Places to live near Dublin

by the seaside

Hi All

Have been reading the board for a while and am looking for some advice.

My family is moving from England for a job in Dublin. My wife is from the West (but in England 17 years) and I'm English and neither of us knowthe Dublin area that well, except as occasional vistors to the city centre and a friend in Swords. We've done the whole big city thing before (London and Manchester) and don't want to live in Dublin itself, and we're well used to communitng. Having said htat, we would like somewhere with some kind of facilities - not just two pubs and a shop. Our criteria are:

- Seaside town, preferably near a beach
- Up to 60 to 75 mins commute to Pearse station, so preferably on DART / decent rail service
- We have a four year old and two year old so schools matter
- We probably have a budget for a house of E400,000, but will rent for a year first I expect, and because of schools want to rent in an area we can eventually buy in

Biggest concern is schools as we just don't understand the admission system - our four year old is just finishing her 'Reception Year' (Babies? - kids start in the September after they turn four and she is one of the youngest), and you read stories about not being able to get into a local school. Other concern is the cost of living, although I have noticed a sharp fall in certain costs in the years I've been visiting Ireland.

Candidate areas we have are:

- Skerries (too far out, too small?)
- Malahide (too expensive?)
- Donabate (too small?)
- Blackrock (definitely too expensive?)
- Bray (some people say it's 'rough' but I grew up in a depressed seaside town and am not convinced it can be that bad)
- Greystones (too far out)

Any areas we should think of? Any comments or experience on our candidate areas? We have freinds with local expertise but it is pretty much about Dublin city itself.

Thanks to you all in advance.

ElleEm

Have you looked at Howth or Sutton on the Northside? Both on the DART line, and it takes about 25-30 mins to reach the city centre. Both are on the 31 and 31b Dublin bus route to town as well.Both areas are very settled and as far as I can tell have good community spirit in relation to sports and stuff. I don't really know too much about that side of things!

Howth is peninsula. It's a gorgeous, hilly fishing village so you can get fresh fish in any number of fish mongers on the pier. It has two beaches (sandy and stoney) for walking, little village with really good restaurants, doctors, pubs, library, shops, spas, hairdressers, chemist, cafes. It has a couple of playschools and a primary school.

Sutton (about 5 mins drive from Howth) has a shopping precent with a supermarket, chemist, cafes, post office, restaurants, spas, hairdressers, banks etc. It has a couple of primary schools and a couple of secondary schools.

I am a huge fan of these areas and if I could afford to, would move there in a heartbeat. With your budget, I think you'll be fine.

RATM

I'm a fan of Skerries & Portmarnick, Howth, Sutton on the northside. At €400k you could also look at Clontarf which is on the road to Howth but alot closer to the city centre- it is only about 3 DART stops from Pearse so the commute would be quite easy from Clontarf. It also has a beach in nearby Dollymount and a huge park called St.Annes just up the road. The beach at Dollymount might not be quite as nice as the ones in Portmarnock, Skerries and Malahide but it is still adequate.

I am not a parent so unsure what schools are like there in any of the above areas. Only thing I'd say is that admission policies of many schools give preference to kids who are baptised Catholic. Irish parents who never step foot in a church except for funerals and weddings still tend to get their kids baptised Catholic so that the kids will have a better chance of gaining entry into the school of their choice. They largely pay lip service to the religion once that little formality has been taken care of.

Things are changing and there are non-denominational schools have been popping up here more often, the most well known of which is an organisation called Educate Together. I'm not familiar about standards of teaching at those schools so won't comment, perhaps others will. There are also Prodestant schools in Dublin, though they are few and far between compared to the Catholic based ones. They also tend to be fee paying schools where as the majority of Catholic ones are free relatively speaking.

Joe Hart

I'd go with Greystones myself. Its within your commuting times.

athtrasna

Joe Hart wrote: »

I'd go with Greystones myself. Its within your commuting times.

