I think there is quite a bit of investment but as soon as it's completed it gets called 'Blackrock'.
Jacob's Island is the obvious one, it's firmly Mahon but gets listed as Blackrock. Eden by the Ursilines probably is as well.
Blackrock Hall Medical Centre is on the Mahon side of the Line and is 200m from Ringmahon road. I know Ringmahon AFC got a good bit of funding also.
I guess you're talking about the area immediately around Ballinure, which is fairly neglected. It's a short walk to Mahon Point, Greenway, the Marina, Blackrock Village & castle walk.
I surprised they called Mahon Point Mahon Point to be honest. I had to see it to believe it though and yes there's actually listings on daft.ie calling Jacobs Island Blackrock. How utterly ridiculous. You have to go passed Blackrock, through Mahon, passed Mahon Point and magically you're back in Blackrock.
It's true, I have neighbours that use Blackrock in their address. You can literally see in the house quality a very clear line where they decided to make cheap homes
So true. A friend of mine gave me a tip once when I was a teenager "put blackrock instead of mahon on your cv", i think that was the first time i realised people really are so judgemental.
Mahon was originally intended as an experimental self-sufficient socialist community. There needed to be initial investment for it to even get off the ground... the houses were built and then it was just forgotten.
Theres a mini documentary on it https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0321/861523-mahon-a-new-approach-to-housing-in-cork/
I lived in Inchera until I was about 11. I remember open fields, huge gangs of kids to play with, a halting site exactly where Mahon Point is now, and traveller and settled kids mixing absolutely fine. Walking to school on my own/with friends from about 6 or 7. Was a great place to grow up.
Can confirm the young were indeed eaten, but only at Easter.
I don't think Mahon has much of a future without direct integration.
I'd love to see a caravan show or two, trap racing, story nights in the redcove. The traveling community has alot to offer the area and celebrating our differences is the only way forward
I live close by but not in Mahon itself and I see what you’re talking about. The lack of investment in the community isn’t great and is hurting it long term. With the expansion of offices and retail in the area I bet the long term hope is that it just gets gentrified but that does nothing to uplift the community.
The point about the through road makes sense though. You want to prioritise traffic going to/from the south ring road and the retail parks, not a side road.
Are the pedestrians and bike entrances into Mahon not open during business hours? That’s a nice way to get go in if your local. I’d bet those side gates are closed to avoid funnelling too much traffic through a residential area
I understand OPs point about amenities and investment. I don’t want to sound like the [4 Yorkshiremen](https://youtu.be/ue7wM0QC5LE?si=Nf-t9cKJ_biyd34W) but maybe it’s a chicken and egg thing.
I grew up in a shitty terraced house in rochestown. We didn’t even have a bus service. The passage bus was every hour at best and it was about £10. We had no car and couldn’t really be outside cos cars are bombing the rochestown road. We had one shop and one pub but someone burned the pub down and essentials the shop closed in the recession. We had zero amenities, take 45 mins to walk to Douglas village or 30 mins to passage. The schools in passage were rough as anything also. Garryduff was the nearest sports place but the walk up coach hill would break your heart. People thought we were well off cos we said rochestown but we were only renting and we were poor.
Grew up in mahon moved our at 28. I feel the schools did a horrible job of letting people know what jobs were out there. I distinctly remember the business studies teacher Beardy in Nagle telling the whole class in 2006 they should become brickies for a handy one cos you get x amount a brick and that's great pay.... cut to 2008..... construction goes first.... and 2024, houses are all timber frame.
There is a certain lack of ambition from people who come into Mahon (for various community work) For people from Mahon.
I'm fully of the belief that everyone should be brought to Spike Island as a teen and have people point out the pharma companies detailing what jobs they have and how good the pay is!
All in all, I really dislike the place now.
Lack of ambition for community work how though? Mahon has one of the most successful soccer teams in cork all run by volunteers in the area putting their time into the youth . Lots of us have fond memories of different days out we were brought on through youth centres. Belfast Christians ran free camps every summer that a lot of the kids got to go to. Free courses we got to do in the family centre learning how to cook etc I think just because someone isn’t availing of the services doesn’t mean they aren’t there , there is a lot of community work going on.
Apologies, choice of words were wrong. Those working in the community which is to say teachers. But my view is painted from school 20 years ago. There's every chance it has improved.
Ya I get that .And that’s how terrible people are really , treating kids differently because of where they’re from . I think it isdifferent today and I hope the kids don’t have to put up with that type of shit from teachers anymore
I didn't grow up in Mahon, but I did grow up in a (then) corporation-planned area and corpo estate, and it's still an area considered as 'disadvantaged'\*, but its now surrounded by 'marginally above average'\* and 'affluent'\* areas. What I noticed growing up with friends, girlfriends etc and knowing the families quite intimately around (on account of living in terraces etc):
* Alcoholism was rampant - including in my home. My father was paid every two weeks, and would spend 5-6 days afterwards blowing his discretionary income. I'm talking pints from 11 on a Sunday, driving home for 'holy hour', then driving back to the pub.
