Thomil's Random Ramblings

I’ve always been a city boy at heart. There’s just something about the ability to get everything you need within a relatively short walk or cycle that’s intensely appealing to me. You’re usually very close to major transport interchanges, and between that, and the fact that most city centres have ample parks and public spaces, meeting up with friends, even outside of a pub, bar, or café, is usually pretty easy. And then, there’s Ireland. For all of this country’s inescapable natural beauty, urban space here in Ireland is almost comically impoverished. Whilst this might be partially understandable, given the fact that the country has, for most of its history, been both impoverished, agricultural, and occupied by a hostile power, the sheer level of apathy directed towards anything even remotely urban is still staggering. All of this is in spite of the fact that a functioning urban realm, with plenty of third places within easy reach of locals and visitors alike, is vital to the proper fu...