+1

by the seaside

ElleEm wrote: »

Have you looked at Howth or Sutton on the Northside? Both on the DART line, and it takes about 25-30 mins to reach the city centre. Both are on the 31 and 31b Dublin bus route to town as well.Both areas are very settled and as far as I can tell have good community spirit in relation to sports and stuff. I don't really know too much about that side of things!

Howth is peninsula. It's a gorgeous, hilly fishing village so you can get fresh fish in any number of fish mongers on the pier. It has two beaches (sandy and stoney) for walking, little village with really good restaurants, doctors, pubs, library, shops, spas, hairdressers, chemist, cafes. It has a couple of playschools and a primary school.

Sutton (about 5 mins drive from Howth) has a shopping precent with a supermarket, chemist, cafes, post office, restaurants, spas, hairdressers, banks etc. It has a couple of primary schools and a couple of secondary schools.

I am a huge fan of these areas and if I could afford to, would move there in a heartbeat. With your budget, I think you'll be fine.

Thanks. I had Howth and Sutton down as too expensive but will look again.

RATM wrote: »

I'm a fan of Skerries & Portmarnick, Howth, Sutton on the northside. At €400k you could also look at Clontarf which is on the road to Howth but alot closer to the city centre- it is only about 3 DART stops from Pearse so the commute would be quite easy from Clontarf. It also has a beach in nearby Dollymount and a huge park called St.Annes just up the road. The beach at Dollymount might not be quite as nice as the ones in Portmarnock, Skerries and Malahide but it is still adequate.

I am not a parent so unsure what schools are like there in any of the above areas. Only thing I'd say is that admission policies of many schools give preference to kids who are baptised Catholic. Irish parents who never step foot in a church except for funerals and weddings still tend to get their kids baptised Catholic so that the kids will have a better chance of gaining entry into the school of their choice. They largely pay lip service to the religion once that little formality has been taken care of.

Things are changing and there are non-denominational schools have been popping up here more often, the most well known of which is an organisation called Educate Together. I'm not familiar about standards of teaching at those schools so won't comment, perhaps others will. There are also Prodestant schools in Dublin, though they are few and far between compared to the Catholic based ones. They also tend to be fee paying schools where as the majority of Catholic ones are free relatively speaking.

Thanks. I had meant to add Portmarnock but forgot it. I hadn't thought about Clontarf so will have a look at that.

What do you like about Skerries so much? It looks lovely but we're wondering if it is too quiet.

Perhaps I should head over to another board to find out more about schooling.

John_Rambo

Raheny. All boxes ticked.

Joe Hart

John_Rambo wrote: »

Raheny. All boxes ticked.

The dodgy kip box ticked as well.

John_Rambo

Joe Hart wrote: »

The dodgy kip box ticked as well.

Are you serious? What happened, did you get a hiding in Raheny or something?

Lyn256

Schooling seems to be more of an issue in areas that have seen a lot of development in the last 12 years (more starter homes and more kids)

So you may find that the more established areas have less of an issue with schools.

Take a look at secondary schools as well as primary-in some southside areas there is significant pressure on public secondary schools with families who are unable to afford private secondary schools anymore-as a result-you have more students chasing secondary places

Scortho

Id go with skerries as well. Theres a lovely sense of community out there that you dont really get in many towns in Ireland any more. One of my friends lives out there and it, the view and the cleanliness of the place were the first things to strike me. Its not to far from Pearse either, youll get in in less than an hour. Of the places on the northside id like to live in, skerries, malahide sutton and howth would be on my list. Portmarnock maybe.
Bray isnt the worst, but it does have some dodgy parts unfortunately

RATM

by the seaside wrote: »

What do you like about Skerries so much? It looks lovely but we're wondering if it is too quiet.

.