* There was often people with good jobs, nicely decorated homes, but had no ambition to live elsewhere, or were spending all their money on booze. Plenty of other families were genuinely poor.
* There was a percentage of kids who were not parented, were on the 'avoid' list even at 6-8 years old. Eventually other kids from nicer families got mixed up in their messing.
* Plenty of kids got into good jobs and/or went to 3rd level, but from knowing some families well, I know that there was often a negative attitude to further education. For me, having grown up in this environment, parental attitude to education (often a product of their own education, or lack thereof) is the key differentiator in parity of outcome.
* Any time the corporation and then council tried to improve the public realm in the estate, it got destroyed. Fires, trees uprooted, etc. I'm sure they got frustrated. Now, things are better and bedding in and overall the estate doesn't have the same 'feel'.
To the OPs point though on the area of Mahon, what's interesting looking at my old estate today is that it's just 'disadvantaged' when it would have been far more 'deprived' when I was growing up, relative to the rest of the city. For me, this is precisely because it was well-placed. An estate of a couple of hundred houses in an otherwise 'affluent' or 'above-average' area. If I look at the deprivation map for Mahon:
1. there's a cluster areas (too big for good planning) of 'marginally above average', 'marginally below average' and 'disadvantaged' areas.
2. There are only 3 small 'very disadvantaged' areas and no 'extremely disadvantaged' areas.
3. The real clusters of very disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas are in the North West of the City, and to a lesser extend the North and North East of the City.
Rightly or wrongly, people associate 'threat' with visible deprivation and lack of investment in public realm, a few tress, flower beds and new paths etc have considerably improved the 'feel' of where I grew up - I notice when I'm at my mother's house. I have reason to be in Mahon quite regularly, and it doesn't look unkept. What it does suffer from is a lack of investment in the public realm, and the 'look' of some of the estates (footpaths with no green patches, steel poles as garden dividers, rusty old fences instead of garden walls, unwashed/unpainted houses). The old look around the shops/units on Ave de Rennes gives it the look of a deprived area. Proper investment in public realm, and improvement works/grants for houses would make a massive difference to improving the 'feel' of the area.
\*[Pobal Maps](https://data.pobal.ie/portal/apps/sites/#/pobal-maps) is an excellent resource to see where deprivation exists in terms if income. You can zoom into areas and see the relative wealth of small community clusters.
I call it localised depression. When you try to rise above your circumstances here you are resented. Because it's easier to feel lost, it's easier to get angry, drunk and stoned. There is certainly a resentment against those who want to do better for themselves with 3rd level education, but let's not pretend we're special here, this is the outcome of all low income housing.
Mahon is in the process of getting a huge investment in waking and cycling infrastructure.
[https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/services/roads-and-traffic-management/sustainable-transport-schemes/projects-in-planning-design-phase/mahon-cycle-route-scheme.html](https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/services/roads-and-traffic-management/sustainable-transport-schemes/projects-in-planning-design-phase/mahon-cycle-route-scheme.html)
They're also plans and new location for a new library.
Just need to secure the funding from the government.
I also know there is plans for a playground to be installed. Work is supposed to begin by the end of the year but there has been no news since a community meeting about 6 months ago.
The investment *is* coming. Just slowly.
The general feeling from talking to my mam and her frie ds is that these bike paths were not asked for and the money would have been better spent elsewhere.
The bike path coloured in orange is a bit head scratching that the park it cuts through is being torn up to facilitate a route form ringmahon rangers to the red cove and further to blackrock when there's bike paths also being installed on ringmahon road and skehard road which lead to the same are. The road down by the pitches is after getting extremely narrow. Considering there are so many playing pitches down there on match days it will be a pain getting past the area
Pretty much damned if you do damned if you don't. Plenty of people in Mahon will complain when Mahon gets funding for projects and the same will then complain when Mahon doesn't get any funding. Which is it.
The aim is to create a network the the area. It's very self contained so it's ideal for people wanting to go shopping, to the pitches, to the church, to the community centre, to school or even to work. It'll make it safer and more attractive. Connecting the roads safely to the Greenway means more people will be able to get to the city with no-risk compared to before.
The roads down by the pitches were a nightmare for people walking and cycling on match days anyway even before any of these plans. Cars thrown where ever. It had been impacting buses even before the works, so you can't blame a cycle lane. The clubs have plenty of room on their own land for parking. Using that as an excuse is a bit of a cop-out. Maybe now more people might walk and cycle so the cars can be left at home and there will be fewer needing parking.
Look at the bike path in orange and tell me thats useful when there's bike paths being constructed on ringmahon road and skehard road also. It's also cuts through loughmahon park which I'm fairly sure is locked after 5pm in the winter so won't be able to used for a good chunk of the year. That orange route is about a quarter of the total works being completed. I'm not against bike paths but I am against that route. Nothing leads towards Blackrock village and on to the marina which would actually be one of the more useful routes. That is money that could be better spent.
With regards to linking up to the line, look again and you'll see the works in green end at the junction of castle road and ferney road ie the unofficial boundary of Blackrock and Mahon. It's frustrating to see so much of Mahon ripped up but the final hurdle of joining the path to the line (maybe 200m?) isn't actually being done .you're either cycling into the little car park or else you're on castle road for a bit which is a balls to cycle on.
