From: geraghj@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (John Geraghty)
Subject: Re: student exchange with Ireland/Univ of Limerick
Reply-To: geraghj@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (John Geraghty)
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 19:43:20 GMT

In article <1992Apr6.123858.8262@swift.cs.tcd.ie> mbrennan@swift.cs.tcd.ie  
(Micheal O'Braonain) writes:

> [Stuff about quality of education/degrees at Univ of Limerick deleted.  
>  All of it isounds quite accurate]  but ...
> 
> > and there is always lots of cheap accommodation  
> > surrounding the college in nearby housing estates which is practically  
> >all rented out to students every year. For example for me last year I 
> >was.........
  
> Gasp splutter, but is this the same University of Limerick that used be 
> NIHEL where I spent 4 years??  Unless Limerick has undergone a  
metamorphosis........

It has, where have you been?.......Mars!!!??!!
The recent amalgamation of Thomond College and UL means that UL now has
the best sports facilities in Ireland. Also extensions have been built
namely the Schueman building and the Foundation Building. Which have cost
approx. 35 million pounds. Plassey village has been renovated and extended
and came accommodate approx 500 students.
 
>I think you will still find the estates of 
> Milford Grange, Elm Park etc with an undersupply of grotty houses, which
> are overfilled with ripped off students, and a local populace whose  
>contempt for students is just about contained by the opportunities to rip  
>them off.

Firstly when you are a student what the hell do you expect....A mansion
...I don't know what yuppie Trinity boys are used to but for the vast 
population of students around Ireland the above description sounds about
perfect...anyway for 12 quid a week what do expect........

Secondly all foreign exchange students who come to UL are placed in 
Plassey village .....so they do not have to suffer Elm park. Also there
was a new housing estate built called College Court which is now mostly 
student accommodation. Approx. 1000 students live there during the school
year. In fact very few UL students are now forced to suffer ELM PARK.

> why are hundreds of students commuting from the further 
> reaches of the city?  Why also are so many forced to live in digs, when  
>they are quite capable and desirous of independent living?

 Things have changed...There are very few students commuting. Of those 
 that do, they are mostly people who live in Limerick or Ennis and
 the other surrounding towns with their parents. They are dead right too
 why should they pay for accommodation when the bus fare is cheaper. As  
 for the students who live in digs....if you took a good look around you
 would see that these people are mostly freshers who haven't a clue or
 are total mama's boys who couldn't even wipe their own arse to be honest
 
> > in Ireland you don't need any transport because the national system of  
> > transport is very good and to students there is up to half price  
travel.
> Kieran, I think that you have been exposed to too much American fresh  
air :-)
> Thankfully the bus situation has improved considerably over the last 5  
years.
> Ah for the days when the last bus left town at 10pm, didn't serve the 
> campus, and didn't take account of minor events like end-of-term!
> 
  Well you should get your facts straight before you make a comment like
 this. A bus comes onto campus every 20 minutes. There is also a new Taxi
 service which for four people coming from or going to the city center 
 works out cheaper than the bus.

> Neither has the castletroy area adapted to serve the needs of the 5,000
> or so people that it has drawn to their area.  I mean 1 pub !!!  

Well once again things have changed....There's the on-campus pub the
Stables which is very handy indeed, The Hurlers just above Elm Park,
and the new Castletroy Park Hotel just outside the entrance to UL.
 Also the ENTS crew is very active lately....Two or more live bands a
week in the stables...Gigs organized in town every week with free buses
to take us in and out.....the best Rag Week in any College in Ireland..
and Limerick has some of the best pubs in the world. 

Also you made references to Limerick's crime rate...but what about 
Dublin's....It is not so well known fact that Dublin actually out does
Limerick every year in this aspect of life at least....The media have
however decided (or maybe the politicians decided it for them) to hack
on Limerick instead. Contrary to popular belief we're not all a pack of
"Knackers" in Limerick.