Celbridge, a nice place to live?

ant25

Hey all
Thinking of moving to Celbridge and wondering about the area. Saw some old boards messages which say some bad thngs about but have spoken to people who say nothing but good things. Any honest ideas would be very welcome

GarIT

It depends on if you want kids or not. There was an extremely high amount of drug usage while I was in school there, the schools know but won't do anything to stop drugs being sold. Maybe that's everywhere now though. Some areas are known for antisocial behaviour but most are fine.

There's very much of a parish atmosphere here too. If you don't watch GAA and and don't support Celbridge you're looked down on.

Traffic in Celbridge village is a nightmare, it can take ages to get across the bridge over the Liffey, there were two extra bridges proposed by the council for the village to fix the traffic problem but they were petitioned against by local groups because "they would have destroyed the heritage of the town". You have several thousand commuters meeting each day at one bridge which joins 5 different roads, worse traffic situation I've seen, worse than Dublin city, it took about an hour to drive from the train station to the village just before Christmas, and a 20-30min que to get into the village isn't uncommon during rush hour for the rest of the year.

ant25

Tanks garIT, appreciate it. Do you know what Dara Court is like and Castel town are like?

GarIT

ant25 wrote: »

Tanks garIT, appreciate it. Do you know what Dara Court is like and Castel town are like?

Dara Court itself is nice but it's joined by alleyways to one of the bad estates, sometimes you get teens drinking around there, once you're not next to those though there shouldn't be any problems. Castletown is nice, some of the houses are small though, it's mainly older residents, avoid the houses near the forest, the forest attracts the usual suspects.

tvnutz

GarIT wrote: »

It depends on if you want kids or not. There was an extremely high amount of drug usage while I was in school there, the schools know but won't do anything to stop drugs being sold. Maybe that's everywhere now though. Some areas are known for antisocial behaviour but most are fine.

Lived here my whole life, went to school here, that's an exaggeration if I ever saw one. To say extremely high is ridiculous, as with every town there are problems with drugs but if you stay away from that kind of thing and the people involved it won't affect you. That comes from having worked in one of the local secondary schools for a year.

There's very much of a parish atmosphere here too. If you don't watch GAA and and don't support Celbridge you're looked down on.

That could be said of any town, and I don't buy it, personally I put it as a general country wide snobbery from certain GAA heads, I hate the sport, I'm big involved in the football ("soccer") here, and this so called being looked down on for not liking GAA is also ridiculous.

Traffic in Celbridge village is a nightmare, it can take ages to get across the bridge over the Liffey, there were two extra bridges proposed by the council for the village to fix the traffic problem but they were petitioned against by local groups because "they would have destroyed the heritage of the town". You have several thousand commuters meeting each day at one bridge which joins 5 different roads, worse traffic situation I've seen, worse than Dublin city, it took about an hour to drive from the train station to the village just before Christmas, and a 20-30min que to get into the village isn't uncommon during rush hour for the rest of the year.

Traffic can be bad at peak times, but its not as bad as you suggest, not all traffic needs to go out over the bridge, The Celbridge Interchange up near the Salesians gives direct access to the M4 and coming from Dublin from work I can either use that or through the village, the interchange gets me home quicker. Again traffic can be a problem with many towns.

For kids, there are plenty of different clubs, a youthcafe, a new massive entertainment centre that just opened- www.basecelbridge.ie is something that has been needed in the town for some time but is a great addition, bowling, laser tag etc. I'd recommend it as a place to live.

ant25

thanks again, apreciate those comments. I think all schools will have these problems so I guess as long as it isn't a huge problem then I wouldn't be overly worried.
I have to say the general vibe I get from the place is pretty chilled out but it's good to know of those areas to watch out for as it seems that could be a problem.
It would seem around hazlehatch and that side of the river has less problems and newer estates?
Thanks

GarIT

tvnutz wrote: »

Lived here my whole life, went to school here, that's an exaggeration if I ever saw one. To say extremely high is ridiculous, as with every town there are problems with drugs but if you stay away from that kind of thing and the people involved it won't affect you. That comes from having worked in one of the local secondary schools for a year.



That could be said of any town, and I don't buy it, personally I put it as a general country wide snobbery from certain GAA heads, I hate the sport, I'm big involved in the football ("soccer") here, and this so called being looked down on for not liking GAA is also ridiculous.



Traffic can be bad at peak times, but its not as bad as you suggest, not all traffic needs to go out over the bridge, The Celbridge Interchange up near the Salesians gives direct access to the M4 and coming from Dublin from work I can either use that or through the village, the interchange gets me home quicker. Again traffic can be a problem with many towns.

For kids, there are plenty of different clubs, a youthcafe, a new massive entertainment centre that just opened- www.basecelbridge.ie is something that has been needed in the town for some time but is a great addition, bowling, laser tag etc. I'd recommend it as a place to live.

I've been to school here in the last two years and have come across students openly selling drugs in the toilets or numerous occasions, the school were quite useless when asked to deal with the problem.

There probably is GAA snobbery in most of the country, it's probably not just Celbridge. My only comparission is that I have lived in Tallaght and in Celbridge, never in Tallaght have I been given out to for not knowing the results of GAA matches or had people stare at me like I'm a freak when I say I've no interest in it. It's a minor annoyance compared to what goes on in some places and is probably happening all over the country outside of Dublin. Celbridge is the type of place where a lot of people know each other and I have felt looked down on for not wanting to be involved in all the local events.

Traffic is a bad a problem as I said, I didn't say it's terrible all over, just that the bridge is. When you can come in by the motorway you're grand you get the usual rush hour traffic but if you have to use the bridge during rush hour you really are F***ed.