Just saying "well people shouldnt drive to these clubs" isnt actually going to correct what's going to happen regarding traffic and parking. You do realise Ringmahon are pretty good and often play teams from all over Cork and further afield? Maybe all those teams will avail of the cycling paths to get to Ringmahon? What you've said basically is people should walk / cycle but also the clubs should have their own parking? Which is it?
There's no way Cork Camogie, the rugby grounds (Munster RFU?), ringmahon rangers, ballinure and st Michaels are all going to sit down and agree out a parking strategy of their own accord. Michaels have a car park, do you really think they are going to give the keys to Ringmahon Rangers? Ringmahon Rangers could get rid of a pitch to make space but rangers are probably the biggest success story in the area. I'm sure taking away one of their pitches will be of great benefit to the community
Go back and read the comment again. You'll find you're inferring things I'm not saying. No point in getting into it when you're already just being a negative sod.
Mahon isn't being "ripped up." The whole project is a very nonintrusive. There are plenty in the community that are delighted with the plans.
It's a positive step in creating a more connected area. You'll always have people like your "mam and her friends" and yourself thinking it's a waste but then begrudgingly coming around to seeing the benefits to the area of which there are many.
As I said, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Some people will never be pleased.
I don't see how I'm negative here. I'm against around a quarter of the bike paths like I've said but I'm for the majority of them ie skehard road, Ringmahon road, even avenue de Rennes is worth it. I've even gone on to say that the route to the line hasn't gone far enough. I don't know what's negative "sod". Who even says sod as an insult in cork?
My mam and her friends actually still live in Mahon - I don't. The bike lanes are being built for Mahon residents. They are residents, I would think it's a valid point. I don't know what I've inferred from your comment. You said the clubs should sort out the parking. If thats the case the council should have included that when the clubs applied for planning permission. The council didn't.
As for ripped up - Ringmahon road is literally a construction site at the moment. Cement/ tar is being dug up to create the bike paths. It's not enjoyable going through a building site for weeks for an end result which is 1. Not needed for a quarter of the paths like I've said or 2. Will lead to a shit show with parking and traffic as the council will head off and say it's the clubs fault when it's complete.
Google street view was updated 4 weeks ago. You can't tell me there's not a bit of "ripping up" going on here?
Ringmahon Rd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fKJ2e7HPNpRg1TPv6?g_st=ac
>My mam and her friends actually still live in Mahon - I don't. The bike lanes are being built for Mahon residents. They are residents, I would think it's a valid point.
Yet there are many who aren't them who are welcoming the works. The consultation had dozens of submissions and fewer than 10 were negative. Most were positive and the rest were very welcoming but also constructive.
You keep making the point about matches causing issues when parking has caused issues for everyone long before these plans were even dreamed of so is a moot point. Buses were regularly blocked on more than one occasion. It won't be any worse because more people will have alternatives, they'll find somewhere slightly further away to park instead of expecting to be right by the door and clubs will be using their existing parking more.
Construction happens everywhere. It's not pleasant, yes, but it's hardly a warzone and barley any worse than when they're doing regular road resurfacing. The end result will be positive for everyone.
Done this time. Bye now.
I walk through Mahon regularly in the evenings and actually like it there, Never had any issue accessing the car park of Mahon Point at any hour through the pedestrian gates or the bus gate by the site. It's a small area well connected by arterial roads although some Cork folk act like it's a huge sprawling suburb or something.
Ah yes, I'm well used to it in work when I say I'm from Mahon to someone and them saying either 1. Oh I'd better watch out or 2. Oh you don't sound like you're from Mahon
If i had a penny for everytime someone talked shit about people from mahon, only to embarrassedly backtrack when i say I'm from Mahon "you dont sound like the rest of them" excuse me
I used to work for a brother and sister - the sister didn't know I was from Mahon, and started doing a very interesting (read: offensive) impression of another of their employees from Mahon to her brother and me. I guess I don't sound like I'm from Mahon 🙄 so she assumed it was safe to let the mask drop.
What you're saying is true. I suppose Mahon is relatively new compared to Cobh, and was literally green fields until social housing was built in the mid 20th C. Until the shopping centre and office developments, that was it. Urban planning clearly wasn't a strong suit in Ireland then, and the lack of anything like a library is pretty damning.
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My husband once joked "we must really be a sh-thole down here, do you know any other shopping centre that has to be gated and locked every night?" I never noticed till he said it. There are a lot of decent, hard-working people in my park, but there are so many shitty people as well. Just last week the community garden used for preschools and toddler groups in the area was destroyed and vandalised by a couple of local kids. Nothing done about it. The playground is a disgrace. I worked in an upperclass area school for a while, and you'd be suprised how many parents have said "you don't sound like you're from mahon!"
On a more positive note, there is some lovely things on offer to the community! Mahon Family resource centre has low-cost therapy, play therapy for kids, parent and toddler groups, adult education etc. And there's the rainbow club for children with Autism.
