Messages

[Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.]

A lot to unpack in the All Ireland Rail Review. Some ambitious goals there, which is nice to see. Plenty of fodder for the "it will never happen" crowd but that's inevitable.

People have got to understand that a lot of these dormant routes remain untouched. Most of the tunnels, cuttings, embankments, viaducts, and even a lot of the bridges are still intact. A lot of the cost of building a railway is flattening the land, and this was already done for us over 150 years ago. Reopening lines like Portadown-Armagh and Portadown-Derry via Omagh are entirely achievable. It wasn't so long ago that there wasn't many miles of motorway in the south, now there's a whole network of them. Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.

Time to think big again, and this time do it for rail. There's not enough room in cities for cars and the days of building everything around them need to come to an end.

Yes of course we are. In the north alone we can point to such fantastic infrastructure projects such as Not the A5, Not the North South interconnector, Not the expansion of waste water treatment and Not Casement Park.
We are in such a strong position to deliver this. In reality we'd get more use out of the 35b if we just set fire to it.

By the time they complete all the archaeological digs, toad surveys and evacuation plans, trains will be obsolete again anyway.

There's an entire network of motorways radiating out from Dublin that wasn't there 30 years ago.

In the North there's the Broadway underpass where a surface-level roundabout used to be, the A1 at Newry which is looking more like a motorway in all but name compared to what was there in my day, the Dungiven bypass that was opened lately, and plenty more. There's always plenty of money for roads. Ever notice that?

Dungiven bypass - late and over budget... 30m over budget
Underpass at Broadway was part of a larger project to connect M2 and M3 at the end of the Westlink. Unfinished and the traffic jam merely moved up the road.

But granted yes they have built a few roads, over budget and late.

Above all though, we don't even have a functioning government to sign this off!!

So? Big public works projects often go over budget and run late. They still built it, didn't they? You can drive on it now. Does it matter that it was late and over budget?

They did. But this is a different level altogether. But we've two glaring problems even above our incompetence is that
1) We have no government
2) We simply don't have the money or at least we don't have railways as a priority over other needs

[Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.]

A lot to unpack in the All Ireland Rail Review. Some ambitious goals there, which is nice to see. Plenty of fodder for the "it will never happen" crowd but that's inevitable.

People have got to understand that a lot of these dormant routes remain untouched. Most of the tunnels, cuttings, embankments, viaducts, and even a lot of the bridges are still intact. A lot of the cost of building a railway is flattening the land, and this was already done for us over 150 years ago. Reopening lines like Portadown-Armagh and Portadown-Derry via Omagh are entirely achievable. It wasn't so long ago that there wasn't many miles of motorway in the south, now there's a whole network of them. Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.

Time to think big again, and this time do it for rail. There's not enough room in cities for cars and the days of building everything around them need to come to an end.

Yes of course we are. In the north alone we can point to such fantastic infrastructure projects such as Not the A5, Not the North South interconnector, Not the expansion of waste water treatment and Not Casement Park.
We are in such a strong position to deliver this. In reality we'd get more use out of the 35b if we just set fire to it.

By the time they complete all the archaeological digs, toad surveys and evacuation plans, trains will be obsolete again anyway.

There's an entire network of motorways radiating out from Dublin that wasn't there 30 years ago.

In the North there's the Broadway underpass where a surface-level roundabout used to be, the A1 at Newry which is looking more like a motorway in all but name compared to what was there in my day, the Dungiven bypass that was opened lately, and plenty more. There's always plenty of money for roads. Ever notice that?

Dungiven bypass - late and over budget... 30m over budget
Underpass at Broadway was part of a larger project to connect M2 and M3 at the end of the Westlink. Unfinished and the traffic jam merely moved up the road.

But granted yes they have built a few roads, over budget and late.

Above all though, we don't even have a functioning government to sign this off!!

This report does more harm than good. Instead of having a set of achievable goals and a clear plan for getting there, it is mainly a crayon exercise. There aren't enough trains on the lines that are there and they don't control the gurriers on them. For all the Green party propaganda they have done nothing to advance the likes of the Dublin metro, all they do to block roads and build half baked cycle paths.

Most of the closed routes are not intact, the land was sold off and built on etc and the pathways to the stations in the towns are long gone, there are even GAA grounds built on them.

Correct. It's farcical. Like we don't even have a government in the North. Buy a good car and treat yourself.

New film "They cloned Tyrone"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9873892/

They took excellence and multiplied it.

[Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.]

A lot to unpack in the All Ireland Rail Review. Some ambitious goals there, which is nice to see. Plenty of fodder for the "it will never happen" crowd but that's inevitable.

People have got to understand that a lot of these dormant routes remain untouched. Most of the tunnels, cuttings, embankments, viaducts, and even a lot of the bridges are still intact. A lot of the cost of building a railway is flattening the land, and this was already done for us over 150 years ago. Reopening lines like Portadown-Armagh and Portadown-Derry via Omagh are entirely achievable. It wasn't so long ago that there wasn't many miles of motorway in the south, now there's a whole network of them. Governments are well able to deliver big infrastructure projects when they put their minds to it.

Time to think big again, and this time do it for rail. There's not enough room in cities for cars and the days of building everything around them need to come to an end.

Yes of course we are. In the north alone we can point to such fantastic infrastructure projects such as Not the A5, Not the North South interconnector, Not the expansion of waste water treatment and Not Casement Park.
We are in such a strong position to deliver this. In reality we'd get more use out of the 35b if we just set fire to it.

