Clonsilla

daymobrew

jayok wrote:

Don't know if it affects you but at the time there was some serious issues with other social facilities for kids - i.e. schools, playgrounds, parks, etc. As all possible space was being swallow up by developers.

Mid 2005 a large playground was opened up, between Power City and the Blanch Centre.
Prior to that, the only playground in Dublin 15 was the one in Riverwood, near Coolmine Train station.

There is also a new school (primary, AFAIK) being built in Carpenterstown, again near Coolmine station. I would assume that it will be open this September.

LegacyUser

I have no school going kids, but surely the issue with Clonee/Little pace not having a school or facilities until very recently (and even now they only have a small prefab) would put serious toll on schools in Blanch. I would imagine the school in Huntstown would be over crowded (they are extending at the moment). So, my guess is that the Fingal Co. Co. are providing schooling for Meath co. co.

Maybe someone who has children in Huntstown school can give information.

Johhny75

eth0_ wrote:

Clonsilla is fairly ok, but personally I wouldn't spend much time in Blanch. Even the pubs around the shopping centre are well dodgy, lots of stabbings and violence in Heaven and Buda bar.

And DEFINITELY stay away from the Greyhound. Lots of dodgy people in there.

Buddha Bars been closed for almost 1 year............

Heaven isa open a few months and no incidents.........

Define dodgy? a few people have a pint?

BLanch is fine

Enii

Johhny75 wrote:

Buddha Bars been closed for almost 1 year............

Heaven isa open a few months and no incidents.........

Define dodgy? a few people have a pint?

BLanch is fine

Agree with you that Blanch is fine.

Mailman

Some parts of Blanch are very bad indeed. Huge problems with drugs in certain estates. Choose carefully and keep a good distance away from the bad estates becaue of overspill.

johnp

Threadser wrote:

Traffic in Clonsilla village was terrible until recently when the new Ongar distributer road opened and this has made a huge improvement in journey times, particularly in the morning.

I'm off topic here, but whats it like getting out of Ongar these days? I heard it used to be a disaster before the new road. Ongar seems to have some good value right now, but I'm sure that'll change.....

LegacyUser

Well James, did ye buy in Clonsilla afterall?

Moonbeam

that new road is a deathtrap there is a round aobut with a brick wall as an exit,combine this with bad fog and it is an accidnet waiting to happen

The_Conductor

Culchie wrote:

The worst part about Clonsilla is if you are trying to get onto the M50 via Blanch/Castleknock .... and Lucan is a bloody nightmare.

Easiest way to get to Lucan is out the Clonee Road and then backtracking before Clonee down the backroads past Coldblow etc. Its a dire road, but its not busy (until you hit the Liffey Bridge in Lucan village at Laraghcon.......)

Arcadian

I've lived in Hartstown the last 2 years and haven't had any problems, the estate is fairly quiet, any houses that come up for sale sell reasonably quickly and at good prices, shop on doorstep and pub is ok. Before that we lived in Ongar for 18 months and that was hell, noise insulation was crap, lots of damage to cars and car thefts. I'd recommend looking at an established estate rather than the newer ones, at least you know what your buying into.

RobEire

gamer wrote:

I think it takes about 15mins to drive into townAFTER rush hour ,to be realistic get alarm on your car, park in drive way,have a set of lockable gates.its best to drink in pubs near shopping centre ,stay away from corduff or huntsown pubs.theres alot of corpo estates in area d15.its like an average working class area,most people i know lock gate after 10pm,to protect car from being robbed as a precaution.i know people all over blanchardstown, im not an expert on clonsilla, obviously the private estates tend to be alot more peaceful than council estates

I live just off the Clonsilla Road (old Clonsilla end). Area is quiet enough, and with the new feeder road to Ongar open, the Clonsilla Road itself is much quieter. Burglaries in our area are on the up - we live on a very quiet estate but a number of houses have been hit and about two months ago some idiots tried to steal the car off our driveway as well (heard the gate when they opened it - if you can't afford a lock, don't oil the gate as excellent alarm system). The house next door was hit as well - the burglars tried to smash in the front and back doors of the house before fleeing (with wheeliebin in tow...).

Still, on the whole, if you were going to stay in D15, I would say Clonsilla/Ongar is a good choice if you can't afford Carpenterstown or Castleknock.

It takes me an hour on the bus to get to work, if you have a car and can use the backroads you can get to town much quicker.

