Life in Ballymun, how is the reality today?

From da east

Hi everyone.

I know this topic has been covered remotely before so i'll try to ask this in a more relevant manner so it wouldn't be just another flame-war topic.

Long story short, me and my fiancé came to Ireland about a year ago, got jobs and are currently living in Cabra, D7 and are now on the verge of moving since the lease ends. We are looking for a nice place to relocate to and have been looking at 1 and 2 bedroom flats in Ballymun (right beside the main Ballymun road). The reason why we are interested in Ballymun is because the buildings seem to be brand new, utmost modern quality and just generally brilliant looking. In a word - can't even compare them to these old houses in Cabra (well at least on pictures anyway).
So my question is mainly aimed at those who currently reside in Ballymun and i am interested in the details and general atmosphere.. How is life there at current times. It is also worth mentioning, that we have a baby on the way so how would you say, is it a place nowadays where one can easily feel safe and enjoy the area, call it home and so forth. Basically any personal experience regarding Ballymun as it stands in present, is very welcome
I'm asking because i do not belive all of the area is terrible, i'm asking because i have heard banter about it being terrible and so i'm wondering, what is it REALLY like now.

Thanks ahead to anyone willing to shed some light into th matter and cheers

Alex

Lazarus2.0

The short answer to this is that it depends enormously on the specific location and the neighbours you'll have . 50 metres can be the difference between happiness and hell . I'd advise you to check out out your prospective locations as best you can . Also be wary of "modern quality" construction - dont judge a book by the cover and all that ..

To give context to this post .. I grew up in Ballymun , watched it being built around me as a kid in the late 60s . Went abroad in late 80s but stilll came home to see the family etc and finally came home to settle in Ballymun with wife and kids 4 years ago . I'm pretty sure I have seen the best and the worst of Ballymun at this stage .

Ballymun has always had a bad press but that has only ever served to bind the community closer . It pretty much defines being from The Mun for me but that's for another thread , I guess . It's relevant though - the regeneration has seen a lot of people moving in to privately owned properties and this caused resentment at first , not least among our scumbag element who by nature need to hate someone more than themselves (yes , we have our share of scumbags , same as most places) . Things have settled down since - it was at it's worst 3 years ago that I recall . These days the atmosphere is grand - a smile and a hello will get you same in return . If you make the effort you'll be accepted and appreciated , same as anywhere . Just be mindful that while the area is grand having good neighbours (and being one) will improve that tenfold .

OP , wherever you go I wish the three of ye the best of luck

From da east

Thank you very much, i appreciate your input. This definitely lightens our view of the "media made" image of ballymun. And sure, not everything seems as good as the pictures propose, but compared to the II'nd WW buildings i have lived so far, i do dare to belive, that the modern european style flats over there a way better, especially considering the price is the same.. in other words, more quality for the same price. But ofcourse, we shall be going over there and checking the scene out on our own.

thedoc46

Living in Ballymun for the last 18years (still there) and honestly have to say its an absoulute kip regeneration or no regeneration and anyone wanting to move there should think again...

From the East have you checked out the appartments in Northwood Santry there are fairly new also...

CiaranC

thedoc46 wrote: »

Living in Ballymun for the last 18years (still there)

Why do you live there if you think its a kip?

From da east

thedoc46, care to elaborate? I mean it is no use to me or carries no weight as an information, if you simply say, "it is a kip". Share your experience, why it is a kip, what are the things you do not like etc etc..

Dyr

Are you on about the Plaza? lived there for about four years, moved out this year.

If you do move there dont rent on the coultry road side. The coultry flats are all empty and the blocks are infested with dangerous little scumbags. There's a reason all the ground floor shop fronts are boarded up on that side. Plus waking up to find the entrace door kicked in was a regular occurance. Most of ballymun is grand but the blocks in coultry and shangan are really ropey.

Other than that, luck of the draw, they are nice apartments and I never had a minutes hassle from my neighbours or once I was in the complex. The f**king alarms do go off regularly though (or are set off)

From da east

Bambi, i've actually had my eye on this place, http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046046 For the price, looks like a fairly promising place. And it's right slap-bang on the main road.
So as i get it, your neighbours were OK, what about the outside between hours 7am and 9pm (that's roughly the time window, we move about), did you get any unpleasant situations or hassle?

Dyr

From da east wrote: »

Bambi, i've actually had my eye on this place, http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046046 For the price, looks like a fairly promising place. And it's right slap-bang on the main road.
So as i get it, your neighbours were OK, what about the outside between hours 7am and 9pm (that's roughly the time window, we move about), did you get any unpleasant situations or hassle?

I was born and reared in Ballymun so I'm probably not the best person to ask about hassle lol, its subjective.

I've never seen hassle there and I live two minutes away. The houses on the crescent around the corner are dumps but i've never seen any trouble there.

