Northsiders gone on Pokémon Go

THE Pokémon Go app has taken the world by storm with over 30 million downloads, thousands of media headlines and plenty of excited fans.

But how is it faring on the Northside?

The game officially came to Ireland on Saturday July 16 and has been warmly received  – especially by teenagers and young adults. 

Players aim to ‘catch ‘em all’ just like in the TV series and previous Pokémon games. For those who don’t know, players – called trainers – collect pokeballs from pokestops to capture the Pokémon, which pop up on your smartphone screen as you walk around.

You can also visit virtual gyms to battle other trainers or to practise. 

The game favours cities and tourist attractions and many of the pokestops in north Dublin are based in areas like pubs, churches and statues.

Players are seeing familar surroundings through a new filter – Home Farm Football Club? That’s a Pokestop. The Viscount Lounge? Also a Pokestop. Omni Park Shopping Centre, where our offices are based, has two at the fountain and the post office, although the latter seems to be misplaced.

Fans of the game have said that they are discovering notable landmarks in their cities that they would have previously overlooked. 

Stephen Keegan, a journalism student in DCU, has been playing Pokémon on the Northside and said there are some ideal spots in the area such as parks like St Anne’s and Santry. 

Clontarf, Drumcondra and Phibsboro also all have plenty Pokémon, which can usually be found near green areas, water and popular landmarks. 

“A drawback is that the further out you go and the more residential the area is, the number of Pokestops tends to diminish, so when I’m low on Pokéballs I like to call over to Glasnevin cemetery and the Botanic Gardens where there’s a huge number of Pokestops,” 21-year-old Stephen explained.

“I love hunting for my favourite water types, like Poliwag and Staryu, along the banks of the Tolka and the Royal Canal, and trying to track down the Dratini and Onix that are said to appear in Griffith Park,” Stephen added.

DCU is also one of the major spots in north Dublin for playing Pokémon Go. There are four gyms and 26 pokestops on the campus. The adjacent Albert College Park is also a haven for the critters.

However, the city centre is still the best spot in Dublin for catching Pokémon. Fionnuala Jones lives there and says she likes the game because you can’t lose, and she enjoys the challenge of collecting Pokémon in town. 

“There’s more gyms in the city centre and Pokestops too so it makes more sense as regards getting items and Pokémon.”

REPORT: Roisin Nestor