Well I've never lived in Skerries myself but would like to. I would say it is quieter than somewhere like Malahide, Portmarnock or Howth as those places seem to have bigger populations and are closer to the city. But I wouldn't call Skerries quiet, just quieter than other places.

You could certainly get even quieter than Skerries along the coast- when you're having a drive around do search out a small village/townland called Loughshinny just a few miles further north than Skerries. It has a lovely little quaint beach, cliff walks, nearby Ardgillen Castle (complete with huge public grounds and a top class childrens playground) as well as having a primary school that your kids could walk to in under 5 minutes. But no train station- you'd have to drive to Skerries for that.

I guess it all depends what your main consideration is. As I said before I'm not a parent so therefore not knowledgeable about which areas have the best schools.

If the beach thing is really important to you then Portmarnock is, in my opinion, the best beach in all of Dublin. You'd have to go a fair bit south to Brittas Bay in Wicklow to find a better one. That said Malahide and Skerries both have beautiful beaches. Dollymount near Clontarf is a bit of a compromise in that the beach there isn't quite as scenic but it is a lot closer to Pearse DART station than Portmarnock, Skerries or Howth. So I think that is also a consideration for you- the train from Pearse to Clontarf will take about 10-12 minutes whereas Skerries to Pearse would be more like 40 minutes approx. So I guess you gotta ask yourself would you prefer spend an extra 250 hours per year (5 per week) standing up on a train so you can live in Portmarnock beside a top class beach or would you prefer spend that 250 hours with your kids living nearby one that is just slightly above average with time on your hands to drive to better beaches if that suits. Don't forget that Irish beaches can be cold, wet and windy places during the winter so no matter how beautiful they are you won't feel like going down to them if the weather is sh1te.

If it is a seaside atmosphere you are truly after then Howth, Skerries and Portmarnock all have that vibe whereas Clontarf not so much.

You'll get more bang for your €400k the further you go away from the city of course. €400k might just get you a house with a sea view in Skerries but it is less ikely the same money would get one in Howth, Portmarnock or Clontarf.

Hope this helps

romperstomper

could not recommend raheny, more based on budget & states preferences.

clontarf would be even better but you wouldn't find a place to beg there for 400K (considering you need a family home). if you do, i'll happily buy it off you for 450K.

sutton is OK, but realistically the village doesn't have the amenities of raheny or clontarf

John_Rambo

When it comes to Raheny, the closer to the 190 acre St. Annes Park and Bull Island the better.

The park is made up of woodland, meadows and playing fields, plenty of fox, squirrels, badgers and wildlife. The Bull Island is a large island made up of mudflats, a large dune system, two golf clubs and a long beach. It's also a wildlife reserve that hosts rare bird breeds, a resident seal family and the odd dolphin.

That, along with a shorter commute ensures more time on the beach/park in the morning and evenings, I'm just back from the beach now. These area's are mature and quiet.. The Howth Road itself, Wades Avenue, Foxfield, Maywood, Bettyglen etc... The park has a good market every Saturday. Plenty of schools, sports, golf, clubs, scout troops to choose from for the kids. The area is very well serviced with public transport, DART and plenty of buses. Raheny village is slowly expanding, the amount of restaurants and shops are increasing.

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/820-howth-road-raheny-dublin-5/2184964

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/54-st-margaret-s-avenue-raheny-dublin-5/2224026

by the seaside

RATM wrote: »

Well I've never lived in Skerries myself but would like to. I would say it is quieter than somewhere like Malahide, Portmarnock or Howth as those places seem to have bigger populations and are closer to the city. But I wouldn't call Skerries quiet, just quieter than other places.

You could certainly get even quieter than Skerries along the coast- when you're having a drive around do search out a small village/townland called Loughshinny just a few miles further north than Skerries. It has a lovely little quaint beach, cliff walks, nearby Ardgillen Castle (complete with huge public grounds and a top class childrens playground) as well as having a primary school that your kids could walk to in under 5 minutes. But no train station- you'd have to drive to Skerries for that.