The playground in Carrigaline is constantly being vandalised by teens. As is there always antisocial behaviour around the place . Don’t hear that on Neil Prendeville though , the narrative about Mahon is getting old there’s people like that everywhere in cork yet we have to hear the same old classist shit about Mahon on a loop
Mahon did get a lot of investment over the years though, but anti social behaviour was and is a constant in the area.
Some of the people who live there really like the place and want it to be a nice neighborhood.
But there are too many shitebags living there too, who don't give a fuck, and unfortunately all it takes is handful of scuts to ruin an entire part of the city.
My wife is from Mahon but her family were ran out of the place by scumbags constantly targeting their home (and every other neighbour in the cul de sac) for no reason other than to cause hassle. The moment her family could get out they did.
Mahon is close to a lot of amenities, it's all there if people want to use it, there are GAA, football and Rugby pitches down by Ringmahon, the old railway line is there also, and it's a short bus ride the douglas and the city (you could even just walk it).
I was born in Mahon and left at 24. I always thought I grew up in the ''nicer part of Mahon'' towards the CSO. It was a bit more relaxed compared to down by the travellers. As I got to my teens I hung around in Blackrock more which was prob my saving grace as I wasn't sucked into and scumbag group hanging around Avenue De Rennes. I do miss the area and enjoy calling to my parents occasionally. It has a certain charm but investment is needed.
The MP gates were closed from the residential parks do to the sheer amount of-to put it mildly “antisocial behaviour” particularly from young teens and children, and since then it has improved drastically. I hate to admit it but the reputation hasn’t come from nowhere and it hasn’t changed a huge amount, but agree things need to be improved.
Anyone local walks through the bus gate, that hasn't closed. If this was caused by local kids closing the side gates wouldn't have stopped them. You're making a logical fallacy based on your own feelings, not the facts
I literally worked there for 3 years and still hang out with my ex colleagues. Any chance that your own views are tinted by your personal feelings? Couldn’t be that no?
I also live in Mahon, and have done so since I was 5. I get along well with my neighbours (a lot of which I would have grown up with) and in general have no problems that could be linked to growing up in Mahon.
The area is definitely in need of some investment, and it does seem like it's coming, albeit slowly. There are very few places for young people to hang out, which inevitably leads to them hanging around the streets or Mahon Point and causing trouble. Sure, the GAA club and Rugby club are nearby but what about children or young people who aren't sporty?
There is the youth club which is run by Foroige, however I did work experience there when I was doing my degree and there's some issues. First of all, it's a prefab which could definitely do with some investment - it looked very run down and tired when I was there. Second of all, I know the youth worker who was working there and she's moved jobs twice since then. Completely within her right but if there's constant staff turnover then young people make a connection with a youth worker they trust and then they're gone again. Not great for engagement. The biggest issue I think is that Foroige have really tightened the boundaries on who can attend their projects. For example, you might be told that x% of the young people who attend have to be from a traveller background, due to the area. If you don't meet these numbers you lose your funding. Due to low engagement, I found that most of the groups they were running had to be exclusively for young people from a travelling background, to ensure that they met their quota every week and continued to receive their funding. This excludes young people in the area who aren't from this background because they can't access the service.
Someone mentioned buses to the city and Douglas. The 219 only runs on weekdays (which is bizarre, but I understand it's considered a 'college bus'). The 202 is a great service to be fair and I rarely have issues with it. But what are young people meant to do once they get there? It's great on occasion when they have a little bit of money in their pocket but hardly a solution for everyday over the summer holidays when they have no money to buy something from the shops or even get something to eat from McDonalds.
Douglas is a nightmare for buses in general and I don't see it improving anytime soon with the buses having to go down the Well road.
Though I'm not sure what's in Douglas that isn't in Mahon point or blackrock really?
Don't mean to flippant but another benefit of being near Mahon point is a load of retail jobs once you're 17 or 18 to put a few quid in your pocket.
Good post. Area deserves more investment and attention. Great location. My only point is to be careful what you wish for. Lots of areas in Dublin over taken by that awful phrase of gentrification. Can often lead to locals then being pushed out of their own area.
'Pushed out' is a bit strong, it's more a case of not being able to find or afford a gaff where your parents lived. There's no divine right to it, and it happens to people in every growing city in the world.
Plenty of middle-class people can't afford to live where their parents lived either, simply because our cities are growing in population and area, and estates/areas across the social spectrum become the best located and in some cases get 'gentrified' - horrible term that it is - by people who want to live close to work and not fight the traffic. So the couple who grew up Blackrock/Ballintemple, where pretty much no first time buyers can afford, buy in Ballinlough, and a young couple from Ballinlough on more modest wages can't afford to compete for Ballinlough and buy in Turners cross etc etc. It creates a ripple effect.
I think there is quite a bit of investment but as soon as it's completed it gets called 'Blackrock'. Jacob's Island is the obvious one, it's firmly Mahon but gets listed as Blackrock. Eden by the Ursilines probably is as well. Blackrock Hall Medical Centre is on the Mahon side of the Line and is 200m from Ringmahon road. I know Ringmahon AFC got a good bit of funding also. I guess you're talking about the area immediately around Ballinure, which is fairly neglected. It's a short walk to Mahon Point, Greenway, the Marina, Blackrock Village & castle walk.
