What is Kells like to live in?

CCFairy

Hi All,
My Mum is about to buy a house in Kells Co. Meath. She currently lives in Mayo and wants to move closer to Dublin for her retirement to be nearer to her family. She had found a nice house there within her price range. Im just wondering if Kells is going to be somewhere she can be happy in.

_Kaiser_

I used to live up the road from it in Virginia and was in Kells a fair bit with work. Not somewhere I'd want to live myself.. very run down, very little to do in it.

Virginia would be a lot better option IMO and still on the M3. 40 mins from there to Blanchardstown.

hadook

I don't think there's much difference between your average small town in Mayo and Kells really.

It depends what your mother is looking for. There are the usual shops, pubs etc. The Kells People's Resource Centre opened a couple of years ago and judging by their Facebook page there's loads to do if you're around the town during the day - I've seen all sorts of classes and activities for all age groups advertised. Saying that, the library looks pretty much the same as when my parents first moved to the area 27 years ago and you wouldn't want to try to park in the town while Mass is on. There's a decent enough chipper and a fantastic butcher but I'd rather starve than try to eat a sandwich bought at lunchtime in any of the shops. It does have a direct bus link to Dublin and the M3 is excellent (if a little pricey toll wise). It's not a terrible place to live but it's not very exciting either and the town could do with a facelift or three.

I live 7k outside Kells and while I'm happy enough I wouldn't live there if I didn't need to be close-ish to my mother. If you have transport and you're willing to go to Navan or Blanchardstown for the bigger stuff then it's not the worst place to live.

Access

If i had a choice... i would be looking at Trim.

WildSaffron

I have lived in Kells for 8 years and it is a remarkably improved and lovely place to live in.

Since the bypass was put in a couple years back, it is so much more pleasant without the constant traffic that used to snarl up the town.

And the beauty of it is - a hop and a skip to the M3 and you are in Dublin in 45 minutes.

Kells has had a great facelift done on it by the Local Heroes - the place sparkled during the recent Hay Literary Festival in June this year.

The Resource Centre as someone said above has a lot of activities for older people and there is a great community spirit there.

Plenty for your mother to get involved in and everything is pretty much in walking distance.

I take it she is not moving for the bright lights of the city!

Foodwise you could not beat Kells:

- award winning sausages and puddings from Thomas Doherty the Butcher
- great meats from Jim Ryan's Farm
- award winning mushrooms from Kerrigan's Mushrooms
- prize winning turkeys from Hogan's Farm
- organic turkeys from Maperath Farm
- award winning dairy products from Kilbeg Dairies
- a lovely new café called the Butterfly Cafe that would rival any in Dublin - with a lovely garden to sit outside if it is sunny - just opposite the place where Maureen O'Hara's father had his forge.
- Café Therese in the Headfort Arms Hotel
- The award winning Vanilla Pod restaurant
- The award winning Forge restaurant
- several other restaurants - the Cross St. Bistro, The Bective, The Round Tower ...

If your mother likes history - it is all there from pre-history to early Christian & Norman history - if she likes literature - the world famous Hay Literary Festival is set to stay and will be back next year on the first weekend in July.

Walks galore - the Ringfort & Blackwater River Walk - the Teltown/Donaghpatrick Walk - the Girley Bog - and she could venture up to Loughcrew Cairns - 800 years older than Newgrange.

We have a great Musical & Dramatic Society - this weekend they are staging their latest show in a state of the art theatre - the Kells Theatre (www.kellstheatre.com)

I could go on......

I suggest your mother spend a day in Kells to get the feel of it - and I would personally love to take her around and show her the sights!

wildSaffy

CCFairy

Thanks everyone for your advice and information. My Mam is still looking at buying in Kells or Kinnegad so all the information on Kells is brilliant to have. If anyone knows anything about Kinnegad I'd appreciate that information too. Thanks in particular to Wild Saffy for your very comprehensive and positive over view of Kells. WE might just take you up on your offer if she gets a house there

youtube!

Access wrote: »

If i had a choice... i would be looking at Trim.

