Trim - the good, the bad, and the ugly

PauloMN

So, Meath dwellers, what's the deal on Trim? I currently live in the Clonee area and am thinking of moving my family further out and Trim is one of the places that I'm looking at.

Has anyone relocated from Dublin to Trim and how did you find it? Any pointers? How is it from a facilities perspective? I have two kids so good schools are a must, preferably a primary Gaelscoil if possible.

Must say the road from Dublin seems decent enough, was it recently improved? What's it like during the week at rush hour?

Archeron

Hey there OP.
I moved to Trim from Dublin nearly 5 years ago, and I have to say I love the place. Its a beautiful town, and a great place to go rambling, walking or exploring. Great history too if you like that kind of thing, and there are plenty of historic sites within 40 minutes drive (e.g. Newgrange)
Facilities wise, it has pretty much all you'd need. My main contention is that there is not a good gym anywhere near thats readily affordable, but I hope thats to be addressed soon. Pubs are okay, there is a pub to suit all tastes from the pool table pub (the Steps) through young peoples pubs (the abbey and McCormacks) to the more couply place (Sally Rogers) so its not too hard to find a local you like.
Restuarants, there is a lot to choose from now with Chinese options of Busaba, Wau, Silver Lion and the Marigold. There's a new appache pizza, a new Indian, a number of cafe style places, coffee shops, and the Beacon at Brogans guesthouse is really nice. You've also got food served in the two new hotels, but sadly, its hotel prices too, so not very good value. Oh, and who could forget supermacs drive thru on the navan road!

I find the people in Trim to be quite nice overall, although I have encountered a bit of hostility from some of the older people, but I reckon thats a Dublin v Meath thing, as those people are nice as pie to anyone that doesnt have a Dublin accent.
Roads are getting better alright, and the main road into Dublin is just quite newly built. The traffic is heavy but moving at rush hour on it, but you have to be wary of nutters on the wrong side of the road. Suppose thats the same for any main road with commuters on it though. Traffic can slow down badly when you hit Fairyhouse Cross, but hopefully the new M3 will sort that out. You are also not too far from the M4 if you need to get to Liffey Valley or Lucan, and the roads to that are always moving bar the roadworks. New roads are under construction now from Trim-Navan, and from Summerhill-Kilcock, so that will make life a lot easier. Be warned though that the minor roads (around places like Dunderry, Culmullin) are absolutely dreadful, so dont use them if you dont have to.
One problem we did have when we moved first was in finding a doctor who would put my family on their books. We literally tried every doctor in town, and it was only the last one that took us on. I also have had negative experiences with Navan hospital, the closest to Trim, but again, that can happen anywhere.
One thing Trim does need is more new shops, and better choice, but there is a new 20 unit shopping centre planned for beside the new OPW building on the main street. That should offer a bit more competition. Sadly, I hear the anchor is going to be Supervalue (who already have a shop in Trim) so it does mean that supermarket wise you're limited to either Supervalue or Lidl, so one extreme or the other. There is also the new shopping street, Finnegans way, but that seems to be taking a lot longer than it should to be finished and get tenants.
The town has plenty of dry cleaners, a nice bakery, lots of pubs, places to eat, good takeaways, easy enough access to hardware and electricals. Shopping is reasonable, but you're always close to Blanch if the need arises. Cloths in Trim are quite expensive compared to the Dublin Shopping centres as most clothes shops are more boutiques than the Penneys/Dunnes model.
One thing I'd say to be aware of is whoever your choice of mechanic may be. I've have had really bad experiences (as have friends of mine) with almost all of them between bad quality work, and ripping people off, but I have finally found one place that seems reliable. Thats very important to me as my car is crucial to me.

Schools, I dont know as I have no kiddies myself, so cant advise on that I'm afraid, but I do know that there is a Gaelscoil on the Dublin road.
Overall, I'd have no hesitation is recommending Trim as a place to live, but I'd be happy to see more shops, more doctors and a good gym. Other than that, I love the place.
Hope this helps!

AnCatDubh

You have two options on local schools (of the irish variety), there is a local Gaelscoil in Trim - Gaelscoil na Boinne, and if you want the real mc coy, whole nine yards, etc.... you can opt for Scoil Uí Ghrámhnaigh right bang smack in the middle of the Rathcairn Gaeltacht. CIE provide school bus services from Trim to Rathcairn if this happens to take your fancy but because you are nearer to other national schools, you won't get first option and only if they have availability will you get the option. If the gaeltacht tickles your fancy, your children can continue to do secondary school in Colaiste Polal Rathcairn.