By the time they complete all the archaeological digs, toad surveys and evacuation plans, trains will be obsolete again anyway.

Very sad. RIP

[Am I more in danger going about my daily life in New York City than I would be living in Dublin?]

You're all a wee bit sensitive lads.

Would you not tell anyone going to London or NYC or Rome to keep their wits about them and be careful with their valuables and where they go, especially at night?

Dublin has been like that for decades. You are all saying the same bloody thing, giving out like f**k,  but god forbid a foreign government tell their citizens to do likewise!

No it's not that, it's cos it's f**king America with the worst crime rate and murder rate in the western world earning their citizens about Dublin. Clowns. Are they averaging a school shooting once a week over there these days.

I know Dublin is a kip by our European standards but it's nowhere near the complete kip of most American cities in terms of violence.

Gun violence, sure.

What about robbery? Muggings? Pick pocketing? Getting your head kicked in for turning down the wrong street?

Am I more in danger going about my daily life in New York City than I would be living in Dublin?

How do tourists do in the big US tourist cities compared to somewhere like Dublin?

I'm sure there are stats...

I would say yes you are but if you have stats to say otherwise I am happy to be corrected. These are from the New York Police Dept for the last "week"

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-city.pdf

In terms of population to Dublin how would that be broken down?

It doesnt look like you can easily get stats on "Dublin Only" but in Rep Ireland in 2022 there were 69 murders in a population of 5m (13.8 murders per million) in New York 438 murders for population of 8.4m (52 murders per million). Thats a flavour of things I would.

USA is definitely more dangerous but that shouldn't mean we accept a certain level of violence in Ireland. Dublin is a shithole and it needs a multi agency approach to clean it up. 

Clonoe are potential All Ireland winners at Intermediate

Absolutely bookmarking this.

You got to love the complete lack of self awareness of yanks...

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/us-embassy-warns-citizens-to-keep-a-low-profile-on-dublin-streets-as-leo-varadkar-admits-garda-recruitment-target-is-very-hard/a1910479577.html

Maybe we should warn out citizens of the dangers of even going to school in the USA.

It's embarrassing either way. For the Americans to be worried about safety somewhere else but also for the Irish that Dublin is now being recognised Internationally as a dangerous city.

I don't know what prompted the "alert" but I would imagine the embassy was inundated with calls from people with trips planned asking if it was safe to travel

I wouldn't look too much into it TBH

The State Dept issue all types of advisories all the time about all types of issues

They would be better off warning Americans visiting other countries about the dangers of returning home and maybe they should seek asylum in European countries for their own safety.

I supposed it depends where you live.

There have been more murders in the town I grew up in Ireland than the town I live in Stateside, and the chances of getting assaulted randomly on the street for no reason are about one hundred fold greater

Dublin will turn into one of those American cities, Philadelphia, Chicago, SF, NYC, take your pick. Hopefully this is a turning point for Dublin and the authorities can clean the shithole up.

Can anybody  work  this out?

Maybe I haven't  woken up  properly yet.  Born a female, she came out, is transgender  AND non-binary.   

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66299441


But more importantly, should she  be playing in the "women's" World Cup?

A narcissist stealing the dreams and careers of talented young women who want to play sport at the top level.
They can do what they want but stay out of womens sport.

She was born biologically a female. Rebecca Quinn.
How you can be transgender and non binary is beyond me. They're making this up as they go along.

Need to change the title of this thread . . .

i'd say it's the beginning of the end for twitter/x or whatever its called now.

He wants to turn it into the everything app. Paying for stuff and all sorts. Imagine reading some shit from thon Bryson dose and then ordering a car off the cesspit. Crazy.

The Madness of Saudi money might be a god send for countries like Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and ourselves. As African, South American et al head for the money in the Middle East, this will leave more for opportunities for more local lads climbing the ladder in the Premier League.

Doubt it, the PL is still the main draw for players. Look at the age profile heading for the Saudi money, in the main (with a few exceptions) it is those players heading for their last contract who can blame them.

The competition will be as tough as ever for those local lads trying to make the break through. Unless there is a shift in the younger players moving for the money then this might change things.

If  mbappe goes  to the Saudi league , that will change things

Dunno, are you gonna get excited for Al Ahli against Al Ittihad? Can't see it. China tried this before and it didn't work. SA is cold house for women as well. No alcohol, very restrictive on your freedoms v London, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris. No WAG is going to want to live there long term. It's a place you go at the end of your career or for a year or two max to earn mega money.
The money will distort the market in Europe though. Similar to what the Neymar deal did.

another attack in Dublin city centre:

https://twitter.com/padraig_reilly/status/1683550781646024707?s=20

https://twitter.com/padraig_reilly/status/1683580429444562948?s=20

Awful.
It does feel as if we are at a tipping point here. The public do seem to be at their wits ends. You'd imagine there will be a huge response from the Guards and others.
These scrotes who's grandparents are in their 30s need dealt with. Generational wasters. They are beyond help.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12926500/kylian-mbappe-al-hilal-make-259m-record-bid-for-france-international-with-tottenham-among-premier-league-clubs-interested

€13m a week! 
And spurs are also interested LMFAO 

I think there is more chance of me ending up at Spurs than Mbappe with Levy in charge a complete non runner.

True.
Anyway project trailer's kids to Saudi is a Go. Full on intensive training plan activated.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12926500/kylian-mbappe-al-hilal-make-259m-record-bid-for-france-international-with-tottenham-among-premier-league-clubs-interested

€13m a week! 
And spurs are also interested LMFAO