WHAT I LIKE ABOUT DOUGLAS
16th March, 2000

A few weeks ago, we in the ‘Douglas Weekly, came up with an idea which we thought would be good because it would involve our young people in St. Columba’s girls and boys school. We rang school principal Michelle Cashman and asked her if her students would write a composition on “Why I like living in Douglas”. Michelle liked the idea and today we continue to publish another four entries. At the end of the competition we will get a judge to pick three winners, who will receive a prize from Douglas Books. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did ...

What I Like About Douglas By: Louise Devey

I've lived in Douglas for most of my life and am really glad I grew up in such a beautiful suburb. The scenery is lovely and the facilities are amazing.
Although Douglas is a village and people think villages are always very small, Douglas is very large. We have something for everyone here. First of all there's the colourful newly built Douglas Park, that has a number of slides, monkey bar and other fabulous fun things to keep children entertained and safe for hours. The park also has fresh green grass and cool shady trees which blossom in spring and look very pretty through out the year. Further into Douglas we have the heart of the village and many shops, for instance the lively shopping centres filled with the latest fashions in shoes and clothing. There are a number of nice quiet restaurants and bars also some fast food places and chippers such as Dino's and McDonalds for the children and Bully's for the nicest pizza around. The cinema is one of the main hotspots for most lively teenagers.
We are very sport orientated with facilities for nearly all sports, the newly built G.A.A. hall allows for sport to be played in all weathers and the two huge pitches are great for summer. Camoige, hurling, football and soccer are regularly played. There is also a local swimming pool, golf club and tennis club.
The Rochestown Park and Maryborough Hotels are plush but family friendly, they also have swimming pools and beautiful grounds. We even have a Library which is a great place to do homework and has all the best books. St. Columba's Church was recently renovated and is a lovely place to visit as well.
My school St.Columba's Girls National School has lots of spacious grounds and is a lovely break from busy Douglas, with the use of all G.A.A. facilities and its own lovely bog garden. The school has a lovely peaceful but bright feeling about it, and all 652 girls love being in the school.
The Douglas suburb is a fast growing suburb and is very close to the city but it also has easy access to most places which is another bonus. I'm sure nearly all Douglas residents are proud to live in one of the best Cork City suburbs Douglas!

What I Like About Douglas By: Lynda Clinton

I was born in Dublin, but have lived in Douglas for five years. Since I moved here, everyone has been really nice to me, especially at my school, St Columba's Girls.
I'm happy that I live in Douglas because there's something for everyone. I mean for small kids and toddlers, there is a Community Park, which has recently been done up. It's nice because there are two slides, monkey bars and a thing like a rope net in the middle that you can climb on. For kids aged about eight to twelve, there's the cinema, Douglas Court, Douglas Shopping Centre and McDonalds, where you would probably be allowed go with your friends.
For teenagers there are a lot of shops and really good films in the cinema and town is only five minutes away by bus and during the summer some might like to hang around in the park with their friends. While the kids are doing all this lot, the adults might like to go out to a restaurant, such as Leonardo's, Bully's or Ecos. Maybe you would like to go for a romantic meal out in the Rochestown Park Hotel or the Maryborough House Hotel. For a quiet drink afterwards you might like to go to a bar such as the South County, John O'Sullivan's, Barry's, Driscolls or maybe the G.A.A. You could get a video from M & M, Chartbusters or Xtra-Vision.
The G.A.A. also has a sports hall and a dance hall, two pitches and they serve pub food. There are a few schools, the main ones being St Luke's, Eglantine, Regina Mundi, Christ The King, Douglas Community School and of course my school St Columba's G.N.S. My school is a nice peaceful school and is joined with the school for the Deaf. We have use of the G.A.A pitches and we play sports and a few weeks ago, we planted 3,000 daffodils, each pupil planted three bulbs, one for our families of the past, one for our family now and one for our families of the future.
Douglas is pretty much an all round nice place and I am very proud to say I live here.

What I Like About Douglas By: Megan Moynihan

I have lived in Douglas for about seven years and I think that I'm really lucky because Douglas is such a beautiful place. Even though Douglas is a village it is very big and has loads of amenities and facilities such as hotels, shops, restaurants, churches and a library. There's lots of things to do and it doesn't matter what age you are, young or old there's something in Douglas to suit all tastes. Douglas is a beautiful village and there's loads of flowers and trees everywhere. There's also a park that has been done up recently and lots of people go there to relax and unwind.
Douglas is a great place for sports. My school is St. Columba's and we are very lucky because there is a G.A.A. pitch and a G.A.A. hall really near our school, which we are able to avail of for our P.E classes.
We have planted 3,000 daffodils and some oak trees on our school grounds and in spring when they bloom it will be a fabulous sight. Our school is a very bright building and has spacious grounds, we also have a bog garden with a pond which it looks beautiful in the summer.
Douglas has a very good name and it is constantly growing. It is very near the City but at the same time it is very easy to get out of the City because it is very close to link roads. It only takes about five minutes to get from Douglas to Town. I'm very proud to live in Douglas. There are lots of people who just come out to Douglas to visit a relative or to shop and they often want to stay!

Douglas is a beautiful place and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

What I Like About Douglas By:Lorna Barry

I have lived in Douglas all my life and I have to admit I'm very proud to live here. It is such a beautiful place and a great village.
Our village has lots of facilities for everyone and I mean everyone, for small children there is a spectacular play park, that has been done up very recently, but it is also for adults, because there is a relaxing walk in the park, and while their children are playing in the park they can go on that walk. For people of all ages there are posh hotels, sweet shops, chemists, clothes shops and C.D shops. There is also a cinema in Douglas and on a rainy day a lot of people would go to the cinema. There are many beautiful bars and restaurants in Douglas so every time you want to go out you wouldn't have to go into town all the time. St. Columba's Church in Douglas has recently just been done up and it looks fantastic. The library in Tesco shopping centre is another attraction for all ages.
Douglas is also a very popular place for sports, because we have the swimming pool, G.A.A. hall and the two pitches. For adults there is the Douglas Golf Club and the Douglas Tennis Courts. There is also a lovely leisure centre in the Rochestown Park Hotel. St Columba's Girls National School is a beautiful school and it also has facilities for the Deaf. It has very spacious grounds and on one of the hills in spring 3,000 daffodils are going to come up. We also have a colourful bog garden in the centre of the school. It is a very bright building and there is 652 pupils in the school.
Douglas is not too far from the City, which is another bonus. I am very proud to say I live in douglas and I would be very upset if I had to move away from Douglas.