Overall Trim is a good spot even if the water tastes like it came fresh out of someone else's sewer - urrggghhhhhhhh.... sorry but you'll be on bottled water for a cup of tea. But remember - its not Dublin. Don't move thinking you'll have access to everything you would have in Dublin. You wont but then again at the risk of being a boring old fart, there is a different quality of life that you do get in such a place which you won't get in Dublin. It all depends on which is more suited. But then again, you are coming from Clonee so its really a Meath (Clonee) Meath (Trim) move for you????????? Or perhaps you're on the other side of the sign post???

In Trim, there's a heap of activities for people to get involved with if you have the inclination. Most locally run by well meaning volunteers and others interested in sharing their interest. When we moved there some years back we couldn't believe the amount of activities for the kids to do. Then we got thinking, the reason that we found out about it was that we actively went out and found out what was available - i'd think most reasonable sized towns are the same but you do have to make the effort.

The road to Dublin has had a lot of work over the past couple of years which is a great improvement. At commute times, the road is very busy but you are unlikely to be held up until you hit the black bull at fairyhouse cross. Then you could be flippin years (what seems like) getting up to blanchardstown - only one solution; leave early - get passed the blanchardstown and M50 roundabouts - and have a job that allows you do the same in the evening - this obviously won't suit everyone. Otherwise, while the Trim side of it is fine, the whole Blanchardstown/Clonee traffic side of it is fairly bad at the wrong time.

Having said that, once clear of clonee /blanchardstown bypass - about 20 mins will have you home. The other way of looking at that this is 40mins EXTRA of you daily life which YOU WILL spend in your car.

Good luck with your deliberations.

Archeron

AnCatDubh wrote: »

Overall Trim is a good spot even if the water tastes like it came fresh out of someone else's sewer - urrggghhhhhhhh.... sorry but you'll be on bottled water for a cup of tea.

haha. forgot about the water. I'm used to it now, so it doesnt bother me that you have to chew it before you swallow it, but nobody who comes to my house will drink tea or coffee unless its from bottled water. The smell of pondweeds from the water at the end of last summer was incredible, and I have expected to see tadpoles coming out of the tap.

PauloMN

Thanks for the replies folks, sounds good (except for the water)! I've a lot of thinking to do, going to take a spin out at the weekend and have a nose around the place. Was also thinking of Dunshaughlin and went to look at a few houses I'd seen on Daft.ie, but wasn't wildly impressed with the estates I saw and how they were kept, even though some of the individual houses were nice. If we do move, it's got to be the right move as taking my son out of school to go elsewhere is a big deal. Also I don't just want to move from one estate to another with the same problems we already see.

The distance thing is the main concern and is something I need to decide whether I'd be happy with. Not really a problem for my work as I work from home quite a bit, but more for visiting family and my wife's work (Blanchardstown). We're pretty used to having excellent shopping facilities if nothing else on our doorstep, I suppose it just takes a bit of getting used to not being quite so close to those things anymore.

Trim town itself appeals to me I must say, although I've only had a quick look around. Seems like the kind of place where you would be within walking distance of plenty of places to bring the kids out etc. which would be great. Must say I surprised that a town the size of Trim doesn't have a decent big supermarket though.

Archeron

Generally speaking, Trim is a very well kept and clean town, and it always features high up in the Tidy Towns. The estates are even well kept, which is nice and makes it a very nice place to live.
As regards getting to Blanch, I consider it to be just up the road, and at the weekend, its only a 25-30 min drive. Traffic can be bad at rush hour, but its really a matter of timing, and if you are getting off the N3 at Blanch, it wouldnt be too bad. As long as you dont have to queue for the M50, you wont have to encounter the worst of it.
I also think that Trim is closer to Dublin than a lot of people realize. Before I moved, I used to consider Trim to be way out in the country, but its actually surprisingly close to the city.

Re the big shops as well, Navan is only 15-20 mins away, and you have Tesco, Dunnes and so on there. Hopefully Trim will get more soon as well.

kelle

Archeron wrote: »

Hey there OP.

Schools, I dont know as I have no kiddies myself, so cant advise on that I'm afraid, but I do know that there is a Gaelscoil on the Dublin road.
Overall, I'd have no hesitation is recommending Trim as a place to live, but I'd be happy to see more shops, more doctors and a good gym. Other than that, I love the place.
Hope this helps!

