Bourgeoise

@MrX wrote:

I’m not suggesting that they be company sponsored, I’m just suggesting that certain sectors are vastly over-represented in the make up of the Dail and others are grossly under-represented simply because some people have more control over their hours and have more time on their hands than others.

I mean how many engineers, architects, planners, scientists, IT people, nurses, gardai, hospital doctors etc ever make into Leinster House?

From what I can see it’s teachers, who tend to be well-meaning, good at talking rather a lot and not doing all that much. Accountants and legal professionals who tend to be good at tying themselves into knots of red tape and a good smattering of self-employed business types who often seem to follow some very narrow agendas…

Ruari Quinn’s an architect.

Made a good finance minister.

Wth the projected population of Ireland (26 Counties) to reach 6.7 million feasability,planned infrastructure including transport should be considered now rather than houses first – schools,transport etc later ?

@bosco wrote:

And when they try to train in new drivers, the existing ones go on strike.

Exactly.

Just wait until the new Midleton line starts to get up and running.

The drivers / staff are still living in some unionised utopia and could’nt careless about the customers / taxpayers.

This company is a joke.

Trains getting slower, not faster
May 19th 2008

So after near on €1 billion in investment you would imagine the trains would be faster. Faster more powerful trains, modern track, brand new signaling all point to the fact that journey times should reduce but curiously they have increased. While it is true that there are more trains running and that naturally has a side effect on journey times, but wasn’t the new signaling designed specifically with the proposed timetables in mind? Wasn’t over €110 million spent on Heuston station to reduce delays and increase capacity?

Of course Irish Rail put all the tricky work on the long finger, instead of doing it first, so Portarlington was only completed in April 2008, after 10 years with a 30mph speed limit, its now 80mph. Limerick Junction has been reduced to 25mph hopefully rising back to 80mph in 2009 as it was in the 1980’s. Let us not forget the speed restrictions through Ballybrophy are still in place. Let us not forget of the Shannon Bridge on the Sligo line which is in such poor condition trains are forced to reduce speed to only 10mph. We where promised a 100mph railway to Cork, less than 35 miles are currently cleared for 100mph despite the route being the straightest in the country and Irish Rail want more money to deliver the times they promised 10 years ago. Does anyone remember the promise of 90 minutes non stop Dublin Belfast before the investment, we in Rail Users Ireland do, we also recall that a steam train could do the trip in 97 minutes when pushed.

As Irish Rail are so eager to tell us we pay fares in line with the European average, should we not expect a European level of service in return, should our trains not run at respectable speeds, should we not have similar levels of customer service and information as our fellow European’s?

The morning business trains Cork Dublin
1993 with a 2450hp 90mph locomotive
The 7:35 Cork Dublin, 2 stops arrive Dublin 10:05
2 hours 30 minutes

2008 with a 3200hp 100mph locomotive
The 7:30 Cork Dublin, 3 stops arrives Dublin 10:20
2 hours 50 minutes

20 minutes longer despite, a more powerful locomotive and higher speed running, the extra stop should add only 5 minutes, so 15 minute difference

The evening business trains Dublin Cork
1993 with a 2450hp 90mph locomotive
The 17:30 Dublin Cork, 2 stops arrives Cork 20:00
2 hours 30 minutes

2008 with a 3200hp 100mph locomotive
17:00 Dublin Cork, 2 stops arrive Cork 19:45
2 hours 45 minutes

15 minutes longer despite, a more powerful locomotive and higher speed running

Best time in the 1970’s was 2:45 non stop with a 75mph top speed

Mallow Cork times

1973 time for a class one (express) train was 28 minutes, 30 for a class two
1993 time typically 28 minutes
2008 time typically 33-35 minutes for Dublin Cork train but only 24-25 minutes for a local Mallow – Cork service
Curious difference the 100mph Cork Dublin Express train takes up to 11 minutes more than the 70 mph commuter train, going the other way both take the same time. Could it be Irish Rail trying to massage the punctuality stats, after all trains from Dublin regularly arrive 10 minutes early

Perhaps it would be better to stay within the jurisdiction of Cork City Council where the planners are humane beings and the rules of the game are administered by a referee of international standard, Ronnie McDowell, God bless him.[/QUOTE]

Ronnie “Victoria Mills” McDowell gets the “Best in Show” for his outstanding “solo run” at Victoria Cross.

@daniel_7 wrote:

just read in the paper the other day that as part of the docklands strategy there is to be something to be incorporated into the plan to attract more tourism to cork like a interactive science museam or something stupid like that!i think that they should stick to something reliable and something that is proven to work. As long as they think creative when planning the docklands and not as if they were planning some small scale development(which alot of the planners in cork seem to do on most projects) and give us a highly attractive waterfront especially as there is planning for a 27 story tower in drogheda and incorporate a temple bar type development maybe around the station square(as cork is also badly behind when it comes to nightclubs) and these factors together would make cork a very attractive place to market for a short break city getaway!

