# Rathmines named best suburb to live in



## liaconn (19 Jun 2012)

I see the Irish Times has selected Rathmines as the best suburb in Ireland to live in.  Really??

Firstly, I wouldn't really consider Rathmines a 'suburb'. It's really a large area of bedsits and flats sandwiched between the city and the suburbs. It has a very transient population and also some pretty rough areas.

Secondly, even though it has the potential to look really lovely, it has been completely neglected for decades and is really run down and shabby looking. I know it has a beautiful old town hall, library and church but the main street is littered with convenience stores and takeaways and other cheap looking shops and is very tacky looking.

I really can't understand how it was chosen for this accolade. Its not a patch on nearby Rathgar or Ranelagh or even Harolds Cross.


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## Sunny (19 Jun 2012)

I agree about the suburb part. It's not a suburb considering you can walk into the city centre in less than 30mins.

Having said that, I like Rathmines. He has some beautiful houses, couple of decent bars, places to eat, close to town, decent leisure centre, good public transport and has got a good vibe. Of course it doesn't compare to Ranelagh or Rathgar but it is a different type of place. Like most of parts of Dublin, it has been allowed to lose its charm over the years though. 

I wouldn't have given it the award but I wouldn't be as negative about the place as you.


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## liaconn (19 Jun 2012)

I agree its lively, but it also has a vibe for me of being stuck in the seventies or something. Like a place that used to be full of creative, bohemian people but they've all moved on somewhere else.

I agree it has absolutely beautiful buildings but so many of them have been converted into flats and bedsits with overgrown gardens, shabby looking windows etc. It's a real shame.


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## Shawady (19 Jun 2012)

liaconn said:


> , bohemian people but they've all moved on somewhere else.


 
I believe Stoneybatter is where they are these days.

I had some good nights out in Rathmines during my student days.
Is that pub "Streets" still on the go?


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## bazermc (19 Jun 2012)

Of course you would have to wonder about a contest that thinks Ranelagh is Dublin 4, when it is clearly Dublin 6


[broken link removed]


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## Delboy (19 Jun 2012)

Shawady said:


> I believe Stoneybatter is where they are these days.
> 
> I had some good nights out in Rathmines during my student days.
> Is that pub "Streets" still on the go?



no such pub called Streets....used it be where Toast now is I wonder?


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## bazermc (19 Jun 2012)

Shawady said:


> I believe Stoneybatter is where they are these days.
> 
> I had some good nights out in Rathmines during my student days.
> Is that pub "Streets" still on the go?


 
How many years ago are we talking about?

where in Rathmines village was it?

I also had my student days in Rathmines


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## Shawady (19 Jun 2012)

Early 90's so I suppose going back 20 years (yikes!).
I think there was a phone box, street signs etc inside it.
I just remember it was a good spot to go to.


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## bazermc (19 Jun 2012)

Roddy bolands use to be called streets!!!!

[broken link removed]

Long before my time in Rathmines


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## liaconn (19 Jun 2012)

That's the thing about Rathmines. It's probably a pretty good place to live if you're a student and just want somewhere handy to town, cinemas, pubs and twenty four hour shops. 

But 'best suburb to live in' implies somewhere nice to live long term with a strong community feel, a nice selection of shops, places for kids to play etc. That doesn't really describe Rathmines where the population is constantly changing and most people are renting and don't really have any emotional investment in the area.


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## TarfHead (19 Jun 2012)

liaconn said:


> I see the Irish Times has selected Rathmines as the best suburb in Ireland to live in.


 
Next they'll be running polls on ..

- best brand of pesto (trick question, you should be making your own )
- best songs sung at Leinster schools rugby cup games
- pandering to your demographic versus publishing news

Rathmines isn't even the best suburb in South Dublin, let alone Dublin


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## Leo (19 Jun 2012)

Sunny said:


> I agree about the suburb part. It's not a suburb considering you can walk into the city centre in less than 30mins.


 
Surely that's exactly what a suburb is?


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## Sunny (19 Jun 2012)

Leo said:


> Surely that's exactly what a suburb is?


 
Not in my book. If Rathmines is a suburb of Dublin, then what is Lucan, Blanchardstown, Swords etc? I can walk from Rathmines to Grafton Street in 20 minutes. It might not be city centre but it is not sububia living. It's like saying Grand Canal Dock is a suburb.


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## markpb (19 Jun 2012)

Sunny said:


> what is Lucan, Blanchardstown, Swords etc



They're outer suburbs.


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## BOXtheFOX (19 Jun 2012)

I worked in Rathmines for over a decade. There are some lovely areas and streets to live in adjacent to the Ranelagh, Darty and Rathgar side. Cowper, Palmerston etc but I agree Rathmines main street is pretty dismal. I also remember "Streets" with the half car, street signs, telephone box etc.


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## liaconn (20 Jun 2012)

markpb said:


> They're outer suburbs.


 
Sorry, but I still don't really see how Rathmines could be described as a 'suburb'. With a few exceptions (mainly the area that residents call 'Dartry' to distinguish it from 'Rathmines') Rathmines is not really a place where people settle. Most people just pass through there for a couple of years when they're students or saving to buy their own place. A lot of the older people living around the main part of Rathmines are people who have never really 'moved on' eg aging hippies, people who moved to Dublin years ago for their first job but never really got to grips with life in the city and still live a bedsit/convenience store type of existence. 
Its not really a place with a lot of community activities, kids playing out on the road and all the other stuff that you tend to associate with the suburbs.
Whoever managed to write such a glowing report of the place that it won this accolade should really be living in Stonybatter with all the other creative, literary types.