Gaelscoil na Boinne are apparently not taking any more bookings until 2012! But you should be able to get a place in Rathcairn, which is about 7 miles away.

upmeath

I've been raised all my life (21 years) in Trim so I'm probably going to give a slightly more biased view, though it's not like I know no better, I've been living in Dublin the last 3 years as I've been studying there and I have to say I love Dublin but couldn't see myself living there in 12 or 15 years time.

Schools... I got a great education in the primary schools and secondary schools here in the town, I went to St. Michael's NS and then Boyne CS, came out with well over 500pts and had my pick of courses so I couldn't fault the schools themselves, the teachers or the way the schools are run.

Water... This is a problem, a new water system was installed in the town in the mid 90s and the drinking water is sourced downstream (Scurlogstown) from the sewerage treatment plant (Newtown) meaning the chemical content is almost copious. That said, a decent water filter is all it seems to take and you'd might as well be drinking Ballygowan.

Transport... Dublin Road is top notch, I reckon the EU research centre in Kiltale had something to do with that being upgraded. The Navan Road is perfect until you cross from the Trim council area into the Navan council area in Dunganny, Navan sat on the fence for years and did nothing but it's finally getting somewhere, the M3 will be about 5 mins from either town when that's finished. Trim-Summerhill-Kilcock road is almost finished, making the M4 about 15 mins drive away and putting the M7 at Naas, and shops at Liffey Valley within 40 mins reach. Bus service is good inbound but sometimes we're forgotten in Busáras on the return leg, be expected to wait up to 10mins after scheduled departure time before the bus appears at the gate for you!

Healthcare... I didn't realise GPs were in short supply in the town, we've had the same GP for 30 years, a lovely man. Dentists are plentiful and I've found a pretty good one in the middle of the town. Hospitals... Probably best to give Navan and Drogheda a miss, Blanchardstown is just as convenient. We'd a bit of a problem in the family lately and the GP recommended we head for the Beacon! :rolleyes:

Community... I've been in just about every town in this country and this might sound slightly big-headed, but if you live in Trim you love Trim. Few towns I've been to offer the same scenery, history, or cleanliness. Westport, Enniskerry, Ballina, Tralee, Clonakilty, Killarney. That's about all I can think of. There's at least 1500 years of history in the area, though the last 900 are probably most visible today with the castles, abbeys, churches and town walls. Trim consistently finishes in the top 5 tidiest towns in the country and each street and estate's residents committee puts huge effort into keeping their patch clean.

Culture... There's huge local pride, and there are various fairs and cultural events during the year, the biggest of which is probably the Scurlogstown *******d (oh no, I mentioned an MCD venue in the name of a local cultural event, fix it boards! By the way that's Olym piad), held in the Porchfields each June. There's a good strong community, but we're not inhospitable or unwelcoming in the slightest, several of my best friends are students whose families moved to the town when we were in primary school. The town council's motto is in Latin, I can't remember what it is but it translates as "Always Welcoming the Stranger", so all newcomers to the town are made feel welcome and encouraged to make themselves feel at home.

Recreation... Plenty of sports clubs, walks, ruins to visit, good roads to cycle. Several of the town's clubs and cultural societies actively participate in twinning exchanges with our twin town Etrepagny, in Normandie. I travelled there with Trim Celtic when I was 13, our team were hosted by French families whose sons and daughters travelled to Trim the following year to be hosted by our families, and a series of challenge matches are held on a home/away basis, alternating every year. The musical and drama societies also participate in these exchanges, as well as various other groups in the town. We've four golf courses in the town, as well as a pitch and putt club, one of the best athletic clubs in the county, 3 MDL soccer clubs, the GAA offers hurling and football from age 8 upwards (with vastly improved facilities due to open this year), there's basketball and there's canoeing. There's something for everyone.

Nightlife... Kids like me tend to hit McCormacks and the Abbey on weekends, followed by a trip to Xango up the town. A great local musician called Gerry Tully plays in the back bar of Brogans almost every Friday night http://www.myspace.com/gerrytully and I'd probably have to recommend Brogans, Sally Rogers, Lenihans and Lynch's as the best pubs in town.

Hope I wasn't too biased and that this is of some help!

pullandbang

If you do decide to move, just keep in mind that you'll still be considered a "Blow In" in twenty years time.
I'm here since the early 80's and I'm still called a "Bleedin' Dub"

Mind you, that's only by the other Bleedin' Dubs!

As well as all the other facilities mentioned, we also have great fishing & shooting.

cue

Trim also has a new professional theatre company. Oulala Productions present "Between the Sheets" - a tasteful evening of erotic poetry, with piano accompaniment tomorrow in the four star environs of the Knightsbrook Golf Club. Shameless opportunity for a plug!