I guess it all depends what your main consideration is. As I said before I'm not a parent so therefore not knowledgeable about which areas have the best schools.

If the beach thing is really important to you then Portmarnock is, in my opinion, the best beach in all of Dublin. You'd have to go a fair bit south to Brittas Bay in Wicklow to find a better one. That said Malahide and Skerries both have beautiful beaches. Dollymount near Clontarf is a bit of a compromise in that the beach there isn't quite as scenic but it is a lot closer to Pearse DART station than Portmarnock, Skerries or Howth. So I think that is also a consideration for you- the train from Pearse to Clontarf will take about 10-12 minutes whereas Skerries to Pearse would be more like 40 minutes approx. So I guess you gotta ask yourself would you prefer spend an extra 250 hours per year (5 per week) standing up on a train so you can live in Portmarnock beside a top class beach or would you prefer spend that 250 hours with your kids living nearby one that is just slightly above average with time on your hands to drive to better beaches if that suits. Don't forget that Irish beaches can be cold, wet and windy places during the winter so no matter how beautiful they are you won't feel like going down to them if the weather is sh1te.

If it is a seaside atmosphere you are truly after then Howth, Skerries and Portmarnock all have that vibe whereas Clontarf not so much.

You'll get more bang for your €400k the further you go away from the city of course. €400k might just get you a house with a sea view in Skerries but it is less ikely the same money would get one in Howth, Portmarnock or Clontarf.

Hope this helps

That is really helpful (and thanks to other posters as well). I have a good feeling about Skerries (and Greystones, although they feel like quite different propositions) so will have a visit. I don't mind a long commute, but a shorter one is better, obviously. The quality of the beach is not critical - I grew up by the sea, and now live two and a half hours away, and I really miss it. And I've spent Christmas in Lahinch (and try February in Whitley Bay), so I know what we're letting ourselves in for - I hope.

I think the main factor will be balancing cost of housing against commuting distance. It isn't just getting a bigger house - we'd rather not spend 400k, as it is a crazy amount of money by any sane standards. I'd also rather commute less. But then really I'd like a huge beautiful house in a great location, by the sea, near work and for almost no money at all. But I'm not holding my breath so will need to compromise somewhere.

I hadn't thought about standing on the train. All my commutes in the last few years have involved getting a seat, and I'd forgotten living in London standing on the tube. I need to look into this further. There is a big difference between 50 minutes sat down and 50 minutes stood up. Any experience of this, and particularly the difference once you leave the DART network (e.g. Skerries)? Is it better or worse for standing / reliability?

Anyway, thanks again for the advice.

by the seaside

John_Rambo wrote: »

When it comes to Raheny, the closer to the 190 acre St. Annes Park and Bull Island the better.

The park is made up of woodland, meadows and playing fields, plenty of fox, squirrels, badgers and wildlife. The Bull Island is a large island made up of mudflats, a large dune system, two golf clubs and a long beach. It's also a wildlife reserve that hosts rare bird breeds, a resident seal family and the odd dolphin.

That, along with a shorter commute ensures more time on the beach/park in the morning and evenings, I'm just back from the beach now. These area's are mature and quiet.. The Howth Road itself, Wades Avenue, Foxfield, Maywood, Bettyglen etc... The park has a good market every Saturday. Plenty of schools, sports, golf, clubs, scout troops to choose from for the kids. The area is very well serviced with public transport, DART and plenty of buses. Raheny village is slowly expanding, the amount of restaurants and shops are increasing.

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/820-howth-road-raheny-dublin-5/2184964

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/54-st-margaret-s-avenue-raheny-dublin-5/2224026

Thanks, John. Will add it to my list and take a look.

AlanG

by the seaside wrote: »

Thanks. I had meant to add Portmarnock but forgot it. I hadn't thought about Clontarf so will have a look at that.

