Lurgan

Old_Git

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Is there anywhere in NI that doesn't have that sectarian tension running in the background? Newry is pretty sh*t too - all this "new city" and the great advantages that would bring is a load of old bullocks.

I thought Newry was suppose to be doing well ,with all the mexicans crossing the border .

Old_Git

pgilc1 wrote: »

I've lived in it all my life and i have to say its just going from bad to worse.

Portadown runs rings round it for shopping

The only thing that prospers are banks.

Loads of derelect / To Let units with people looking two fortunes for rent.

Sectarian divisions rife - some kid got nearly kicked to death outside tescos last week, just because of his religion (though i doubt he or his oppressors attend church)

Woeful traffic flow system - a 'ring road' with four sets of traffic lights on it to slow you down.

Does anyone have a small nuclear device handy?

Lurgan is suppose to be a conservation area so you cant just knock down the crumbling buildings and start again (unless you are tesco ) .It does need mega regeneration but it wont happen .As for the kid who got a kicking ,yes it was sectarian but in this case after he and his mates shouted abuse and ran away he fell and got caught .Maybe he and his mates have learnt a lesson ,either dont fall over as you run away or better still keep your trap shut .

chunter

Buckfast ! If someone asks me what associations I make with lurgan.

Cheer up, at least Lurgan doesn't have a heroin problem, which does seem to sweeping north to south...

and as for "small nuclear devices" - has anyone been watching the NI political news all weekend? Seems the pundits are using it in every sentence.

wifeforlife

It's funny - I prefer the shops in Lurgan but because they're not all together I rarely go over. Heatons is great in the middle of the town, Millers up towards the top, Yarn Barn down the bottom and Greene's. Then you have to drive down to where Toymaster, Jump for joy and other furniture place on the way out.

Portadown isn't that great really - parking and lights are a huge problem, I still get on the northway asap and head to Rushmere for the ease of use and parking, haven't been in Portadown Argos in years lol.

steveymp

leftieM wrote: »

I think I've one out in the garage. I was saving it for Strabane but you can have it for Lurgan if you want.

Just leave the Asda on the outskirts of Strabane for me if possible;) the rest of the town you can take out OK:D

I'm still miffed and shocked that Stroke City has no Asda and I have to shunter 14 miles down the road and fight with rednecks to get a decent supermarket:o

As for Lurgan, totally agree, I have relatives there and they hate it too:o Out of town shopping centres and proximity to Lisburn, Portadown etc..... have killed the town centre:( it will never recover:(

SnowyOwl_2

Old_Git wrote: »

I thought Newry was suppose to be doing well ,with all the mexicans crossing the border .

Yeah, take away the shopping centres and what you're left with isn't that prosperous. The shops are doing great. However most of them are not local - most of the profits go elsewhere, England mostly, and are not reinvested in the local economy. Shop worker wages aren't what you'd call generous. The biggest employers in the area are still in the public sector ie the hospital, the council and schools/colleges so obviously they consume money rather than make it. The dominant private enterprise here is Norbrook which has been established for many years and is not a result of recent ecomonic changes. The company which owns The Quays is doing well too, but that's on the back of the value of the Euro - and they aren't recruiting right now!

On balance Newry is, in my opinion, a liability rather than an asset to the country's economy.

jenheiffer

cathy2702 wrote: »

It's funny - I prefer the shops in Lurgan but because they're not all together I rarely go over. Heatons is great in the middle of the town,

Yes that's a great place, and I like the cafe at the back of it too.

toofy

You have my commiserations living in Lurgan, however Portadown is a sh*thole as well, I am convinced the town planners have had too many backhanders in the past, just look at how many times Portadown has been bombed over the years and they have never done anything to radically improve the town, instead we have congestion everywhere, and the town dug up on a daily basis, how could any independent family run business survive in a town filled with uneven roads, parking attendants recruited by Hitler Youth and a council who couldn't organise a !!!! up in a brewery!!

motorguy

Old_Git wrote: »

As for the kid who got a kicking ,yes it was sectarian but in this case after he and his mates shouted abuse and ran away he fell and got caught .Maybe he and his mates have learnt a lesson ,either dont fall over as you run away or better still keep your trap shut .

Yes totally agree - though interestingly the three who were lifted for it were well known to police, and also had previously been involved with beatings like this - though not as severe - where they 'jumped' a person.

My son was able to name the three that had been lifted as they had beaten up a classmate of his previously. In fairness probably not such a good idea to taunt them then.

So, yes maybe all concerned will learn from it - before someone gets killed.

motorguy

toofy wrote: »

You have my commiserations living in Lurgan, however Portadown is a sh*thole as well, I am convinced the town planners have had too many backhanders in the past, just look at how many times Portadown has been bombed over the years and they have never done anything to radically improve the town, instead we have congestion everywhere, and the town dug up on a daily business, how could any independent family run business survive in a town filled with uneven roads, parking attendants recruited by Hitler Youth and a council who couldn't organise a !!!! up in a brewery!!

Theres talk that some of the key business owners objected to a shopping centre being built in lurgan when portadown and lisburn were building theirs. They wanted to protect their own business and didnt want the competition - to the detriment of everyone else living in the town...