Certainly has to be some attraction other than the usual retail experience. Certainly a section of the national museum,maritime museum , aquarium or art gallery may help.
Cable car to top of Patricks Hill with a new park might help bring back the trams anything to get interest in the place.
Imagination has to be used with Cork and you can have huge nightclubs anywhere like the Temple Bar nightmare model.

@theblimp wrote:

I find all of this news about the Showgrounds very intriguing.

Talk of the City Manager’s wish to develop the ‘amenity’ value of the land is, to me, a smokescreen. The landfill site on the South Link (de dump) has long been earmarked as the future location for circuses (what’s plural for circus!?), funderland, concerts etc. (there is a pedestrian culvert built under the dual-carriageway from the Park’n’Ride to the site to assist this aspiration). And why would any promoter wish to run a ‘Live at the Marquee’ event once Mr. Gavin’s pet project of an event centre on Horgan’s Quay is constructed? This is all most bizarre – the GAA only need a strip of land running along the southern boundary of the current main stand to facilitate their enlargement plans.

Perhaps CCC are merely attempting to block Fleming’s desire to get their hands on the site – which is fair enough – but the question is why? What will be more interesting will be to see who REALLY benefits from this (if the CPO is successful) in the longer run

The promoters of “Live at the Marquee” are Aiken promotions who are 100% an indoor concert / conference venue to be developed in Cork city so a marquee is being used because of the lack of viable venue.

The under development of Pairc Ui Chaomh and the Munster showgrounds has to be a priority for all concerned and has massive potential for the GAA with proper modern facilities ah la Stade De France and Croke Park required in Cork.There also exists the possibility ofr a hotel with conference facilities on the site adjacent the decrepid stadium which in my opinion should be demolished to pave the way for a modern stadium capable of multiple uses and a roof should be considered considering our climate.

Hopefully the public of Cork and beyond will benifit as it will contribute to the city along with the proposed conference centre on Horgans Quay.

@POM wrote:

Cornmarket Street

Reading a post earlier about the sale of the Kyrls Quay site is great and all but by the time all the other appropriate sites are acquired, who knows when development will start moving on the quay??? I drove down Cornmarket Street the other day and its nothing short of a third world street with suspension murdering paving, broken footpaths, potholes and dereliction abound. I sometimes can’t comprehend that this is suppose to be a prime city centre street? And where are all the promises the city council made regarding the realignment of Kyrls Quay or the installation of new market stalls? Or the improvement to the disgraceful street surface and pathways? I remember reading the action plan for the area and the scheduling on all these projects seems to be so far behind. It really is a disgrace. For such a prime street with potentially massive pedestrian windfalls from nearby Patricks Street, movement (development or promised realm improvements) has been insignificant. The most promising move here, besides the land sales has been the movement on the Guys site but even that seems to be lingering along.

The Guys site seems to be taking a long time to get out of the ground – I can only assume that there may be structural engineering issues with the site.
Cornmarket street itself is appalling from the awful Castle Jewellers pink awful signage at the junction of Castle Street and Cornmarket Street to vacant sites with cars parked,shabby market stalls,cars parked all over the place down af far as the Bridewell with the dereliction on Kyrls Quay adding to the shabbyness of the area.
Shopowners and property owners here are only slightly worse than the neglect that there is on Patrick Street itself which is meant to be one of the top shopping streets in the country after Grafton Street / Henry Street.
The street itself does’nt seem to be that busy anymore and very little buzz around.Mayby after the main drainage works / pedestrianation disturbance there is’nt the draw of big name shops in the city when you have free parking and good shops at Mahon Point ? It has a downmarket feel lately and if you walk from Washington Street through Patrick’s Street through Bridge Street and down McCurtain St the high level of neglect is the overwhelming impression.
On a more positive note all the smaller pedestrianisd streets in the city work very well with Maylor Street much improved.The streets at the Emmet Place – back of Savoy to Patricks Street and the Quay need the same treatment.

Also along from Batchelors Quay opposite the North Gate Bridge “Super Macs” have repainted their unit and placed a large nasty advertising hoarding facing the bridge – amazing how building control in Cork lets poor signage across the city stay in place.

Any news on that small triangular site near the Bus Station which had a 9? storey office scheme in for planning late last year ?

Finally whats the deal with thos 5ft galvanised poles that have been place along the length of Oliver Plunkett Street – they have been there for well over a year now presumably awaiting some permanent light standard ?