Short break. Why is Dublin so bad

[IfIShouldFallFromGraceWithGod]

I'm looking for a city break and Dublin was on my list. It scored highly on the worst holiday thread, can anyone tell me why

West Cork, Kerry and North Antrim are the nicest coastlines in Ireland IMO. But what does that have to do with Dublin as a city break destination? It does have access to some nice coastline, which is more than many cities, even if it is not the equal of the very best coastline on what is a very scenic island.
Talbot St can be grim though. I don’t think it’s classist to not enjoy drug dealing, strung out people and poor kids being exposed to it all.

A Dublin beach

This thread is now just amusing. It has descended into some posters mocking anyone who says anything negative about Dublin. And apparently all those people posting on most disappointing places you have visited threads about Dublin, are just stupid, anti Irish and too lazy to do the research.
And no I don't fit the stereotype you are painting of me being a white little Englander.

Oh yes you do!

Why have we no clown emojis?

The Antrim coast is quite a hike from Belfast all the same, Pierre.

And there is so much more to the north side beaches than Bettystown, so many nice stretches of sand far closer to the city than Co Meath (where Bettystown is). There are 17 beaches on the Dublin coastline, north and south combined, as well as non-beach attractions like Coliemore and the Forty Foot. This compares with about 25 recognised beaches for the entire NI coastline.

If you expect beaches never to close, however temporarily, for reasons of water quality then you need to reevaluate your assumptions. Maybe look at stats for beach closures in England in the summer of 2019 too.

The UK has one of the lowest proportions of top quality bathing waters in Europe, according to research by the European Environment Agency.

Just 63.2% of Britain’s beaches met the most stringent water quality standards needed to be ranked as excellent.

The UK’s score is similar to that of Albania, where 62% of waters were rated as excellent. The only countries ranked lower were Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and bottom-placed Poland, where just 28% of the bathing water meets the most stringent quality standard.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/06/uk-near-bottom-of-european-bathing-waters-league-table

Blue flag status isn't always an indication that your favourite beach will never experience problems, though it's nice to know you're more likely than not to enjoy a swim.
www.ft.com/content/d9da122c-d3bc-11e9-8367-807ebd53ab77

All in all it's far better to know where not to try swimming for a few days than to splash away in blissful ignorance, which used to be the norm. And if you're in Dublin you will almost always be able to find an alternative swimming spot and get there easily on the Dart.

All the same Jenny, if you walk like a duck and quack like a duck then you may well be a duck.

Are you the poster who was complaining that you didn't see the sort of potted history of the Troubles or the Famine that you wanted to see, in a museum, even though countless forests have been sacrificed for the sake of books on those subjects and despite the plethora of online resources dealing with the topics from every angle including performance art and poetry?
If yes, then please don't complain if others here wonder about laziness and inability to google.

This thread is now just amusing

Finally! Something you don't find boring!

Bejaypers and begorrah.

@mathanxiety I am the poster who said I had read about the famine/genocide and would have loved to go to a decent museum about it. Not a short exhibition, but something in depth. And yes I also said I would have liked to go to a museum that explained about when Ireland and N Ireland partitioned and the impact on Ireland. I said this in reply to a poster asking me what I would have like to have visited there. It was not just a random musing.

I don’t understand the big discussion about beaches and swimming spots. The water around Ireland is too cold to go into at any time of the year for more than a few minutes before you freeze unless there is a heatwave or you are a small child or you have a wetsuit. And if you are taking a wetsuit to Ireland, it is very unlikely you are going there on a Dublin city break.

Yes Jenny, and it has already been explained to you (by several posters) that there were plenty of museums, libraries, exhibitions, etc, where you could have learned about Irish history, culture, sports (Gaelic games at Croke Park for example). It has also been explained why a museum about the troubles would be totally inappropriate in Dublin. But not surprisingly, you dismiss absolutely everything that doesn't confirm your extremely narrow view.

If you are going on a holiday with beaches in mind, Ireland is not going to be your first choice.

@Sakura7 Why are you making things up? I said I can see why a museum about partition would be too sensitive when it was explained. And as I have said numerous times, my point about museums was purely in response to someone saying well what kind of things would you have liked to visit in Dublin. And seriously, I am not the one being dismissive.
Feeling kind of funny that I am being told I act like a white Englander actually. I know if you met me and saw me and knew even a tiny bit about my background, you would not say that.

I think like many people I have visited lots of places all over the world and lived various places too. That is brilliant experience, but I know as a tourist it does make you more demanding. So that you do want to see and experience something different.

Someone mocked another poster about wanting to enjoy the craic in a cosy Irish pub. I am not stupid, I understand what you are mocking. But a few years back that was literally the advert put out by the irish tourist board with a line saying something like - come and enjoy the craic. That poster simply made the mistake of believing the tourist board publicity.

doyoureallyneedtoask I live in Eastwall we have a very low crime rate here. Yes there is an armed garda presence but I’ve been in black rock recently and seen two armed garda units in the space of 10 minutes 🤷‍♀️

My experience with drug addicts in town has been the opposite they couldn’t string a sentence together never mind attack you or a shout at you..

Possibly the difference is growing up in a city you become street wise. I can’t agree with how bad you say it is.
Thankfully I’ve never been mugged or attacked. I have however been flashed at by men and had men being aggressive.. That’s not unique to Dublin though.
Dublin is by no means perfect but I take issue with people like you tearing it apart

RowenaMud, the discussion about beaches and swimming spots is meant to illustrate that Dublin has something for everyone, within easy reach of any point in the city by public transport.