Moonbeam

I grew up in Hartstown back when it was the "country" and had no local amenities besides the primary school,my aunt and her kids have lived out there isnce and they do not have any problems.
House prices are relatively inexpensive and are older more solid houses and there are now lots of amenities and schools.
I would avoid mulhuddart no matter how cheap houses are and mountview too and know little about the new estates but it isn't the worst place to live.
The bus journey to town is painfuil tohugh can take 90 minutes in normal non rushhour traffic but their are plenty of buses.

TempestSabre

I'd have to agree with Victor. I think a lot of you are really downplaying the commuting times. Its less than 10 miles from the city center and it takes about an hour at best. Thats terrible. You also have to add the time taken to get to the bus/train and from it to work at the far end. The traffic in D.15 is the worse in Dublin, probably in Ireland. Massively over developed for housing, abysmal infrastructure, and both problems getting worse as they keep on developing more housing and in fact are planning on reducing the throughput of 2 of the 3 routes into town, Capelizod and the Phoenix park. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054858929

Train and bus are very overcrowded and miserable at peak. Personally I can't rely on them to get me into work at a consistent time. Trains and buses are constently early or late on a regular basis. So you have to factor adding about 15 mins to allow for this. The train times do not suit a lot of people either, big gaps in the timetable. I only use them when I have to, or I'm when I've a lot of time to play with. The only consistent transport for me is the car, and leave before 7.

LegacyUser

TempestSabre wrote:

I'd have to agree with Victor. I think a lot of you are really downplaying the commuting times. Its less than 10 miles from the city center and it takes about an hour at best. Thats terrible.

No, I don't think people are downplaying it. If you buy a house in Clonsilla that is not a quick walk to the train station and you are planning to train it to work, then it is silliness.

If you time it, then you can get it right. I drive in sub 60 mins from Blanch to Ballsbridge, yet someone else on this thread doubts it. It can be done -if you time yourself.

It can be terrible - if you don't.! Flexitime - ask for it. It helps a lot.

Mailman

I used to be able to get from Sandymount to Blanch in 20mins........
on a motorbike in 1996 at 6:30 in the morning if the traffic lights went with me.

Tempest Sabre is right.
If you want to commute to Dublin City Centre or beyond then you are looking at journey times in excess of an hour at any respectable hour of the morning.

At the moment I work a 7 O'Clock shift in Citywest because the traffic out of Blanchardstown is mad after 6:40am.

Flexitime is flexible time if you can make it flexible to suit you otherwise it is just a means of compensating for bad infrastructure at the expense of quality of life.

LegacyUser

Mailman wrote:

Flexitime is flexible time if you can make it flexible to suit you otherwise it is just a means of compensating for bad infrastructure at the expense of quality of life.

Houses in Clonsilla are a LOT less than other areas in the city. If perfection is wanted, then pay 400,000 for a house elsewhere. If you live in Clonsilla, then you have to make a sacrifice one way or another - either you sit in your car for 2 hours a day, you leave early and come home early .. etc.

If you are not willing to compromise - then clonsilla is not for you.

TempestSabre

I believe you all right.

I'm on flexi time and generally go in to work for 8 and leave at 4. I'm in D.15 but closer to the phonenix park than clonsilla. I usually make it to Ballsbridge in around 40-45 mins. One day last week we did it in 35. Another day we left late and it took about 1hr 20mins. Thats driving, and the time door to door.

Getting the bus or train takes at least 1hr 30mins at best, when I include the walking and waiting. In 10yrs or more of living on and off in D.15 I don't see much difference or improvements in the journey times by public transport. However driving time by car has increased, by about 33%. Its still at worst, the same as using public transport but the majority of the time its a lot quicker to use a car. Or cycle if thats an option for you. The other change is that you have to leave a lot earlier when using a car to avoid the gridlock, before 7 now. Used to be 8am. Also at the weekends theres a lot more gridlock now because of the shopping center. So I avoid the center at the weekends, and generally only go there midweek for late night shopping.

Another noticeable change is that theres huge increase in the amount of junctions and lights, and decrease in road capacity into town from D.15 into city center. Many roads that were two lanes are now one, and many back streets are blocked off forcing more traffic on fewer and narrow roads. Off peak it doesn't effect traffic that much, but on peak it causes gridlock. It also makes it happen earlier and for a longer period of time.

TempestSabre

bubby wrote:

...
If you are not willing to compromise - then clonsilla is not for you.

You'd live in Monte Carlo or somewhere equally exotic.

LegacyUser

Same here - usually about 50 mins drive, however, I leave at about 8.45.
Last week was particularly light, for some odd reason.