The train station in Portmarnock is about 2km from most of the houses so watch out for that. I think Skerries station is also quite a bit from many of the houses.

by the seaside

AlanG wrote: »

The train station in Portmarnock is about 2km from most of the houses so watch out for that. I think Skerries station is also quite a bit from many of the houses.

Thanks. Yes, I have thought about this - don't particularly want to have to run two cars.

johnfar_ie

Not exactly what your looking for but have you thought about not living right beside the beaches? I live in Belmayne which is 5-10 minutes drive from Malahide, Portmarnock and 15 minutes from Howth. It's a new estate with two new primary schools (one Catholic and one Educate together). should bea easier to get into these than more established schools.

3-4 bedroom houses going for under €300,000

From a commute point of view, there are 3 buses into the city from just outside the estate and Clongriffin Dart station is only about a 20 minute walk away.

Just thought I'd throw it out there as another option.

by the seaside

johnfar_ie wrote: »

Not exactly what your looking for but have you thought about not living right beside the beaches? I live in Belmayne which is 5-10 minutes drive from Malahide, Portmarnock and 15 minutes from Howth. It's a new estate with two new primary schools (one Catholic and one Educate together). should bea easier to get into these than more established schools.

3-4 bedroom houses going for under €300,000

From a commute point of view, there are 3 buses into the city from just outside the estate and Clongriffin Dart station is only about a 20 minute walk away.

Just thought I'd throw it out there as another option.

That looks like a good idea as well - the setting looks great. It would be good to be right by the sea but perhaps I'm just fed up with being 2 1/2 hours away.But I am a bit suspicious of recently built house build quality - unless they are better in Ireland than over here.

miss no stars

OP, I don't think Howth is outside your price range and I can vouch for it being a good place to live. There are plenty of schools nearby and having commuted for years to the city centre via dart and bus, I've never had a problem with it. By bus it's' 60 mins in rush hour, 45 mins otherwise. Dart to Pearse is 30-35 minutes. You might have to stand for the first few stops but after that it's easy to get a seat, even at rush hour. It's a lovely area to live with minimal social issues. I found these after a quick search

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=682749
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/50-main-street-howth-co-dublin/2020880
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/44-balkill-park-howth-co-dublin/2104520


And if you wanted a fixer-upper, this one is in the heart of the village and a 1 minute walk from the bus, about 5 minutes from the DART:
http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=710564
Another fixer-upper:
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/48-grace-o-malley-road-howth-co-dublin/2322061

conorhal

With the current property crash I don't think even Blackrock is outside your price range, and very handilly located to all the amenities you require, not to mention it's about 20 mins by Dart to Pearse.

I'd reccomend hitting Daft.ie and taking down a couple of properties in each area mentioned within your budget and then hop over to Dublin for the weekend and hire a car and drive between then or if they are close to public transport, give that a try. It should give you a good feeling for an area and the commute.

noodler

Joe Hart wrote: »

The dodgy kip box ticked as well.

Raheny?



Great area.

Dart Station

Howth Road and all the bus connections that brings (29A, 31, 32 etc).

St Annes Park

Only two restaurants in the village though but more in surrounding area.

yada yada


Really Joe Hart, I don't know what kind of sheltered life you must have lived to consider Raheny a "dodgy kip".

miss no stars

noodler wrote: »

Raheny?



Great area.

Dart Station

Howth Road and all the bus connections that brings (29A, 31, 32 etc).

St Annes Park

Only two restaurants in the village though but more in surrounding area.

yada yada


Really Joe Hart, I don't know what kind of sheltered life you must have lived to consider Raheny a "dodgy kip".

Raheny itself is fine, it's the dodgy kips that call themselves Raheny that get it bad name (Edenmore & that place in behind the UCI in Coolock that calls itself Raheny).

But as I said, proper Raheny is a nice area.

noodler

miss no stars wrote: »

Raheny itself is fine, it's the dodgy kips that call themselves Raheny that get it bad name (Edenmore & that place in behind the UCI in Coolock that calls itself Raheny).

