place until an eastern by pass was built first

[Conor H]

Bundoran
Athlone
Tuam
All 3 are sh!tholes!

[dcfcsteve]

Whats the difference between human nature and international human nature? :confused:

One requires a passport and a plane........ :D

I didn't want you thinking I was only talking about Oireland. Should've said 'universal' instead.....

[dcfc_1928]

Unlike a lot of other city centres, Belfast city centre isn't very lively - although that is changing.

Most of the livelier places were traditionally further out of the city centre - mainly because people wouldn't travel into the city centre at night because of the bombings and shootings.

The amount of city centre bars which have opened over the last few years has been phenomenal, and there are a couple of really good spots now.

But for the size of the city, I agree, at the moment it still does lack a bit of atmosphere.


Was in Belfast on Sunday/Monday and have to say it's an awful dump.
Visited Bobby Sands grave on Sunday and this was the Highlight.
The City Centre is completely devoid of soul or atmosphere.
sorry to any of the Belfast Lads on here if I'm being over critical but I just couldn't wait to get out of it

[dcfcsteve]

Unlike a lot of other city centres, Belfast city centre isn't very lively - although that is changing.

Most of the livelier places were traditionally further out of the city centre - mainly because people wouldn't travel into the city centre at night because of the bombings and shootings.

The amount of city centre bars which have opened over the last few years has been phenomenal, and there are a couple of really good spots now.

But for the size of the city, I agree, at the moment it still does lack a bit of atmosphere.

Derry city centre is only marginally better though - and that's probably just because it's smaller, so the pub areas are right on the edge of the commercial centre (Waterloo Street).

Derry is eerily quiet at night in the hours between shops closing (6pm) and people going drinking (9pm) (e.g. Waterloo Place, Shipquay St, The Diamond, most of Strand Rd). Problem is that almost no-one lives in the City Centre, and there's few proper restaurants located there either (they're up the Strand Rd or wherever). The most depressing sight I aways see when I'm back home is walking through a spookily quiet Waterloo Place at about 7pm, with only the large piles of litter swirling in the wind for company.... :eek:

Just like Belfast, I suspect that's also due to the Troubles. Seems people avoided large town centres for about 3 years. Hopefully it'll change in Derry as well, though I'm not convinced we'll see the extent of change that Belfast is going through.

[Ceirtlis]

Carrick on suir or Clones, both kips.

[Sam_Heggy]

Muinteoir - an bhfuil cead agam dul amach, mas e do thoil e??No feck off and sit down, bold boy :p

tbh there is a load of sh!t holes in Ireland but who cares?

[sligoman]

Gort, what a dump.

[rebs23]

...that's because we copped on ages ago that the entire cinema concept is a quaint hangover from the early 20th century. Unlike our Corkonian neighbours who keep at least one of these massive human pettrie dishes slap bang in the middle of a prime thoroughfare. You're simply matter of factually wrong on the other criticisms....

Oh Christ yeah ...we need MORE festivals, more I say, damn those who say less. :rolleyes:

Yeah the Galway Arts Festival, Cork Jazz and Film Festivals, Dublin Theatre Festivals all terrible events that drag people into the city centre.
Imagine that having cinemas in the centre attracting people into the city to have a pint/and or a meal before heading off to the pics, what an awfully quaint 20th Century idea. :rolleyes:
As for the other facts being wrong check out the Bridgestone guide and Limerick City for restaraunts (pretty thin), as for Theatres tell me where? as for Concert venues besides the big pub Dolans again where? Where is your university located? Everything is in the suburbs.
I'm up in Limerick a lot and I know the city well and this is not just some outsider saying these things, a lot of Limerick people have the same concerns about the lack of attractions in the city centre attracting people in. There is a big fear amongst businesses in the city centre about the "doughnut" effect that is happening.

[pineapple stu]

my list of of 10 to avoid would be...Thurles
Good call. God, Liberty Square is a pain in the hole at the best of times.

Think Longford's getting hard done by here.

[Paddyfield]

Bray is like Tuam only that Bray has double deckers buses.

Carlow is another waste of space. They should replace it with a motorway.

Balinaloe is just an obstacle to slow Dubs from getting to Galway too quickly.

