Info on Blessington

Eoghanaldo

Hellooo,

I'm a newbie to Boards.ie (although have read people's valuable opinions on many things for years) and I need some advice. My wife and I have lived in Dublin for a good number of years and am in a position where my wife and I want to puchase a home to raise a family in.

For what we're looking for, there is no real value to be had in Dublin and we've narrowed our focus on a few areas, one being Blessington and more specifically the areas around the lakes. Could I ask advice on life in Blessington?

I work in the Smithfield area and I know the commute would be a pain but am willing to sacrifice 2 hours a day to come back to a nice home in a beautiful part of the country. We're wondering if there are social issues, crime, shopping and if there is a good standard of education in the area. I know this seems like a vague thread but any advice on the area would be most appreciated.

Cheerio!

fussyonion

Hi there!

I lived in Blessington for 9 years and I was quite happy there.
We lived in Downshire and it was really nice and quiet. Plenty of families there but not noisy or boisterous.

I did have the unfortunate luck to have my car stolen twice and my tyres slashed a few times, but I can't say that was BECAUSE I lived in Blessington-this will happen in many places and I *did* live on a dark-ish street.

The town is great with a lovely community feel to it and there's a car boot sale on the first Sunday of every month, in St.Kevin's Community Centre-great way of meeting people.

There are many pubs-my favourite was Murphy's (formerly The Lakes).
Great bunch of locals in there who make you feel welcome and a fab place to watch a match or have a meal. (They do amazing burgers).

West Wicklow House is another busy pub who do very well at weekends with live games being shown on the telly and live music too.
Food is always a big thing in this pub and Sundays are jammers with families out for a roast.

SuperValu is a great ol' shop with friendly staff.
You've got Aldi now too, on the corner, which was always a great place to pick up a bargain.

The local church is gorgeous, though I didn't frequent it often.
The little bookshop is adorable and it has a small little area for having a coffee while you read your book.

Macari's and Dempsey's are your local chippers.
(Dempsey's is located beside Hennessey's pub and doesn't actually have signage on the front but it is a hidden gem; the owner is very generous with the chips!

Hennessey's, as I mentioned, is another pub but I never went into it so I can't comment.

Miley's is another pub just down from it and is alright, though the landlady is known for coughing into your drink (!)

Mick Reid's is a small pub with mainly older men in it and again, I didn't go there often, so can't comment further.

The Lemon Tree is your local Chinese restaurant and always looks busy at the weekend.

The Flaming Wok is a Chinese takeaway and does great grub,

There's also a camping shop (tents, caravans etc), Ulster Bank and of course Dunnes Stores.

Sorry for going on about the shops and pubs...
I liked living in Blessington.

I did feel a bit isolated sometimes, but that's 'cos I'm from Dublin and I had none of my family or friends around, and the bus service is not great.
The 65 is every hour or so, worse on a Sunday.

You'll be near Blessington Lake too, which is a gorgeous spot for a picnic, and Avon Ri is nearby too.

It's a great place to live in if you want a small town feel with friendly locals but if you're a real city person who thrives on being near shopping centres and high street shops, you might feel like you're missing out...though Tallaght's only a 20 minute drive away.

To summarise, it's a friendly place to live with nice people living in it and I know many Dubs have moved there and love it.

Good luck!

the_syco

fussyonion wrote: »

I lived in Blessington for 9 years and I was quite happy there.
We lived in Downshire and it was really nice and quiet. Plenty of families there but not noisy or boisterous.

Maybe interesting on your thoughts of the snow and ice over the past year or two, and if it affected the roads much? Also, how are the roads between Blessington and Naas railway station? If the OP hopes to continue the commute, would it benefit him getting the train to Heuston?

djimi

the_syco wrote: »

Maybe interesting on your thoughts of the snow and ice over the past year or two, and if it affected the roads much? Also, how are the roads between Blessington and Naas railway station? If the OP hopes to continue the commute, would it benefit him getting the train to Heuston?

