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Original poster

Does anyone else not like Dublin?

275 replies

tirkishdelighttt · 21/08/2023 09:37

First time in Dublin over the weekend and didn't get the hype
Really expensive (2 drinks 25 euro )
Some places in the city centre quite smelly /dirty
Some people rude especially on busses
I was paying my fare and they just pushed past me to tap the pass
I just don't get the hype of it

OP posts:
msmonstera · 21/08/2023 20:09

WitheringTights000 · 21/08/2023 20:01

@msmonstera - I'm from Belfast and feel like I would much prefer to live in Dublin. If I could afford it I would be down that road very fast lol

Saw a job I really liked the look of on LinkedIn in Dublin earlier, but of course no salary posted which is always a red flag. I would worry about affordability of living there as a single person.

Are there nice ensuite flats that you could share with one other person? Or not really much?

I guess I could buy stuff like toiletries etc up in Belfast which would maybe make things cheaper for me!

The thing is it doesn't seem to put people off moving there. So many international students who then stay on and get jobs there.

I know Belfast well and considering North when I'm ready to buy- if I were you I would just visit Dublin, not live here. It's only a two hour train or drive after all. I'm probably jaded but the amount of scumbaggery all over the place is so tiresome, as is the rent. My place would be better for the price in Paris.

OriginalBin · 21/08/2023 20:10

andyourpointiswhat · 21/08/2023 14:58

There is no “hype”. You didn’t enjoy your weekend, lots of people were probably there the same time and had a great weekend. I am baffled by your comment about the buses, other people passed you to tap on while you were dithering, maybe they were all supposed to stand back so the tourist could have a good experience, British public transport users are so tolerant like that!

This.

Dublin is just another European capital, with its scruffy areas and the same type of population that get tired of tourist dithering as Londoners or Parisians. The first time I visited London, someone savaged me verbally for being slow getting on the Piccadilly Line at Kings Cross, Kings Cross itself was still incredibly seedy (late 80s), and my boyfriend had his wallet stolen on Shaftesbury Avenue.

I didn’t decide the whole city was a shithole, though, and I lived there for ten very happy years in the early 2000s, despite living in grottier areas.

WitheringTights000 · 21/08/2023 20:11

@Pluffe - yea I heard it's limited but then so many seem to be moving there! Had an email from a family friend in the US the other day saying her niece has just finished her PHD in Dublin and staying on to work...I wonder how they all find places?

Does the 1.5k get you something decent?

Somewhere that I can walk everywhere would be ideal!

mathanxiety · 21/08/2023 21:04

@Rogerstreasures
Did you get an invitation from the girlfriend's family or was it the boyfriend who invited you to a party he wasn't hosting?

Because if it was the latter, I can see how you might get a cold reception pretty much anywhere.

Gobimanchurian · 21/08/2023 21:27

Yeah I went in July for a long weekend and was underwhelmed. Expensive, grubby, vast and a bit charmless.

Wakintoblueskies · 21/08/2023 21:33

SgtPercyTwentyman · 21/08/2023 20:00

Cork City is far superior.

I’m not a fan of Dublin. It’s rough, dirty and dangerous.
The surrounds are nice but involve at least forty minutes travel to get there.
But Cork city centre is pretty much non existent. It’s more like a town. However the Co Cork is simply fabulous.

Eyesopenwideawake · 21/08/2023 21:43

I lived in Dublin from 1995-2007. Despite having a 'posh' English accent I encountered no racism, on the contrary everyone was welcoming and friendly (maybe I was seen as a bit 'soft in the head'!). I lived in areas seen as rough - Cabra and Finglas but never felt unsafe. I plan to return there maybe one day although the prices are scary now.

mathanxiety · 21/08/2023 21:43

Dublin has always been a rough city. I grew up there. There's plenty to do though beyond eating and drinking, and I don't know many other cities where you can dri e 40 minutes and find yourself in sublime countryside, or on a beach.

EarringsandLipstick · 21/08/2023 21:52

I have lived in Dublin for 25 years plus now. Never intended to stay this long! Until recently, I still thought that I'd eventually leave once the kids were grown up. I've realised I like living here & probably won't!

I like being able to get into the city easily, the different things to do, culturally, work opportunities & so on. I'm from a smaller city in Ireland originally & have lived in various places. Other Irish people often see Dublin as 'big' and unfriendly. It's really not tho - I think there's great community & people are friendly - often because there's such a moving population.

Like PP tho, I absolutely see it through tourists' eyes. I go into the city centre fairly regularly but never to places like Temple Bar, and rarely to the Northside of the city (O'Connell St etc). I can see how it could be uninspiring to a tourist without local directions.

At the moment, I can agree it might not be a great place to visit - but I still rate it as a place to live!

EarringsandLipstick · 21/08/2023 21:54

mathanxiety · 21/08/2023 21:43

Dublin has always been a rough city. I grew up there. There's plenty to do though beyond eating and drinking, and I don't know many other cities where you can dri e 40 minutes and find yourself in sublime countryside, or on a beach.

Yes good point. Weirdly until lockdown I never thought about Dublin beaches much! Visited the odd time. Once the distances we could travel were increased, I suddenly discovered beaches & wondered why I hadn't made more use of them sooner.

I live in a suburb where in 10 minutes one direction I'm in the countryside. 20 mins or so on public transport & I'm in the city.

EarringsandLipstick · 21/08/2023 21:55

Gobimanchurian · 21/08/2023 21:27

Yeah I went in July for a long weekend and was underwhelmed. Expensive, grubby, vast and a bit charmless.