[Boh_So_Good]

Shannon and Tuam. They are on a league of horrible that they deserve a category of their owm

Mind you CHarlestown in Mayo is terrible as well. Just a noisy road junciton really.

[smellyfeet]

Its looks like Shannon is topping the group as worst town in Ireland.
Thats it, i'm moving across the road into Newmarket.

[First]

Aren't you in Newmarket already, did you not get the official welcome letter from the mayor.:)

[tiktok]

Tipperary Town.
Ugly by day, dangerous by night and a complete traffic bottleneck populated by the type of person that should have the government scrambling to build a by-pass in case unsuspecting tourists happen across it by accident.

[smellyfeet]

Aren't you in Newmarket already, did you not get the official welcome letter from the mayor.:)

No i'm deffo in Ballycasey Shannon,not far from the home of Newtown,Newtown,tra la la,close to the border of Newmarket:rolleyes:

[Boh_So_Good]

Its looks like Shannon is topping the group as worst town in Ireland.
Thats it, i'm moving across the road into Newmarket.

Considering just how much of a cultural wasteland Shannon is, it's really surprising it is not more famous for anti-social behaviour, crime and general knackery. I guess because of the history of high employment in the town with all the industry and business around it. Which just goes to show you that if people have a secure job, they won't go nuts.

Some of the towns mentioned here have improved a lot in recent years. Tubbercurry has been improving in the last few years as has Boyle. They are not really the kips they once were anymore. Ballymote still is a kip because they put all the emphasis on building parks and rec areas around the town and forgot that the town itself is in bits. Typical Gombeenism. Put a statue of a founder of Celtic in a park outside the town and get a minsterial unveiling for the meeja, while the storm drains in towns are overflowing with ****e and **** during a rainshower.

As for the boarded -up buildings in regional towns. Not the fault of the locals in most cases. They are usually leasehold properties and some 5th generation in-bred toff in Kent owns them and is demanding ground rents from the locals, who instead of renting them or fixing them up, just by-pass the absentee landlord system and build new places. You can't blame them. Anglo-Irish aristocrats are a major problem with town renewal in this country. Even if a local owns the lease, he is discouraged from investing in the buildings restoration as Lord Snot in Kent will either demand more ground rents, or a higher sale price. This is why towns in West such as Tubbercurry and Swinford were held back for decades. Little Lord Fonteroy types looking for money for new fox hunting hounds or something.

[sligoman]

I'm amazed at this, how do people know Ballymote so well? Seriously:confused: It's off the beating track like, did ye take a wrong turn or what?:D

[life long red]

The funniest thing about Sligo town is the fact the 'Town Bypass' road goes smack bang through the middle of the town, good to see someone in Sligo Co Co has a sense of humour at least!:D

Koh
get your facts right its a inner relief road

[Boh_So_Good]

I'm amazed at this, how do people know Ballymote so well? Seriously:confused: It's off the beating track like, did ye take a wrong turn or what?:D

Me mammy is from there and me granny is a resident in the nursing home beside the castle. So I know the place fairly well. Lots of nice people live there, but they have a weird concept of town renewal. Be like if DCC put statues in the Phoenix Park and left the city centre to rot.

[Boh_So_Good]

get your facts right its a inner relief road

and it works brilliant too. One of the best roads of it's kind of any town in the country. The parts of the town they demolished to build it were no loss.

[red bellied]

A bus load of us went to Ballymote years ago to an underage disco. The disco was finishing up as the pubs were clearing. The beardy locals hearing there was young fellas from Sligo in the area decided to make their way down to the local hall and kick several s hites out of us. Good spot for underage pints years ago, though the locals do resemble the people from the film "The Hills have Eyes".

[Lim till i die]

As for the other facts being wrong check out the Bridgestone guide and Limerick City for restaraunts (pretty thin), as for Theatres tell me where? as for Concert venues besides the big pub Dolans again where? Where is your university located? Everything is in the suburbs.
I'm up in Limerick a lot and I know the city well and this is not just some outsider saying these things, a lot of Limerick people have the same concerns about the lack of attractions in the city centre attracting people in. There is a big fear amongst businesses in the city centre about the "doughnut" effect that is happening.