Archeron

cue wrote: »

- a tasteful evening of erotic poetry, with piano accompaniment

Now there's a bunch of words you dont normally see together

cue

Archeron wrote: »

Now there's a bunch of words you dont normally see together

Should have used that as a tagline on the posters.

PauloMN

Sorry to drag up an old thread (blame Google, it found it for me!). We didn't make our move back then in the end which is just as well as the house prices have dropped a lot since then obviously. Looks like we will be making the move soon though as we're about to put our own house up for sale.

Thanks all for the input above. Hope the evening of "erotic poetry" went well in the end.

Driving out again recently to Trim, I notice there's a roundabout now from the N3 onto the R154 (was a T-junction when I was investigating the place previously). Has this helped the traffic in the mornings?

Another question - broadband. What are the options? I've seen Chorus/NTL boxes in some of the houses we've looked at out there, is broadband available with them or is it purely DSL phone line based at the moment?

Archeron

Hi PauloMN.

The traffic is eased now for people coming from the Trim direction, as that used to be a horrible road to get onto. Its now easier as you have right of way over trafffic coming from Navan.
If you head for the M4 via Summerhill and Kilcock, its a clear run all the wya, and this is how I get into work in DUblin, so it is good to be central between the two motorways.

As regards Broadband, I have an Eircom line in the house, and a wired connection. Costs me about €50 every bill, and I think there is cheaper available, but to be honest, Eircom have a good service for me, and good support, so I'd be happy to recommend them.

Since your last post, Finnegans way has started to get a few new shops, but sadly I've heard a rumour that the shopping centre beside the OPWQ is cancelled. Still, you are still close to Navan and the new Trim to Navan Road is brilliant.

Good luck with your house hunting!

AnCatDubh

Eircom here also and apart from the national issues that they had been having in recent times (which you could fix by reconfiguring to openDns - but that's another story), it is absolutely fine. I have a €55/month all you can eat tariff (broadband, local, national, and meteor). Personally I've never had a problem tbh. It was a few years back when I had Chorus/NTL (since then i've become a Sky slave) but then Chorus/NTL hadn't broadband available. UTV, Digiweb, and BT (I think) are also available.

+1 for the M4/N4 route in the mornings if its suitable for your place of work.

I haven't used the R154 much at early morning in recent times but when I have there was no great problem and it's about a million % safer. But before long anyway, the M3 adjustments will be made and getting out from R154 to the N3 will not be any problem whatsoever.

PauloMN

Thanks for the feedback folks. Broadband is a must as I work from home a lot. Have UPC broadband here and it's excellent overall, hence I wondered was it available in Trim. If it has to be Eircom, so be it!

Good to hear that the road improvements are helping with the traffic. Now all I gotta do is find a house!

highdef

UPC broadband is not available in Trim, I'm afraid. And there are no plans to introduce it in the immediate future. The infrastructure to enable broadband is not in place in Trim.

pazza

Chorus/NTl/UPC TV service is provided via MMDS - thus no cable to provide the same broadband service as eircom. Also, the quality of MMDS is not quiet as clear as cable (IMO).

I have broadband with Imagine (well had to get the connection for a new house with eircom first, then cancel immediately and switch to other servicde provider0. It costs me €50 per month base package for 3MB broadband, and all local and national calls. With calls to mobile and VAT bill is usually €52 - 55 per month. You can get it slightly cheaper (e.g. 1MB or reduce call options). They all use the same lines, just different retailers - just if you got with Imagine, you have to opt out of some add-ons e.g. Family Protection AFTER the installation and after the initial period - bit of a pain having to do this, thats the way they get you on the extras.

Lastly, the road to N3 is way better with the roundabout in the morning, although there are new road works on the Clonee by-pass that I suspect will lead to some delays until that section of M3 opens - but generally ok in the morning (we hit it at about 7:10 - 07:15). The evening can be slow from Clonee dualcarriageway to the roundabout, sometime taking nearly 15 minutes (that at 17:50 - 18:00), but would typically be about 5-7 minutes.

PauloMN

Well folks, the deed is done, I'm now officially a dulchie!

And yes, I agree, the water is terrible but everything else is great.

chewed

Welcome fellow Dulchie!

dee1dee2

ah the water is grand as long as u buy it in the shop lol welcome 2 trim its a lovely place 2 live. all my in laws are dubs and they love to come down 4 weekend they think they in different country its so quiet haha:D hope u settle in ok and have many happy years with us cultchies