Vast?

WitheringTights000 · 21/08/2023 21:56

@msmonstera - I think you might be bored In Belfast if you are used to Dublin.

I do love going on a wee day trip to Dublin on the train.

But I think what attracts me to it Also is that it seems like more sociable/better opportunity for going out on Saturdays nights etc

Lots of people leave Belfast after uni & those who don't settle down quite young so aren't as up for nights out all the time!

I feel like with Dublin being more international, there would be more people in their 30's still up for going out a lot etc

Crunchingleaf · 21/08/2023 22:09

Dublin is gone down hill drastically over last few years. I think the line between the haves and have nots is getting so big that the societal problems are starting to mount up.

Every big city has its nice and not so nice parts but Dublin even the main city centre is run down and drug taking is so prominent. Politicians live in the nice places so they don’t have to deal with it though.

WitheringTights000 · 21/08/2023 22:19

@Crunchingleaf - could you not say that about every city though? There is always a divide between the haves and have nots,

Theborder · 21/08/2023 22:23

Love it. No rougher than from where I’m from in England. Last time I went was in January got a 19 pound return flight and had a merry time 🍺 from what I can remember 😂😂

FirstFallopians · 21/08/2023 22:42

I feel like with Dublin being more international, there would be more people in their 30's still up for going out a lot etc

This is a little naive- my (extensive) set of SIL/BIL and cousins in law range from early twenties to late thirties, and none of them have a more vibrant social life than those I know in NI or in the U.K.

Most of them are feverishly trying to put money away for a house deposit, or paying an insane amount of rent, so opportunities to go out are limited.

And yes, it’s definitely a much, much more international city, which is amazing, especially compared to anywhere in the north. I worked with a lot of non-nationals, but they understandably formed friendship groups from their own countries of origin.

I always remember one of the Spanish women said that Irish people were really friendly, but it was only surface level. She was finding it really difficult to actual make “proper” friendships with people from here beyond being work colleagues or neighbours etc.

There’s definitely (lots!!! of) plus points to living in Dublin, but I’d just be wary of thinking the grass is greener.

WitheringTights000 · 21/08/2023 22:55

@FirstFallopians - what I mean is the average age for people still going out regularly down there is higher than up here. So many settle down so young up here.

Maybe not Irish people, but internationals who come to live in Dublin.

I know what you mean about people from other cities finding Irish people only surface level friendly. But I would deffo be open to making friends with people from other countries in Dublin as I would consider myself an outsider/newcomer also 😀

toadasoda · 21/08/2023 22:56

I always remember one of the Spanish women said that Irish people were really friendly, but it was only surface level. She was finding it really difficult to actual make “proper” friendships with people from here beyond being work colleagues or neighbours etc

Yes @FirstFallopians A Spanish colleague said the same! She said Irish people are so friendly you can never tell when they are really friends. It made me a laugh.

LemonDrizzleDessert · 22/08/2023 08:34

@Nyporeon ^^

Wakintoblueskies · 22/08/2023 09:10

toadasoda · 21/08/2023 22:56

I always remember one of the Spanish women said that Irish people were really friendly, but it was only surface level. She was finding it really difficult to actual make “proper” friendships with people from here beyond being work colleagues or neighbours etc

Yes @FirstFallopians A Spanish colleague said the same! She said Irish people are so friendly you can never tell when they are really friends. It made me a laugh.

Very true. I’ve heard it many many times.

Rogerstreasures · 22/08/2023 09:45

It was the girlfriend that invited us. Believe me it wasn’t a case of feeling unwelcome. I genuinely thought the situation was about to kick off. I was frightened and couldn’t wait to get out off there. I never want to visit Ireland again. I know that sounds ridiculous but I wouldn’t take the chance.

Makemineacosmo · 22/08/2023 09:53

It's a city and all cities have good bits bad bits. Nice parts and more run down parts, that's normal. The problem is when people believe the hype of a place and in the case of Dublin, think that they'll be greeted by a red-headed Irish colleen and have a sing song in every bar they go to.

I quite like Dublin, it's ok. It's just like a lot of cities really but probably more expensive.

Makemineacosmo · 22/08/2023 09:55

Rogerstreasures · 22/08/2023 09:45

It was the girlfriend that invited us. Believe me it wasn’t a case of feeling unwelcome. I genuinely thought the situation was about to kick off. I was frightened and couldn’t wait to get out off there. I never want to visit Ireland again. I know that sounds ridiculous but I wouldn’t take the chance.

You wouldn't go anywhere in Ireland again because of this one experience? That's like saying you wouldn't go to Newcastle because of an experience you had in Bristol. 😂

asterdaisy · 22/08/2023 10:02

Moredarkchocolateplease · 21/08/2023 13:06

You all realise that Temple Bar is a bit like Leicester Sq?

But if you for instance like Clapham or Kensington or chi chi parts of north London, you'd be better off going out to Monkstown or Dalkey where there isn't any visible drug taking and the pints are much cheaper?!

Why would you travel to a city and go out of the centre to get a drink? People go to visit tourist attractions and want to have a nice meal and drink close to them.
I wasn't keen on Dublin. There are much nicer places to visit.

Rogerstreasures · 22/08/2023 10:12

Makemineacosmo · 22/08/2023 09:55

You wouldn't go anywhere in Ireland again because of this one experience? That's like saying you wouldn't go to Newcastle because of an experience you had in Bristol. 😂

Show quote history

As I said I know it sounds ridiculous, but I wouldn’t go back if you payed me. We’ve pretty much visited most countries over the years and never felt threatened like we did that evening.