Agree with this 1000%

girl_friday

I'm living in Kells for the last three years and love it! So much so that even though I am now working in Dunshaughlin I wouldn't even consider moving.

ani_mal

CCFairy wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your advice and information. My Mam is still looking at buying in Kells or Kinnegad so all the information on Kells is brilliant to have. If anyone knows anything about Kinnegad I'd appreciate that information too. Thanks in particular to Wild Saffy for your very comprehensive and positive over view of Kells. WE might just take you up on your offer if she gets a house there

Hi, I live in Kells for last 7 years, and I like it, but there are parts which I rather avoid. like some eastern councill housing places.

jamesbondings

Sorry to drag up an old thread. Looking at a possible move to either kells or trim at the moment. Im a stueldent in dublin so will have to travel up most days ...gonna be moving in with the girlfied and her mate...both from meath and have both expressed that kells isnt the best place to be in terms of quality of life....Ie the place is a bit of a hell hole with a good few degenerates around and not altogether safe and also being quite run down....having never been to kells I googled and found this thread..has kells changed any recently....I personally just want a nice place to live. And maybe a cheap game of golf on the weekend. Thus trim or kells suit. Also whats the nearest rugby club navan?

ani_mal

jamesbondings; I moved to Kells 7 years ago an I am happy with the move.
If you keep to the "good side of the town" there isn't much of the bad element. I think in every town you get that.
what I would look if I were you is the buses, how many travel to Dublin and how often. Kells has rather good connection with 3 busses going to Dublin through Kells.
not sure which activities you will find for yourself but there is a rugby club (http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/northmeathrfc not sure if this is what you are looking for) here, soccer club, swimming pool, golf club as well as small golf, etc. when it comes to renting PM me and I will advise you what to look out for if you want. There are some nice apartments to rent in the center of the town itself now and again.
Not sure about Trim, I go there now and again but shop wise worst than Kells in my opinion but you have LIDL there if you prefer.

maggiepip

Have lived in Kells for many years now and can honestly say Ive never felt safer anywhere! Sure there would be a slightly "tougher" element to a certain area but you get that in every town, and it would pale to insignificance compared to some towns. I find Kells a lovely town with a very pleasant easygoing atmosphere, love living here.

ani_mal

maggiepip wrote: »

Have lived in Kells for many years now and can honestly say Ive never felt safer anywhere! Sure there would be a slightly "tougher" element to a certain area but you get that in every town, and it would pale to insignificance compared to some towns. I find Kells a lovely town with a very pleasant easygoing atmosphere, love living here.

Maybe call me "old" but I like Kells too, every time I have to travel to Dublin I can see what is happening there, and the streaking poverty, then I come back to my house and thank God for where I live. Cheaper than Dublin, more community spirit and people aren't so mean.

WildSaffron

Just came across this thread again - and nice to have an opportunity to weigh in again for Kells.

Am heading off this weekend to the Guth Gafa International Film Festival (www.guthgafa.com) in Kells/Headfort House over Saturday and Sunday - where else could you get stuff of this quality outside of a city?

Then we have the Spirits of Meath Festival in October (www.spiritsofmeath.ie) with plenty to do.

The Boyne Valley Food Series had lots of foodie events in Kells this year (www.boynevalleyfoodseries.ie) and am heading to a taster film with cheese and wine in Sheridan's Cheesemongers tonight.

It isn't a city, but it is a town with room and space for as little or as much as you want to do!

ScottStorm

I was once crossing the main street in kells with my pregnant wife and some local scummer accelerated the car towards us and shouted racist abuse our way as he drove past.

Kells is ok but it has some real pieces of sh#t living there.

jimd2

WildSaffron wrote: »

Just came across this thread again - and nice to have an opportunity to weigh in again for Kells.

Am heading off this weekend to the Guth Gafa International Film Festival (www.guthgafa.com) in Kells/Headfort House over Saturday and Sunday - where else could you get stuff of this quality outside of a city?

Then we have the Spirits of Meath Festival in October (www.spiritsofmeath.ie) with plenty to do.

The Boyne Valley Food Series had lots of foodie events in Kells this year (www.boynevalleyfoodseries.ie) and am heading to a taster film with cheese and wine in Sheridan's Cheesemongers tonight.

It isn't a city, but it is a town with room and space for as little or as much as you want to do!

I hope that you are on a commission from Kells Chamber of Commerce / Tourist office:)

On the subject, it does depend on what a person wants. A eldery person moving and not commuting would be focusing on cost probably and Kells still has a sense of community also so Kells is a decent option.

A student commuting t Dublin or a starter family are probably better off in Trim. I am not going to list thefestivals etc but there are also a lot there too.

And remember if you are driving you have a toll both ways to Kells but Trim you have a choice to go by toll or not (Thanks Noel Dempsey):)