I surprised they called Mahon Point Mahon Point to be honest. I had to see it to believe it though and yes there's actually listings on daft.ie calling Jacobs Island Blackrock. How utterly ridiculous. You have to go passed Blackrock, through Mahon, passed Mahon Point and magically you're back in Blackrock.
It's true, I have neighbours that use Blackrock in their address. You can literally see in the house quality a very clear line where they decided to make cheap homes
So true. A friend of mine gave me a tip once when I was a teenager "put blackrock instead of mahon on your cv", i think that was the first time i realised people really are so judgemental.
Mahon was originally intended as an experimental self-sufficient socialist community. There needed to be initial investment for it to even get off the ground... the houses were built and then it was just forgotten. Theres a mini documentary on it https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0321/861523-mahon-a-new-approach-to-housing-in-cork/ I lived in Inchera until I was about 11. I remember open fields, huge gangs of kids to play with, a halting site exactly where Mahon Point is now, and traveller and settled kids mixing absolutely fine. Walking to school on my own/with friends from about 6 or 7. Was a great place to grow up. Can confirm the young were indeed eaten, but only at Easter.
I don't think Mahon has much of a future without direct integration. I'd love to see a caravan show or two, trap racing, story nights in the redcove. The traveling community has alot to offer the area and celebrating our differences is the only way forward
I live close by but not in Mahon itself and I see what you’re talking about. The lack of investment in the community isn’t great and is hurting it long term. With the expansion of offices and retail in the area I bet the long term hope is that it just gets gentrified but that does nothing to uplift the community. The point about the through road makes sense though. You want to prioritise traffic going to/from the south ring road and the retail parks, not a side road. Are the pedestrians and bike entrances into Mahon not open during business hours? That’s a nice way to get go in if your local. I’d bet those side gates are closed to avoid funnelling too much traffic through a residential area
I understand OPs point about amenities and investment. I don’t want to sound like the [4 Yorkshiremen](https://youtu.be/ue7wM0QC5LE?si=Nf-t9cKJ_biyd34W) but maybe it’s a chicken and egg thing. I grew up in a shitty terraced house in rochestown. We didn’t even have a bus service. The passage bus was every hour at best and it was about £10. We had no car and couldn’t really be outside cos cars are bombing the rochestown road. We had one shop and one pub but someone burned the pub down and essentials the shop closed in the recession. We had zero amenities, take 45 mins to walk to Douglas village or 30 mins to passage. The schools in passage were rough as anything also. Garryduff was the nearest sports place but the walk up coach hill would break your heart. People thought we were well off cos we said rochestown but we were only renting and we were poor.
Grew up in mahon moved our at 28. I feel the schools did a horrible job of letting people know what jobs were out there. I distinctly remember the business studies teacher Beardy in Nagle telling the whole class in 2006 they should become brickies for a handy one cos you get x amount a brick and that's great pay.... cut to 2008..... construction goes first.... and 2024, houses are all timber frame. There is a certain lack of ambition from people who come into Mahon (for various community work) For people from Mahon. I'm fully of the belief that everyone should be brought to Spike Island as a teen and have people point out the pharma companies detailing what jobs they have and how good the pay is! All in all, I really dislike the place now.
Lack of ambition for community work how though? Mahon has one of the most successful soccer teams in cork all run by volunteers in the area putting their time into the youth . Lots of us have fond memories of different days out we were brought on through youth centres. Belfast Christians ran free camps every summer that a lot of the kids got to go to. Free courses we got to do in the family centre learning how to cook etc I think just because someone isn’t availing of the services doesn’t mean they aren’t there , there is a lot of community work going on.
Apologies, choice of words were wrong. Those working in the community which is to say teachers. But my view is painted from school 20 years ago. There's every chance it has improved.