But as I said, proper Raheny is a nice area.

No doubt.

Going to college and school on the Southside though, I do get the impression that alot of people can't distinguish between places once they get across the liffey.

miss no stars

noodler wrote: »

No doubt.

Going to college and school on the Southside though, I do get the impression that alot of people can't distinguish between places once they get across the liffey.

I've moved the other direction (Born & bred in Howth, school in Sutton and college on northside, now moved to southside) and tbh I don't get what the fuss is about the "sarf saaahhd". Some awful kips over the side and a hell of a lot of passing traffic through most of it.

But that's for another thread

RATM

by the seaside wrote: »

That looks like a good idea as well - the setting looks great. It would be good to be right by the sea but perhaps I'm just fed up with being 2 1/2 hours away.But I am a bit suspicious of recently built house build quality - unless they are better in Ireland than over here.

You're right to be suspicious - Google Priory Hall and you'll see the nightmare that the residents have faced there. There is somewhere in the region of 40,000 houses in Ireland affected by pyrite so in any purchase, especially of houses built post 1999, ensure you do due diligence with a qualified structural engineer.

I can't comment about how busy the trains are in terms of standing- there is a Commuting and Transport forum here where you'd get better answers from people who commute it daily and some train drivers post there too.

Do bear in mind that the DART line finishes at Malahide, it doesn't go all the way to Skerries. You could take a DART to Malahide and then wait on the next commuter train to Skerries. Or you could take a DART and from Pearse to Connolly (which is a 6 minute walk and a journey easily done on dublinbikes.ie ) and hop on a commuter train for Drogheda which stops in Skerries. As these trains begin in Connolly your chances of a seat are dependent on if you're standing on the platform when the train pulls up. I don't think the commuter trains are as busy as DARTs as most people going further than Malahide to places like Drogheda, Dundalk and Belfast typically take the Enterprise train which is an express service.

There is a journey planner here http://transportforireland.ie/
And ww.cie.ie is the main train site

Just a note re:Greystones. In my opinion it is a lovely place with a good sense of community and it is not an overly arduous commute either. In respect of the beach at Greystones it isn't as nice as Malahide, Portmarnock or Skerries. The answer is in the name -Grey-Stones- it is quite a pebbly beach.

There has also been a huge cock-up there with the redevelopment of the harbour where a few brown envelopes to politicians have ensured that what should have been a nice amenity has turned into a permanent building site with no resolution in sight. What the beach & harbour lacks though is more than compensated by having the Dublin and Wicklow mountains on your doorstep and there is also a string of beautiful beaches in the Brittas Bay area which isn't too much of a drive away.

Anyway it sounds to me that you renting in an area for a year before purchasing is an excellent strategy. If you decide you don't like the area (or prefer another one over it) then you can easily pack up and move. There are also a good few holiday homes in all the towns mentioned, if you wanted you could come to Ireland for a week and book a short stay in a holiday home in where ever tops your list and then go driving around to other places. That way you'd get a brief but valuable sense of the area, amenities and shops before you rent there.

valleyoftheunos

I can't recommend Greystones enough, I lived there for a year and loved it, would go back in a heartbeat if I could. Harbor debacle aside it has everything, all ammenities, great sense of community, beautiful setting, transport links and is within your commute times.

Bigcheeze

miss no stars wrote: »

I've moved the other direction (Born & bred in Howth, school in Sutton and college on northside, now moved to southside) and tbh I don't get what the fuss is about the "sarf saaahhd". Some awful kips over the side and a hell of a lot of passing traffic through most of it.