Its a bit of a trek from Blessington to Sallins for the train; 10-ish minutes to Naas and then another maybe ten minutes to Sallins depending on morning traffic. Probably as easy to head up to one of the Luas park and rides to be honest.

Eoghanaldo

Thanks fussyonion for the advice, seems like a well serviced town and a good selection of pubs . Would there be an element of anti-social behaviour and/or criminality in the larger area? We're looking at the areas of Ballyknockan and Valleymount and curious to hear whether you would know of these more rural areas falling easy prey to burglaries, theft, drive-by shootings, etc.

In relation to the commute, I have been looking into the options available. There's the ole drive all the way and add another car to Dublin's traffic, Tallaght Luas park & ride, bus all the way and then there's the very interesting option of heading for Sallins and train to Heuston, which would be ideal for Smithfield work.

The only issue with that is the, frankly outrageous, decision by IE to not supply the taxsaver rail ticket to the commuter from the Naas area. Am I right in saying that that is the case?!

Thanks again for all your valuable input guys!

the_syco

Eoghanaldo wrote: »

In relation to the commute, I have been looking into the options available. There's the ole drive all the way and add another car to Dublin's traffic, Tallaght Luas park & ride, bus all the way and then there's the very interesting option of heading for Sallins and train to Heuston, which would be ideal for Smithfield work.

Seems the Luas goes from Saggart, as well as Tallaght. This may suit you a lot better, as the Luas Red Line route goes from Saggart has a stop near Smithfield. And the Luas has taxsaver tickets; taxsavertickets.luas.ie

Sulla Felix

Eoghanaldo wrote: »

Thanks fussyonion for the advice, seems like a well serviced town and a good selection of pubs . Would there be an element of anti-social behaviour and/or criminality in the larger area? We're looking at the areas of Ballyknockan and Valleymount and curious to hear whether you would know of these more rural areas falling easy prey to burglaries, theft, drive-by shootings, etc.

The villages around the lake (Lacken, Ballyknockan and Valleymount are the largest) would largely avoid the small amount of anti-social behaviour that Blessington suffers. Lacken recently lost it's newsagents so is slightly less attractive now I guess. There haven't been any major problems with crime in the area. One or two here or there, but nothing like the spate that has seen national coverage in Donegal for example. Simple precautions like keeping expensive gardening equipment under lock and key, getting to know your neighbours (so they can keep an eye out when you're away) and having a decent monitored alarm really take care of everything.

Ravens

I'm curious Eoghanaldo, did you end up moving to the Blessington area? If yes then how are you finding it all?

I'm moving back there in August this year :-)

Ravens

There seems to be several Playschools in Blessington so I'm wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for the best one?

No mention of the education in the area in the original reply - is it ok these days?

rightoldpickle

There are plenty of options regarding playschools and primary schools.

Playschools - off the top of my head there is Sakura on the main st, cocoon in behind Dunnnes, happy faces in the adult eduction centre, blessington abbey in the estate and then a Naoinra in the community centre.

If you want contact details for any if them or the schools try www.blessington.info

Ravens

Thanks!

I had a look on Blessington.info and got all the names however am curious if anyone has any opinions on which is best? There is actually too much choice!!

Speaking of primary schools. Anyone know if the Gaelscoil is any good or even if sending your child to a Gaelscoil is a good idea, education wise??

Eoghanaldo

Ravens wrote: »

I'm curious Eoghanaldo, did you end up moving to the Blessington area? If yes then how are you finding it all?

I'm moving back there in August this year :-)

Sorry about the delay Ravens. Well, a few things came together to make the decision for us really. Both of us worked in the city centre at the time and we were in negotiations for a house in Ballyknockan, but my wife got a new job in Swords. Although we absolutely loved the Blessington area, we had to get our noggins involved and bought a great house in Donabate in an area which we loved too. We still get down to Blessington from time to time, so when the Lotto is won, I'll be spending weekends by the lakes

Ravens

The important thing is that you ended up moving to a place where you are happy! Best of luck with that...and the winning of the Lotto!!!!