It also serves to show that people are turning up their noses at a variety of natural attractions mainly on the grounds that they are not other places entirely.

If you have a small child in tow on your trip to Dublin, you might like to consider a few hours at the beach.

It's not too cold to swim either - I know people who swim year round but most people do it in summer obv.

jennymanara Fri 25-Oct-19 00:51:03

If you are going on a holiday with beaches in mind, Ireland is not going to be your first choice

Weirdly, Irish people have been packing their families into cars and heading off for beach holidays in Ireland for generations.

And also day trips.

But I get your point. And maybe you should consider its ramifications too - if you want the Alps, then Switzerland might be the place to go. Or historic cities with a particular architectural vernacular then Vienna or Budapest (both almost completely rebuilt after WW2 but heyho) could be options.

If you want to visit a city that is quite close to home, where people speak English and you can get around pretty easily by bus, train or tram or just on foot, where there is a certain amount of old buildings of architectural note, some nice places to eat, nice places to drink, numerous museums, lots of live music and great theatre, options to take in superb scenery and experiences you won't find in Birmingham or Manchester or Glasgow (if you google really hard you will find there are in fact major differences) then Dublin might be the place, bearing in mind that the exchange rate is going to affect your experience in Dublin just as in New York, etc.

If you normally take advertisements at face value then your experiences of reality may be quite disappointing. A tourism ad intends to convey something of the atmosphere and charm of a destination, painted with broad brushstrokes. The use of the word 'craic' is intended to convey something of the friendliness and cosyness of Dublin and Ireland in general while still suggesting that it is a bit different from Stockholm or Milan or London.

It doesn't mean that there is this thing called 'craic' laid on and included in the cover charge. To a large extent, the experience of 'craic' or the particular atmosphere of a crowded Dublin pub depends on your own ability to relax and enjoy yourself and stop picking holes in what you see and worrying about the exchange rate.

You don't see any indication in Disney ads of the long queues for the rides in Disneyland, but the actual experience of Disneyland many will take home with them will be all about the long lines - the whining of their children who hate waiting and the heat and humidity, and the sore feet. There will be those who would willingly go again regardless. There are glass half full people and glass half empty people. There is something for both types in every destination.

The sandy beaches on the North side of Dublin, like Bettystown

Bettystown is not in Dublin.Its in Meath.

And as a Dubliner born and bred on the Northside,even i avoid Talbot Street if i have too.

@mathanxiety Plenty of people who go to Disneyland do complain about these things. I don't know why you twist everything I say? I was quite clear that I don't believe twee tourist adverts like that, but some do.

Perhaps for some British tourists, Dublin suffers both from being "not different enough" and, at the same time, "not similar enough"? It is an English-speaking city, very close to Britain and - on a superficial analysis, at least - has a similar cultural "feel" in that it has many of the same shops, television programmes, newspapers (or local versions thereof), cultural references etc. It doesn't have the exotic quality of other capital cities and, size-wise, is comparable to several British provincial cities.

Moreover, I would argue, as an Irish person, that Dublin is not a particularly handsome city. It has a few very elegant and pretty streets and squares, and certainly has a certain shabby grandeur, but I wouldn't describe it as "beautiful" in the same way one might apply that description to other cities.

On the other hand, there can be a jarring dissonance for British visitors in that Dublin is so expensive compared with most UK cities. I really think this is a huge sticking point for British visitors, made more glaring in recent years by a weakening pound. The cost of living is higher in Ireland, and more so in Dublin. Even after years on Mumsnet, I am still often surprised to read how cheap groceries and eating out, among other things, are for British MNers compared with prices here in Ireland. Wages are generally higher here, but that is irrelevant for British visitors!

There have been some great tips and advice from Irish MNers regarding things to see and do in Dublin. If you do come, OP, I hope you have a lovely time!

I think you are being very kind in your analysis of why some posters on here have been very vocal in their dismissal of Dublin SoftDay. Of course, it is a possibility, but the same could be argued for Belfast, or Glasgow etc.

I am finding this thread pretty depressing to be honest.

Because it’s too bloody expensive. Simple as that

@caperplips no Glasgow is cheap. We stayed in a cheap b and b and ate very cheaply. I am sure you could visit Glasgow and spend a lot of money, but you can do it cheaply really easily.

Glasgow is indeed cheap and I found it far friendlier than Dublin. It reminded me a bit of how Dublin used to be before it became a soulless hub of financial services and wankers. (Irish and many decades in Dublin before anyone accuses me of being an evil anti-Irish British colonist!)

I am the poster who said I had read about the famine/genocide and would have loved to go to a decent museum about it. Not a short exhibition, but something in depth

The Ulster American folk park covers a great many of these themes and about the migration of people from Ulster to the New World. It's obviously not in Dublin though!

Anyway for what it's worth I enjoyed my weekend in Dublin. I probably won't rush back purely because I've not been to Cork or Belfast so would like to visit those next, but there's loads to do there for when I do go back.

Why would anyone go on a city break without expecting urban issues. Show me a city without a bit of rubbish, graffiti, pickpockets, homelessness. I arrived at Dublin airport at breakfast time, took a very efficient bus into town, spent all day alone having a great look around, eating, drinking etc and returned to the airport to meet other friends after dark. There was plenty to see, and I didn’t go anywhere that charged entry. I didn’t once feel unsafe, ripped off, intimidated or disappointed. Have realistic expectations, folks. If you don’t like cities, there are plenty of rural escapes. Don’t criticise a city just for being a city.