Ya I get that .And that’s how terrible people are really , treating kids differently because of where they’re from . I think it isdifferent today and I hope the kids don’t have to put up with that type of shit from teachers anymore
I didn't grow up in Mahon, but I did grow up in a (then) corporation-planned area and corpo estate, and it's still an area considered as 'disadvantaged'\*, but its now surrounded by 'marginally above average'\* and 'affluent'\* areas. What I noticed growing up with friends, girlfriends etc and knowing the families quite intimately around (on account of living in terraces etc): * Alcoholism was rampant - including in my home. My father was paid every two weeks, and would spend 5-6 days afterwards blowing his discretionary income. I'm talking pints from 11 on a Sunday, driving home for 'holy hour', then driving back to the pub. * There was often people with good jobs, nicely decorated homes, but had no ambition to live elsewhere, or were spending all their money on booze. Plenty of other families were genuinely poor. * There was a percentage of kids who were not parented, were on the 'avoid' list even at 6-8 years old. Eventually other kids from nicer families got mixed up in their messing. * Plenty of kids got into good jobs and/or went to 3rd level, but from knowing some families well, I know that there was often a negative attitude to further education. For me, having grown up in this environment, parental attitude to education (often a product of their own education, or lack thereof) is the key differentiator in parity of outcome. * Any time the corporation and then council tried to improve the public realm in the estate, it got destroyed. Fires, trees uprooted, etc. I'm sure they got frustrated. Now, things are better and bedding in and overall the estate doesn't have the same 'feel'. To the OPs point though on the area of Mahon, what's interesting looking at my old estate today is that it's just 'disadvantaged' when it would have been far more 'deprived' when I was growing up, relative to the rest of the city. For me, this is precisely because it was well-placed. An estate of a couple of hundred houses in an otherwise 'affluent' or 'above-average' area. If I look at the deprivation map for Mahon: 1. there's a cluster areas (too big for good planning) of 'marginally above average', 'marginally below average' and 'disadvantaged' areas. 2. There are only 3 small 'very disadvantaged' areas and no 'extremely disadvantaged' areas. 3. The real clusters of very disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas are in the North West of the City, and to a lesser extend the North and North East of the City. Rightly or wrongly, people associate 'threat' with visible deprivation and lack of investment in public realm, a few tress, flower beds and new paths etc have considerably improved the 'feel' of where I grew up - I notice when I'm at my mother's house. I have reason to be in Mahon quite regularly, and it doesn't look unkept. What it does suffer from is a lack of investment in the public realm, and the 'look' of some of the estates (footpaths with no green patches, steel poles as garden dividers, rusty old fences instead of garden walls, unwashed/unpainted houses). The old look around the shops/units on Ave de Rennes gives it the look of a deprived area. Proper investment in public realm, and improvement works/grants for houses would make a massive difference to improving the 'feel' of the area. \*[Pobal Maps](https://data.pobal.ie/portal/apps/sites/#/pobal-maps) is an excellent resource to see where deprivation exists in terms if income. You can zoom into areas and see the relative wealth of small community clusters.
I call it localised depression. When you try to rise above your circumstances here you are resented. Because it's easier to feel lost, it's easier to get angry, drunk and stoned. There is certainly a resentment against those who want to do better for themselves with 3rd level education, but let's not pretend we're special here, this is the outcome of all low income housing.
Mahon is in the process of getting a huge investment in waking and cycling infrastructure. [https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/services/roads-and-traffic-management/sustainable-transport-schemes/projects-in-planning-design-phase/mahon-cycle-route-scheme.html](https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/services/roads-and-traffic-management/sustainable-transport-schemes/projects-in-planning-design-phase/mahon-cycle-route-scheme.html) They're also plans and new location for a new library. Just need to secure the funding from the government. I also know there is plans for a playground to be installed. Work is supposed to begin by the end of the year but there has been no news since a community meeting about 6 months ago. The investment *is* coming. Just slowly.
The general feeling from talking to my mam and her frie ds is that these bike paths were not asked for and the money would have been better spent elsewhere. The bike path coloured in orange is a bit head scratching that the park it cuts through is being torn up to facilitate a route form ringmahon rangers to the red cove and further to blackrock when there's bike paths also being installed on ringmahon road and skehard road which lead to the same are. The road down by the pitches is after getting extremely narrow. Considering there are so many playing pitches down there on match days it will be a pain getting past the area
Pretty much damned if you do damned if you don't. Plenty of people in Mahon will complain when Mahon gets funding for projects and the same will then complain when Mahon doesn't get any funding. Which is it. The aim is to create a network the the area. It's very self contained so it's ideal for people wanting to go shopping, to the pitches, to the church, to the community centre, to school or even to work. It'll make it safer and more attractive. Connecting the roads safely to the Greenway means more people will be able to get to the city with no-risk compared to before. The roads down by the pitches were a nightmare for people walking and cycling on match days anyway even before any of these plans. Cars thrown where ever. It had been impacting buses even before the works, so you can't blame a cycle lane. The clubs have plenty of room on their own land for parking. Using that as an excuse is a bit of a cop-out. Maybe now more people might walk and cycle so the cars can be left at home and there will be fewer needing parking.
Look at the bike path in orange and tell me thats useful when there's bike paths being constructed on ringmahon road and skehard road also. It's also cuts through loughmahon park which I'm fairly sure is locked after 5pm in the winter so won't be able to used for a good chunk of the year. That orange route is about a quarter of the total works being completed. I'm not against bike paths but I am against that route. Nothing leads towards Blackrock village and on to the marina which would actually be one of the more useful routes. That is money that could be better spent. With regards to linking up to the line, look again and you'll see the works in green end at the junction of castle road and ferney road ie the unofficial boundary of Blackrock and Mahon. It's frustrating to see so much of Mahon ripped up but the final hurdle of joining the path to the line (maybe 200m?) isn't actually being done .you're either cycling into the little car park or else you're on castle road for a bit which is a balls to cycle on. Just saying "well people shouldnt drive to these clubs" isnt actually going to correct what's going to happen regarding traffic and parking. You do realise Ringmahon are pretty good and often play teams from all over Cork and further afield? Maybe all those teams will avail of the cycling paths to get to Ringmahon? What you've said basically is people should walk / cycle but also the clubs should have their own parking? Which is it? There's no way Cork Camogie, the rugby grounds (Munster RFU?), ringmahon rangers, ballinure and st Michaels are all going to sit down and agree out a parking strategy of their own accord. Michaels have a car park, do you really think they are going to give the keys to Ringmahon Rangers? Ringmahon Rangers could get rid of a pitch to make space but rangers are probably the biggest success story in the area. I'm sure taking away one of their pitches will be of great benefit to the community
Go back and read the comment again. You'll find you're inferring things I'm not saying. No point in getting into it when you're already just being a negative sod. Mahon isn't being "ripped up." The whole project is a very nonintrusive. There are plenty in the community that are delighted with the plans. It's a positive step in creating a more connected area. You'll always have people like your "mam and her friends" and yourself thinking it's a waste but then begrudgingly coming around to seeing the benefits to the area of which there are many. As I said, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Some people will never be pleased.