But that's for another thread

If you were to judge by the colour-coded property tax map, Dublin seems to have an East/West divide more than North/South

by the seaside

miss no stars wrote: »

OP, I don't think Howth is outside your price range and I can vouch for it being a good place to live. There are plenty of schools nearby and having commuted for years to the city centre via dart and bus, I've never had a problem with it. By bus it's' 60 mins in rush hour, 45 mins otherwise. Dart to Pearse is 30-35 minutes. You might have to stand for the first few stops but after that it's easy to get a seat, even at rush hour. It's a lovely area to live with minimal social issues. I found these after a quick search

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=682749
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/50-main-street-howth-co-dublin/2020880
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/44-balkill-park-howth-co-dublin/2104520


And if you wanted a fixer-upper, this one is in the heart of the village and a 1 minute walk from the bus, about 5 minutes from the DART:
http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=710564
Another fixer-upper:
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/48-grace-o-malley-road-howth-co-dublin/2322061

Thanks so much - great finds, and good to have my assumptions tested by local experts. I need to sharpen up on my property website hunting skills. I think not know the area doesn't help. I have been using daft.ie as I'm a big fan of propertybee, but will take a look at myhome.ie as well.

Anyway, I've seen Howth from the ferry in the sunshine and from the plane with snow cover, and it looked great from there. Must give it a closer look.

Thanks again.

by the seaside

RATM wrote: »

You're right to be suspicious - Google Priory Hall and you'll see the nightmare that the residents have faced there. There is somewhere in the region of 40,000 houses in Ireland affected by pyrite so in any purchase, especially of houses built post 1999, ensure you do due diligence with a qualified structural engineer.

I can't comment about how busy the trains are in terms of standing- there is a Commuting and Transport forum here where you'd get better answers from people who commute it daily and some train drivers post there too.

Do bear in mind that the DART line finishes at Malahide, it doesn't go all the way to Skerries. You could take a DART to Malahide and then wait on the next commuter train to Skerries. Or you could take a DART and from Pearse to Connolly (which is a 6 minute walk and a journey easily done on dublinbikes.ie ) and hop on a commuter train for Drogheda which stops in Skerries. As these trains begin in Connolly your chances of a seat are dependent on if you're standing on the platform when the train pulls up. I don't think the commuter trains are as busy as DARTs as most people going further than Malahide to places like Drogheda, Dundalk and Belfast typically take the Enterprise train which is an express service.

There is a journey planner here http://transportforireland.ie/
And ww.cie.ie is the main train site

Just a note re:Greystones. In my opinion it is a lovely place with a good sense of community and it is not an overly arduous commute either. In respect of the beach at Greystones it isn't as nice as Malahide, Portmarnock or Skerries. The answer is in the name -Grey-Stones- it is quite a pebbly beach.

There has also been a huge cock-up there with the redevelopment of the harbour where a few brown envelopes to politicians have ensured that what should have been a nice amenity has turned into a permanent building site with no resolution in sight. What the beach & harbour lacks though is more than compensated by having the Dublin and Wicklow mountains on your doorstep and there is also a string of beautiful beaches in the Brittas Bay area which isn't too much of a drive away.

Anyway it sounds to me that you renting in an area for a year before purchasing is an excellent strategy. If you decide you don't like the area (or prefer another one over it) then you can easily pack up and move. There are also a good few holiday homes in all the towns mentioned, if you wanted you could come to Ireland for a week and book a short stay in a holiday home in where ever tops your list and then go driving around to other places. That way you'd get a brief but valuable sense of the area, amenities and shops before you rent there.

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

I can't recommend Greystones enough, I lived there for a year and loved it, would go back in a heartbeat if I could. Harbor debacle aside it has everything, all ammenities, great sense of community, beautiful setting, transport links and is within your commute times.

Thanks both. I have a few hours spare in Dublin before a flight this week, and can probsably visit one suburb. I think it will be Greystones, and if I have time a quick stop at Bray. We will be coming over by ferry / car very soon for a more detailed look / visit to in-laws in West.

And thanks to all. We have a great shortlist now, but keep those ideas coming...