Nicest Towns in Ireland

[Eamonnca1]

Ardara, Co. Donegal.

Hillsborough, Co. Down, black as it may be is a lovely, well kept town with some great spots for food and drink.

Presumably the use of the  word 'black' is a pejorative term.  What would the equivalent to this be on the opposite side of the coin?

I've absolutely no idea.

I'm sure you know full well that "black" being used in that particular context simply refers to a location as being overwhelmingly unionist or Protestant. A historically cold house for people of my ilk. Whether that's pejorative or not is a different question altogether.

Funny thing about the use of that word. When Protestants are giving out about the cops they call them "black b******s." Damned if I know where that comes from.

[Tony Baloney]

Ardara, Co. Donegal.

Hillsborough, Co. Down, black as it may be is a lovely, well kept town with some great spots for food and drink.

Presumably the use of the  word 'black' is a pejorative term.  What would the equivalent to this be on the opposite side of the coin?

I've absolutely no idea.

I'm sure you know full well that "black" being used in that particular context simply refers to a location as being overwhelmingly unionist or Protestant. A historically cold house for people of my ilk. Whether that's pejorative or not is a different question altogether.

Funny thing about the use of that word. When Protestants are giving out about the cops they call them "black b******s." Damned if I know where that comes from.

Presumably from the black and tans.

[Tony Baloney]

Nice to live beside a town that has been mentioned a few times. In fact it could have been listed in the previous thread as well!!

A couple of my own favourite smaller villages.

Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. Beach, cliffs, archaeology, birdwatching, walking, whalewatching and a wonderful café at the bottom of the hill.

Easkey, Co. Sligo. Surfing, fishing and a wondeful area to walk and cycle. Loads of space for camper vans along the shore. Pints for 3.50 and 4.00.

Both are underdeveloped - but that is not a bad thing imo.

Ballycastle in Co. Antrim was voted one of the best places to live.

[Dougal Maguire]

Spent a night in Carnlough a couple of weeks ago. Very nice spot.

[red hander]

Ardara, Co. Donegal.

Hillsborough, Co. Down, black as it may be is a lovely, well kept town with some great spots for food and drink.

Presumably the use of the  word 'black' is a pejorative term.  What would the equivalent to this be on the opposite side of the coin?

I've absolutely no idea.

I'm sure you know full well that "black" being used in that particular context simply refers to a location as being overwhelmingly unionist or Protestant. A historically cold house for people of my ilk. Whether that's pejorative or not is a different question altogether.

Funny thing about the use of that word. When Protestants are giving out about the cops they call them "black b******s." Damned if I know where that comes from.

You regularly hear "black enamel bastards" too, for particularly strident loyalists

[trileacman]

I've always wondered whats the prod equivalent of "black bastard". It is just "fenian bastard"?

[michaelg]

I've always wondered whats the prod equivalent of "black b**tard". It is just "fenian b**tard"?

Probably, although folk on here probably think the former is just harmless banter.  Similary, referring to a black hole seems to be  absolutely grand.

[whitey]

Nice to live beside a town that has been mentioned a few times. In fact it could have been listed in the previous thread as well!!

A couple of my own favourite smaller villages.

Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. Beach, cliffs, archaeology, birdwatching, walking, whalewatching and a wonderful café at the bottom of the hill.

Easkey, Co. Sligo. Surfing, fishing and a wondeful area to walk and cycle. Loads of space for camper vans along the shore. Pints for 3.50 and 4.00.

Both are underdeveloped - but that is not a bad thing imo.

I think some of the smaller towns and villages came out of the recession better than the larger towns.  Places like Balla and Lahardane and Turlough seem to have really progressed, while places Castlebar and Kiltimagh have gone backwards

I love Enniscrone and visit every year Im home, but someone in the know was telling me Easkey was even better.  I havent been to Ballycastle (kids scared of heights) but Mulranny now is a great little spot

[macdanger2]

Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. Beach, cliffs, archaeology, birdwatching, walking, whalewatching and a wonderful café at the bottom of the hill.