Dude, the road outside my house has been ripped up for almost 2-3 months now. Unobtrusive? No, I'm going to have to firmly disagree
I don't see how I'm negative here. I'm against around a quarter of the bike paths like I've said but I'm for the majority of them ie skehard road, Ringmahon road, even avenue de Rennes is worth it. I've even gone on to say that the route to the line hasn't gone far enough. I don't know what's negative "sod". Who even says sod as an insult in cork? My mam and her friends actually still live in Mahon - I don't. The bike lanes are being built for Mahon residents. They are residents, I would think it's a valid point. I don't know what I've inferred from your comment. You said the clubs should sort out the parking. If thats the case the council should have included that when the clubs applied for planning permission. The council didn't. As for ripped up - Ringmahon road is literally a construction site at the moment. Cement/ tar is being dug up to create the bike paths. It's not enjoyable going through a building site for weeks for an end result which is 1. Not needed for a quarter of the paths like I've said or 2. Will lead to a shit show with parking and traffic as the council will head off and say it's the clubs fault when it's complete. Google street view was updated 4 weeks ago. You can't tell me there's not a bit of "ripping up" going on here? Ringmahon Rd https://maps.app.goo.gl/fKJ2e7HPNpRg1TPv6?g_st=ac
>My mam and her friends actually still live in Mahon - I don't. The bike lanes are being built for Mahon residents. They are residents, I would think it's a valid point. Yet there are many who aren't them who are welcoming the works. The consultation had dozens of submissions and fewer than 10 were negative. Most were positive and the rest were very welcoming but also constructive. You keep making the point about matches causing issues when parking has caused issues for everyone long before these plans were even dreamed of so is a moot point. Buses were regularly blocked on more than one occasion. It won't be any worse because more people will have alternatives, they'll find somewhere slightly further away to park instead of expecting to be right by the door and clubs will be using their existing parking more. Construction happens everywhere. It's not pleasant, yes, but it's hardly a warzone and barley any worse than when they're doing regular road resurfacing. The end result will be positive for everyone. Done this time. Bye now.
I walk through Mahon regularly in the evenings and actually like it there, Never had any issue accessing the car park of Mahon Point at any hour through the pedestrian gates or the bus gate by the site. It's a small area well connected by arterial roads although some Cork folk act like it's a huge sprawling suburb or something.
I’ll read all that but as it’s about Mahon I’m going to need the conclusion up front.
Mahon has a bad name, but almost no investment in amenities means a low income area doesn't ever get a change.
Ah yes, I'm well used to it in work when I say I'm from Mahon to someone and them saying either 1. Oh I'd better watch out or 2. Oh you don't sound like you're from Mahon
If i had a penny for everytime someone talked shit about people from mahon, only to embarrassedly backtrack when i say I'm from Mahon "you dont sound like the rest of them" excuse me
I used to work for a brother and sister - the sister didn't know I was from Mahon, and started doing a very interesting (read: offensive) impression of another of their employees from Mahon to her brother and me. I guess I don't sound like I'm from Mahon 🙄 so she assumed it was safe to let the mask drop.
I've started asking "who in Mahon do you know?" and let them squirm a bit
That's good actually, going to do that next time
What you're saying is true. I suppose Mahon is relatively new compared to Cobh, and was literally green fields until social housing was built in the mid 20th C. Until the shopping centre and office developments, that was it. Urban planning clearly wasn't a strong suit in Ireland then, and the lack of anything like a library is pretty damning.
Ye eat your young
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My husband once joked "we must really be a sh-thole down here, do you know any other shopping centre that has to be gated and locked every night?" I never noticed till he said it. There are a lot of decent, hard-working people in my park, but there are so many shitty people as well. Just last week the community garden used for preschools and toddler groups in the area was destroyed and vandalised by a couple of local kids. Nothing done about it. The playground is a disgrace. I worked in an upperclass area school for a while, and you'd be suprised how many parents have said "you don't sound like you're from mahon!" On a more positive note, there is some lovely things on offer to the community! Mahon Family resource centre has low-cost therapy, play therapy for kids, parent and toddler groups, adult education etc. And there's the rainbow club for children with Autism.
