Portlaise like to live in??

safarigirl

we are thinking of moving to Portlaise for my husbands work next year. what sort of place is it like to live in, we have a baby and a 2 year old. I heard there is a bit of a drug scene there? would this effect my day to day life or just something people do on a night out on the weekend? IWe stopped there for the day and seemed like it had everything we need and I like the old town area. I just wish I could read some good reviews on the internet about the town, because everything I have read seems to be negative, which is ashame. I might move there and love it!
The other options are portarlington or tullamore, but Portlaise my favourite as it has a educate together school and my children aren't christened? any advice would be great!

purplekitty

Hey,
Moved up here to be closer my In-Laws, from Carlow, and im originally from Kildare
been living up here three years, in Clonroosk... up by the Tullamore road area.
I am a 28yr old woman, and feel comfortable walking my dog by myself at night time around all routes.
I have never been hassled ever in my time here,

True......
there is a large population of youths here, prominently 14-18yr olds, but have not a bad word about them.

The shops are getting better and better, and there are whispers of an Asda opening up in the outskirts in the next few years.

Good pub scene, up and coming restaurants, good cinema...
Local college with interesting evening courses

I put it on par with Carlow and Naas, where i lived before.

I feel safe by myself, not even a conscious thought.
If you need a tour around, i will help

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Moved to Portlaoise recently and tbh I find it a very rough town. There does seen to be a lot of drugs (and bah's/wah's) about the place, and it's a town where you actually see junkies floating around the place, I've been stopped on two occasions (in as many months) once on Jessop St by 3 of them looking for smokes, and once in the alley by the sweet shop.

It isn't a town I would personally feel safe in after dark. That said, I'm sure it's on a par with a lot of towns of its size.

Deasyb

Hi, I'm also considering Portlaoise. Can anyone tell me how long the commute to the IFSC actually takes. Irish Rail site says over 2hrs but I'm not convinced. Also any good areas you can recommend to live in? Preferably near the station and primary schools.

kmart6

Deasyb wrote: »

Hi, I'm also considering Portlaoise. Can anyone tell me how long the commute to the IFSC actually takes. Irish Rail site says over 2hrs but I'm not convinced. Also any good areas you can recommend to live in? Preferably near the station and primary schools.

From Portarlington it's an hour and fifteen, so add another fifteen or so on for Portlaoise!

Deasyb

kmart6 wrote: »

From Portarlington it's an hour and fifteen, so add another fifteen or so on for Portlaoise!

Thanks for the response. Would I be safe in saying the 7:20 from Portlaoise would have me into work for 9:00 most mornings then or are the trains usually late? I'm also considering Newbridge but the prices for both rent and buying in Portlaoise are so much cheaper it's a tough choice.

kmart6

Deasyb wrote: »

Thanks for the response. Would I be safe in saying the 7:20 from Portlaoise would have me into work for 9:00 most mornings then or are the trains usually late? I'm also considering Newbridge but the prices for both rent and buying in Portlaoise are so much cheaper it's a tough choice.

Yes, you'd be in at 9, I get into Heuston around 8:25 every morning and am sitting at my desk by 8:45, no latter than 8:50.

As for your question about the trains, there is no straight forward answer, it is a service that will have delays from time to time, a lot of people who commute on the train don't seem to understand that, if it's something you feel you couldn't deal with it might be better off looking at a different option for commuting.

artful_codger

Deasyb, if you intend on parking the car at Portlaoise train station, it'd be wise to check if there is adequate parking space.

Deasyb

kmart6 wrote: »

Yes, you'd be in at 9, I get into Heuston around 8:25 every morning and am sitting at my desk by 8:45, no latter than 8:50.

As for your question about the trains, there is no straight forward answer, it is a service that will have delays from time to time, a lot of people who commute on the train don't seem to understand that, if it's something you feel you couldn't deal with it might be better off looking at a different option for commuting.

Thanks for responding, I'm good with commuting, it's just I used to commute into Connolly 5+ years ago and the trains were late over 90% of the time so I was wondering if things had improved at all. Back then it wasn't uncommon for me to arrive home 3 or 4 hours later than I should have. Heuston lines always appeared to be a lot more reliable.

elvis jones

kmart6 wrote: »

From Portarlington it's an hour and fifteen, so add another fifteen or so on for Portlaoise!

And then the LUAS ! Remember the times about are only to Heuston ! Heuston lines are a lot better as the main problem with Connolly is the bridge over the Liffey and the limited traffic that can get across it.

Roxirose

The train has improved a lot since 5 years ago. I would day it's reliable 99% of the time.
Plenty of parking at the station in portlaoise too. It's park by text.
As for portlaoise. There are nice areas to live, and there are kips.
Amenities wise it is good, plenty of social life, nice restaurants, parks, cinema etc

kmart6

elvis jones wrote: »

And then the LUAS ! Remember the times about are only to Heuston ! Heuston lines are a lot better as the main problem with Connolly is the bridge over the Liffey and the limited traffic that can get across it.

No it's 49 minutes to Heuston! The hour and fifteen was to my office!