Not many jobs up there unfortunately though. A friend of mine living in killala has a young son (~10) who plays with Naomh Eoin (or Pádraig)? Anyway, it's an underage amalgamation of 3-4 clubs, doesn't bode well for those clubs in north Mayo

[trileacman]

I love wandering around Howth peninsula, probably rich and full of pretentious wankers but it's a lovely place of a good day. Never rated Dun Laoghire as highly though I've always liked Killiney.

Garrison in Fermanagh is pleasant. Have never really rated Plumbridge but obviously some do. North Antrim is class but the Game of Thrones crowd have kinda spoiled it.

I'd rather we excluded tourist/hen/stag towns, they have an obvious advantage as regards investment, trying to look good etc. Carrick on Shannon, Westport, Kilkenny and Carlingford are great spots.

Tallanstown in Louth is a lovely spot.

[whitey]

I love wandering around Howth peninsula, probably rich and full of pretentious w**kers but it's a lovely place of a good day. Never rated Dun Laoghire as highly though I've always liked Killiney.

Garrison in Fermanagh is pleasant. Have never really rated Plumbridge but obviously some do. North Antrim is class but the Game of Thrones crowd have kinda spoiled it.

I'd rather we excluded tourist/hen/stag towns, they have an obvious advantage as regards investment, trying to look good etc. Carrick on Shannon, Westport, Kilkenny and Carlingford are great spots.

Tallanstown in Louth is a lovely spot.

I dont know if it still applies, but Westport went out of their way to discourage stags and hens years ago.  They get a fair amount if English visitors due to Knock Airport.....I have family in Liverpool who can have tgeir breakfast in England and their lunch in Westport

[bennydorano]

I always assumed 'Black' was in reference to the Royal Black Perceptory.

[Milltown Row2]

Black is a racist remark.. probably it came from that

[ONeill]

Strabane is a beautiful town in the sunshine. For the first-time visitor, I recommend that your first stop to be to the Visitors Centre. There are so many things to do in this small town you really need a plan to get you started. The Visitors Centre offers several brochures and maps of local attractions and festivals in the area. For a quid you can also purchase a map that gives a brief description of each of the shops and cafes. The map also gives the location and description of the delightful pubs and bed and breakfasts in the area. The Visitors Centre also offers several gift items and souvenirs, such as postcards and books written about the town's rich history. Several different types of tours of the town are offered, including a horse drawn carriage ride throughout the town. Individual or group tours are also available at varying rates. An individual tour can cost between ten to twelve pounds per person and a large group tour cost as high as three hundred pounds per person.

[moysider]

Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. Beach, cliffs, archaeology, birdwatching, walking, whalewatching and a wonderful café at the bottom of the hill.

Not many jobs up there unfortunately though. A friend of mine living in killala has a young son (~10) who plays with Naomh Eoin (or Pádraig)? Anyway, it's an underage amalgamation of 3-4 clubs, doesn't bode well for those clubs in north Mayo

Ah yeah. There are no jobs there. Secondary school closed down 20 yrs ago as well. When you take kids out of a small town, you take the soul out of a community. Garda station, I suspect, is gone too. The football clubs are hanging on by the skin of their teeth. Ballycastle had Tom Langan on the Team of the Millennium. Unreal to see his portrait on the wall in their tiny dressing rooms. They also had a player on the 36 AI team. The whole of rural North Mayo is football heartland but with depopulation it is very difficult to keep the show on the road. Amalgamations the only way but that is never without issues as well.
The area is spectacular though. Anytime I'm ever around Downpatrick Head (I try to visit regularly to do same bird pics.), there are always numbers of people there. One time a lad was running a mobile chipper there.
As regards tourism, I think there are people locally looking at ways to get people to stay around North Mayo for a few days.