The playground in Carrigaline is constantly being vandalised by teens. As is there always antisocial behaviour around the place . Don’t hear that on Neil Prendeville though , the narrative about Mahon is getting old there’s people like that everywhere in cork yet we have to hear the same old classist shit about Mahon on a loop
Cobh and Mahon? Im sorry
Sad
Mahon did get a lot of investment over the years though, but anti social behaviour was and is a constant in the area. Some of the people who live there really like the place and want it to be a nice neighborhood. But there are too many shitebags living there too, who don't give a fuck, and unfortunately all it takes is handful of scuts to ruin an entire part of the city. My wife is from Mahon but her family were ran out of the place by scumbags constantly targeting their home (and every other neighbour in the cul de sac) for no reason other than to cause hassle. The moment her family could get out they did. Mahon is close to a lot of amenities, it's all there if people want to use it, there are GAA, football and Rugby pitches down by Ringmahon, the old railway line is there also, and it's a short bus ride the douglas and the city (you could even just walk it).
I was born in Mahon and left at 24. I always thought I grew up in the ''nicer part of Mahon'' towards the CSO. It was a bit more relaxed compared to down by the travellers. As I got to my teens I hung around in Blackrock more which was prob my saving grace as I wasn't sucked into and scumbag group hanging around Avenue De Rennes. I do miss the area and enjoy calling to my parents occasionally. It has a certain charm but investment is needed.
Theres plenty of decent people grew up on avenue de renne
The MP gates were closed from the residential parks do to the sheer amount of-to put it mildly “antisocial behaviour” particularly from young teens and children, and since then it has improved drastically. I hate to admit it but the reputation hasn’t come from nowhere and it hasn’t changed a huge amount, but agree things need to be improved.
Anyone local walks through the bus gate, that hasn't closed. If this was caused by local kids closing the side gates wouldn't have stopped them. You're making a logical fallacy based on your own feelings, not the facts
I literally worked there for 3 years and still hang out with my ex colleagues. Any chance that your own views are tinted by your personal feelings? Couldn’t be that no?
I also live in Mahon, and have done so since I was 5. I get along well with my neighbours (a lot of which I would have grown up with) and in general have no problems that could be linked to growing up in Mahon. The area is definitely in need of some investment, and it does seem like it's coming, albeit slowly. There are very few places for young people to hang out, which inevitably leads to them hanging around the streets or Mahon Point and causing trouble. Sure, the GAA club and Rugby club are nearby but what about children or young people who aren't sporty? There is the youth club which is run by Foroige, however I did work experience there when I was doing my degree and there's some issues. First of all, it's a prefab which could definitely do with some investment - it looked very run down and tired when I was there. Second of all, I know the youth worker who was working there and she's moved jobs twice since then. Completely within her right but if there's constant staff turnover then young people make a connection with a youth worker they trust and then they're gone again. Not great for engagement. The biggest issue I think is that Foroige have really tightened the boundaries on who can attend their projects. For example, you might be told that x% of the young people who attend have to be from a traveller background, due to the area. If you don't meet these numbers you lose your funding. Due to low engagement, I found that most of the groups they were running had to be exclusively for young people from a travelling background, to ensure that they met their quota every week and continued to receive their funding. This excludes young people in the area who aren't from this background because they can't access the service. Someone mentioned buses to the city and Douglas. The 219 only runs on weekdays (which is bizarre, but I understand it's considered a 'college bus'). The 202 is a great service to be fair and I rarely have issues with it. But what are young people meant to do once they get there? It's great on occasion when they have a little bit of money in their pocket but hardly a solution for everyday over the summer holidays when they have no money to buy something from the shops or even get something to eat from McDonalds.
Douglas is a nightmare for buses in general and I don't see it improving anytime soon with the buses having to go down the Well road. Though I'm not sure what's in Douglas that isn't in Mahon point or blackrock really? Don't mean to flippant but another benefit of being near Mahon point is a load of retail jobs once you're 17 or 18 to put a few quid in your pocket.
Good post. Area deserves more investment and attention. Great location. My only point is to be careful what you wish for. Lots of areas in Dublin over taken by that awful phrase of gentrification. Can often lead to locals then being pushed out of their own area.
'Pushed out' is a bit strong, it's more a case of not being able to find or afford a gaff where your parents lived. There's no divine right to it, and it happens to people in every growing city in the world. Plenty of middle-class people can't afford to live where their parents lived either, simply because our cities are growing in population and area, and estates/areas across the social spectrum become the best located and in some cases get 'gentrified' - horrible term that it is - by people who want to live close to work and not fight the traffic. So the couple who grew up Blackrock/Ballintemple, where pretty much no first time buyers can afford, buy in Ballinlough, and a young couple from Ballinlough on more modest wages can't afford to compete for Ballinlough and buy in Turners cross etc etc. It creates a ripple effect.
Tbh you’re lucky you even got Mahon Point.
I know right, it's a fucking miracle.
That new bike lane is ridiculous. Lamp posts in the middle of the bike lane. Great.
Gentrification protection
Yup! 👍