I'm worried now about the post in relation to the Phoenix park. I usually drive through Castleknock and straight through the park to the quays. Is this route affected~?

TempestSabre wrote:

You'd live in Monte Carlo or somewhere equally exotic.

Exotic?? Dublin?? 400,000??
Where, like Finglas???

TempestSabre

bubby wrote:

..I'm worried now about the post in relation to the Phoenix park. I usually drive through Castleknock and straight through the park to the quays. Is this route affected~?

A lot more traffic would be forced into the park, and around it. So indirectly yes it would be badly effected. Castleknock would be an even worse diaster.

bubby wrote:

Exotic?? Dublin?? 400,000??
Where, like Finglas???

it would get you a villa in the south of France. of course you couldn't find a job to pay the mortgage down there.

py2006

gamer wrote:

Anybody who pays 210 k for 1 bed apartment, in blanch is crazy when u can get 3bed private house perfect nick for 240k or less,with front and back garden, in my opinion,and with house u get driveway parking space,u can rent out ,rent a room scheme,up to 7400euro,tax free,that,ll help pay your mortgage.

Are you kidding me??? I live not far from Clonsilla! Closer to Castleknock side of things! But not the rich area! Our family home is over €500,000 at this stage!

LegacyUser

py2006 wrote:

Are you kidding me??? I live not far from Clonsilla! Closer to Castleknock side of things! But not the rich area! Our family home is over €500,000 at this stage!

Okay, maybe your house is worth that - but there are houses that are perfectly good nick, as described above available for 240,000 in Clonsilla. I agree with gamer.

Moonbeam

maybe take a look on myhome.ie clonsilla under 250k there are no results(for 2/3 bedrooms);) same for Blanch even clonee

Arcadian

Regarding public transport from Clonsilla area, i live in Hartstown and have a roughly 30 min very roundabout walk to get to the trainstation. On the other hand i get the 8:35 39A bus from Hartstown and get to the quays near Capel St at about 9:10 so the journey is 35 mins or so and is very punctual, i think i've been delayed twice in 2 years. However, don't ever take the no.39 as this has to travel through Blanch Village and Shopping Centre and this can cause the journey to take up to 2 hours easily.

TempestSabre

Whereas I get the 37 or the train and I doubt either have been on time 3 days running anytime in 15yrs I've got them. Maybe I'm just unlucky.

Arcadian

At least the 39/A are every 6 to 8 mins at peak times so it's very difficult for them to run all that late:D Never had any problems with the train apart from their habit of arriving 3 or 4 mins early;)

LegacyUser

Moonbeam wrote:

maybe take a look on myhome.ie clonsilla under 250k there are no results(for 2/3 bedrooms);) same for Blanch even clonee

There are definitely sub 250 houses in Clonsilla and Blanch - Clonee is a totally different ball game.
Maybe they aren't on myhome.ie - but if you were buying a house, is that the only place you would look? Try some of the estate agents in Blanch.

Not everyone uses myhome.ie.
Plus ... myhome.ie seems to be thin on its heels at the moment. I went in there the other day and had a look. Its only February - give it a couple of weeks and check again - James Bond and his Granny will be moving house too.

Blured

bubby wrote:

There are definitely sub 250 houses in Clonsilla and Blanch - Clonee is a totally different ball game.
Maybe they aren't on myhome.ie - but if you were buying a house, is that the only place you would look? Try some of the estate agents in Blanch.

Not everyone uses myhome.ie.
Plus ... myhome.ie seems to be thin on its heels at the moment. I went in there the other day and had a look. Its only February - give it a couple of weeks and check again - James Bond and his Granny will be moving house too.

I own an apartment in Ongar. Got it at 220K, last year. Now worth 270K. No place in Clonsilla can you get a 2/3 bed house for 250K, unless its on the Government affordable homes scheme

LegacyUser

Blured wrote:

I own an apartment in Ongar. Got it at 220K, last year. Now worth 270K. No place in Clonsilla can you get a 2/3 bed house for 250K, unless its on the Government affordable homes scheme

You are wrong. I own a 2 bed in Clonsilla and it is definitely not worth 250k.
Definitely!

lucylou2000

Hi guys,
Just wanted to pick your brains for a moment, i'm looking at a house in Woodvale - auctioneer has it down as Clonsilla but I think it's hartstown. either way thats not my question -
I'm just wondering does anyone know that estate and if so what comments would you have?

Any advice is greatly appreciated,

Lou