:D

Reminds me of the time Gavin Zac was trying to convince me Limerick's riverside was run down

Btw pray tell what makes Limerick "greyer" than any other city in your experience (FFS :rolleyes:)

May I suggest the next time you're up taking your nose out of the Bridgestone guide and having a look around

[jebus]

Yeah the Galway Arts Festival, Cork Jazz and Film Festivals, Dublin Theatre Festivals all terrible events that drag people into the city centre.
Imagine that having cinemas in the centre attracting people into the city to have a pint/and or a meal before heading off to the pics, what an awfully quaint 20th Century idea. :rolleyes:
As for the other facts being wrong check out the Bridgestone guide and Limerick City for restaraunts (pretty thin), as for Theatres tell me where? as for Concert venues besides the big pub Dolans again where? Where is your university located? Everything is in the suburbs.
I'm up in Limerick a lot and I know the city well and this is not just some outsider saying these things, a lot of Limerick people have the same concerns about the lack of attractions in the city centre attracting people in. There is a big fear amongst businesses in the city centre about the "doughnut" effect that is happening.

Lets go through this, and I'll talk about Cork in relation to Limerick as I don't know Galway all that well and Dublin is the only actual city in Ireland if we're being picky about things (been out there 3 times, had a bad night 3 times).

Restaurants: I agree that Limerick isn't the best in relation to Dublin in the restaurant stakes, but Cork is not any better, so I assume Galway, Waterford etc. are the same? There are a handful of top quality restaurants in Limerick and quite a few decent ones, ditto Cork, in fact having lived in both cities I think Limerick edges Cork in quality terms as we have more decent restaurants, where as Cork's quality tends to be either Very Good and **** Poor.

Universities: Is a 15 minute bus ride out of the city, what else do you want? UCC is about the same distance from the city as LIT is, and Mary I and LSAD are practically in the centre of town. CIT on the other hand is in Mongolia

Theatres: The Millenium Theatre is over the bridge (5-10 minute drive) and UCH is that 20 minute drive we talked about, if people can't be bothered with those times tough, thats there loss.

Concert Venues: Dolans is one of the finest in the land, UCH has hosted some big concerts, and Baker Place is putting on a good few shows these days. The Castle has been used in the past for gigs and hopefully will be again as it is top quality there. In Cork you have the Savoy (which is a dump with bad sound) and where else again? The Brog serve the worst pints in Ireland and is a bad venue, and the other venue (same street as the Brog, name escapes me) is one of the worst set ups I've ever come across.

Cinema: The Kino in Cork is a good addition, albeit a cramped uncomfortable one, but the Gate is a pretty poor city centre cinema, and the Mahon Point one (despite being the best of Cork's cinemas) is in such a rough area no-one I know goes near it as the bus leaves you in the middle of a friggin council estate to walk the rest of the way. Limeick's cinemas are 15 and 10 minute drives out of the city centre respectively, again what else do you want? Thats perfectly reasonable

Festivals: Limerick has the best art festival outside of Dublin in EVA and the Riverfest weekenders are a great laugh. Cork's Jazz festival is over-rated and the film festival over-priced.

So I fail to see how Limerick is poorer in entertainment terms than Cork, and I assume Galway, Waterford etc. bar Dublin

[Boh_So_Good]

So we have Shannon, Ballymote, Sligo, Athlone, Tuam, Carrick on Suir and Tipp Town as the worst towns in Ireland.

Somebody should set up a poll here with the top 20 and make the result official. We should include Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway for fairness sake!

Mods???? Any chance of poll on this?

[KevB76]

I'd like to nominate Mountrath, purely because of the amount of time I get stuck there every time I drive back to Limerick

In defense of Mounrath, it is the first place you can stop for for snacks on the way home from a match in Dublin :)
The alternative is a few petrol stations before you join the motorway but I refuse to degrade myself by trying to purchase my wares through a petrol station window :(

Worst place for me is Cork, purely for logistics. I always get lost there and invariably spend ages in a confused mess of one-ways and wrong ways and "didn't I just come from that way"s. It remains the one place on earth I actually had to go home from without ever reaching the intended destination.