What someone said about " 50 metres can be the difference between happiness and hell" is true though

Degsy

From da east wrote: »

Bambi, i've actually had my eye on this place, http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046046 For the price, looks like a fairly promising place. And it's right slap-bang on the main road.
So as i get it, your neighbours were OK, what about the outside between hours 7am and 9pm (that's roughly the time window, we move about), did you get any unpleasant situations or hassle?

The only thing i'd say about those places is they're all jumbled up on top of each other..its sort of claustrophobic although if your neighbours are okay it shouldnt be a problem..maybe take a drive buy some late evening and see what you can see.

breadandjam

I used to live in Ballymun- I now work there but live in Cabra:) Crimewise it seems that Ballymun has much lower incidence of crime. I park my car on Coultry road and I've never had a problem in the 5 years while my car has been vandalised several times outside my front door in Cabra.

The Shopping centre is very run down and not that nice to shop in but if you have a car you're only minutes away from Clearwater in Finglas or the Omni Centre.
You're also only a few minutes walk away from Albert College Park which is great for exercise.

Dyr

Actually if you have a car then ballymun is a lot better, you don't have to shop, drink or eat there :pac:

A large part of Alberts park is going to be turned into a depot for the metro project though..if it ever goes ahead. Poppintree park is pretty nice these days..if a lot smaller

Lazarus2.0

From da east wrote: »

Bambi, i've actually had my eye on this place, http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046046 For the price, looks like a fairly promising place. And it's right slap-bang on the main road.
So as i get it, your neighbours were OK, what about the outside between hours 7am and 9pm (that's roughly the time window, we move about), did you get any unpleasant situations or hassle?

I live just around the corner on that estate . On the side roads there has been trouble in the past .. lads drinking and fighting , muggings , etc but that rarely happens here these days . Rarely - not never . It shouldnt be an issue though , especially as that property is on the main road and almost directly across the road from the Garda station . There are easier places for troublemakers to be causing trouble than there . SuperValu and swimming pool are just to the left of there so the place is lively enough during the hours you ask about .

Construction quality where I am isnt great but not awful either - I'd assume the same of the place you're looking at . I'm not aware of any major problems but know a few people who've lived there - I'll ask around . As Degsy says , people are kinda jumbled on top of each other in the duplexes - it wouldnt be for everyone , I guess . Also the main road is busy day and night so the noise might bother some people . There's very little green space less than 10 mins walk from there (Albert College , Poppintree Park) - that might be an issue during summer months , especially with a little one .

I'd say it would be worth your while to walk through what little remains of the shopping centre and around to where the property is during the daytime to get a better sense of the area and the people in it - maybe stop for a cup of tea in the Chinese beside Supervalu and watch the world go by ...

From da east

Well, the "jumbled up" thing doesn't really discourage me, as back home i used to live in a soviet-era appartamet block house - nine stories high, some 50-60 appartaments per main hall. Sure, you couldn't listen to music loudly after 11PM as some pensioners got angry and punched their broomsticks against the ceiling or threatened to call the police but mostly everybody kept to them selves so not a big issue. And now living at Cabra, isn't much different as everybody lives tightly side by side.. Essentially the same thing All in all, we are fairly quiet people anyway. I do like the fact that the Garda is so close by, that deffinately adds some tranquility to the nearby area, i'm sure. We don't have peronal transportation as of yet tho', perhaps after we get slightly better paying jobs than 8.65 per hour we can afford the upkeep of a car Shopping-wise, we mostly make our grocery shopping in the city centre anyway and i guess it's not that big of a deal to take the bus to any of the more decent places you have mentioned.. as long as there is a bus conection between these places. :rolleyes:
Another thing we were wondering tho' is how long does it take to get to city centre from Ballymun and what are the options? Bus only or Luas as well ?

markpb

From da east wrote: »

Another thing we were wondering tho' is how long does it take to get to city centre from Ballymun and what are the options? Bus only or Luas as well ?

Bus is your only option. It used to take me about 25-30 minutes to get to O'Connell St at 8am when I did it last. There are some changes to the Ballymun bus routes happening soon but they shouldn't impact you too much if you're living on or near Ballymun road.

thedoc46

Due to financial reasons i cannot move out of Ballymun and tbh as soon as things look up from a financial point of view i am gone.

Am not going to name my the location i live in but it is not far from the shopping centre, The reason i say Ballymun is a kip is due the expereinces i have had in the past, examples would be 4 motorbikes robbed, one not too far from the op's potential apartment, Guards were useless!!

Car has been keyed and vandalised on 3 occasions, brother had a knife put to his throat mobile and money stolen, youths constantly hanging around loitering insulting people etc,

From da east

That's really sad man Anyways, i want to thank everyone for their input. Eventually we looked around and managed to get a nice medium sized double bed apartament for 685 p/m, right at the heart of the city centre at parnell street. Not the quietest place i admit, but close to work so no bus fares and close to all amneties and what not.. So all in all, good catch.