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## Leo (20 Jun 2012)

Sunny said:


> Not in my book. If Rathmines is a suburb of Dublin, then what is Lucan, Blanchardstown, Swords etc? I can walk from Rathmines to Grafton Street in 20 minutes. It might not be city centre but it is not sububia living. It's like saying Grand Canal Dock is a suburb.


 
They're all suburbs. The definition of the word does not imply any min/max distances. What you class as suburban living will differ from another, but again, lifestyle has no bearing on the definition of suburb.


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## Purple (20 Jun 2012)

I like Rathmines. It has a good vibe, a good mix of housing and a good mix of people. It’s not as pretty as Dalkey or Howth but it’s accessible to people from all sorts of backgrounds and income levels. Of course it’s a suburb, what else could it be? There are some really nice residential areas and yes, from talking to friends who live there and others who are from there, some good community spirit. 
I don’t know if it’s the best place in Ireland to live but I’d take it over a more “exclusive” areas.


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## micmclo (20 Jun 2012)

It's no Taylors Hill


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## Brendan Burgess (20 Jun 2012)

> — *n *
> a residential district situated on the outskirts of a city or town    [C14: from Latin _suburbium, _ from _sub- _ close to + _urbs _ a city]



I wouldn't regard it as in the city.  But it is close to the city, so it is a suburb.

But where does the city begin and end? Probably at the canals,, so part of it may well be in the city. 

Brendan


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## The_Banker (21 Jun 2012)

The Irish Times allowed people to blog about all areas and locations around Ireland. Having read quite a few this is the best I read about part of a suburb here in lovely Cork.

[broken link removed]

(It isn't just Dublin based you know!!)


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## bazermc (21 Jun 2012)

The_Banker said:


> (It isn't just Dublin based you know!!)


 

Indeed, even the Dublin areas such as Ranleagh, they got the post code wrong and thought is was Dublin 4!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!


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## liaconn (21 Jun 2012)

The_Banker said:


> The Irish Times allowed people to blog about all areas and locations around Ireland. Having read quite a few this is the best I read about part of a suburb here in lovely Cork.
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> (It isn't just Dublin based you know!!)


 
No one said it was.


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## Gordanus (23 Jun 2012)

liaconn said:


> Firstly, I wouldn't really consider Rathmines a 'suburb'. It's really a large area of bedsits and flats sandwiched between the city and the suburbs. It has a very transient population and also some pretty rough areas.




How long is it since you were last there, liaconn?  

It USED to be like that, but in recent years many of the houses have been re-converted to single-family residences.  There are strong community organisations, including resident's associations which run various festivals and events.  Between these, the churches, and the schools (which have expanded in the last 10-15 years), there's a very neighbourly feel to the place.  Of course there are also a lot of young people and students (mainly living in apartments rather than bedsits these days!) who keep the pubs and clubs busy in the evenings.  Rathmines has a lot of facilities - sports and leisure centre, shopping centre, library, cinema, 3 supermarkets, hardware shop, etc etc.  AND it's walkable from town.  I only wish I could have afforded to buy there!


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## bazermc (25 Jun 2012)

I just heard Westport was the overall winner.  Fair play its a nice place.  I wonder was Enda involved at all in the voting process..................


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## liaconn (25 Jun 2012)

Gordanus said:


> How long is it since you were last there, liaconn?
> 
> It USED to be like that, but in recent years many of the houses have been re-converted to single-family residences. There are strong community organisations, including resident's associations which run various festivals and events. Between these, the churches, and the schools (which have expanded in the last 10-15 years), there's a very neighbourly feel to the place. Of course there are also a lot of young people and students (mainly living in apartments rather than bedsits these days!) who keep the pubs and clubs busy in the evenings. Rathmines has a lot of facilities - sports and leisure centre, shopping centre, library, cinema, 3 supermarkets, hardware shop, etc etc. AND it's walkable from town. I only wish I could have afforded to buy there!


 
I'm there quite regularly and know people who live in and around the area. I agree that the Dartry/Rathgar end of Rathmines has become more residential. But the main part of Rathmines around Leinster Road, Grove Park and of course the main street itself is still very flat landy and run down. I got the impression from the Irish Times that this was the area they were talking about as the specifically mentioned the wonderful shopping on the High Street which I really don't think is the case. The shopping in Rathmines is very limited.
I agree that the leisure centre and the cinema are good additions but overall I still would not consider Rathmines to be a 'suburb'. I also think you will find that the majority of the children in the local schools do not actually come from Rathmines but from surrounding areas. That was certainly the case when I went to school in Rathmines.


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## micmclo (25 Jun 2012)

bazermc said:


> I just heard Westport was the overall winner.  Fair play its a nice place.  I wonder was Enda involved at all in the voting process..................



He's a Castlebar man, Enda wouldn't push for Westport



Michael Ring is the man from Westport
Who just happens to be Minister of State for Tourism and Sport 
I call shenanigans


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