GarIT

ant25 wrote: »

thanks again, apreciate those comments. I think all schools will have these problems so I guess as long as it isn't a huge problem then I wouldn't be overly worried.
I have to say the general vibe I get from the place is pretty chilled out but it's good to know of those areas to watch out for as it seems that could be a problem.
It would seem around hazlehatch and that side of the river has less problems and newer estates?
Thanks

Where you need to avoid are the forest, St. Patricks park (estate) and Ballymakealy, everywhere else is grand. The Hazelhatch side of Celbridge has much less teens anyway.

ant25

thanks folks really appreciate the local knowledge, any other info would be great like for example I hear there have been flooding problems?
Is this a big issue?

mloc123

I think Patricks Park gets a bad rep, maybe it was bad 10-15 years ago but it seems fine to me now... mostly older people living in it. I only walk through it on route to the main street but it seems fine to me.

We live in Dara Court (5 yrs now), previously we lived in Beaty Grove and Priory Square. We like Dara Court, it is a smaller estate.. quiet and has older couples/families living in it. Did not like Priory Square, car was broken into a couple of times within 12 months.

Castletown, I would avoid any houses close to the woods.. a lot of cars were burned out a year or two ago.. not sure if it still happens.

Features wise, Castletown house is a great area for running, walking etc..

GarIT

ant25 wrote: »

thanks folks really appreciate the local knowledge, any other info would be great like for example I hear there have been flooding problems?
Is this a big issue?

A couple of estates got a bit, I don't think houses were affected. That year when half the country was underwater this is the worst we got https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIkgRhwf5Pg

Joe Public

You could also check out the local Celbridge forum at http://www.celbridge.co.nr

www.thecelbridgehub.ie

www.celbridgetidytowns.com

If you use Facebook then check out these

https://www.facebook.com/Celbridgeguidedtours

https://www.facebook.com/CelbridgeTown

https://www.facebook.com/celbridge.buzz

https://www.facebook.com/CelbridgeCommunityCouncil

Peppa Pig

GarIT wrote: »

I've been to school here in the last two years and have come across students openly selling drugs in the toilets or numerous occasions, the school were quite useless when asked to deal with the problem.

What school is this?

Davidth88

OP, I have been living in Celbridge now for 12 yrs , I am bringing up a young family here

Really I love it, the primary school my eldest is going to ( Aghards ) is a fine school

You do see some evidence of anti social behaviour , for example drinking in the street / some low level vandalism ( the playground for example was a magnet for what I would describe as ' undesirables ' after 4-5pm ).

The village has a great atmosphere TBH, really it's pulling it's self up by the boot strings now , you see good work being done by the Tidy Towns everywhere.

Traffic , a lot of this was fixed by the motorway link rd , if you go down to the village at 08:40/45 it is sticky because you have the school traffic , but by and large it works well.

I for one was very glad the Donacomper development ( new bridge/town ) was a victim of the crash , it would have totally ruined the Castletown lands . While I am on that subject , Castletown is a fantastic asset , great in the summer for picnics ( even paddling in the river ) and in the winter for walks.

Snoopy1

I live in Priory square and have never had a problem.
Been in Celbridge 18 months now, and i really like it.
The traffic can be a bit hectic, but just avoid the school run

Paranoid Mandroid

We’re in the hazelhatch side for the last 8 years and it’s great, I’d definitely recommend it there and Celbridge in general.

What I like:
The people in Celbridge seem nice. I know there is trouble like anywhere but I’ve never seen any that would change my opinion. Its grand.
The local shops (hazelhatch side) are dead handy, a new super value and a costa coffee and there is also a small tescos store. Staff in all places are sound.
I like the village, it has character. It’s not perfect but I like it.
Castle town house grounds are fantastic for a stroll and I like the restaurant in there.
The grand canal is a short walk (mile from celbridge?) and is great for runs. I used to do a lot of running but have had to quit but I loved it there and then theres the short but sharp hills around athgoe where there is nice scenery and little or no traffic. This isn’t in celbridge but somewhere I ran to every other day. I’ve run around celbridge hundreds of times, covering hundreds of miles and only once had a little twat act the ass.
The train is handy enough to get to from this side of town and is reliable.
The nitelink is handy and fast from Dublin. I’m sure there can be trouble on it, I’ve never seen it myself and walk home from the village a lot, no issues. In fact there is usually good banter on it.
No traffic issues on this side of the town.
Good doctor.
Good dentist (in village).
Access to M4 and Naas road.
A GAA club and an athletic club that my son will be forced to use will hopefully use.

What I don’t like:
Could do with a quality restaurant(s)
If I made more of an effort I know I’d enjoy the pubs but I’m not crazy on them. That’s just one person’s opinion, which means nothing. I do like mcevoys beside the canal.
Traffic going through the bridge during the school run.
Parking in the town.
I have had my car broken into once. Sh1t happens.

That is all I have to say about that

Eric Cartman

Im from leixlip but would have a lot of mates in celbridge and spend quite a bit of time there.

Celbridge is mostly alright, things you want to avoid are estates like ballymakealy although I think thats all council and no private houses or st patricks park. Tesco is no longer 24 hours due to antisocial problems, but when its dark a lot of teens on skateboards or bikes are around there, normally they dont bother people but cars have been damaged.

the walls near bus stops / by beaty park/grove are another hangout for teens, and there is lots of drug dealing and use down near castletown gate at night.

There was a problem with a roaming gang attacking random people last year but I think the guards picked them up.

Celbridge would be a bit rougher than say maynooth , clane or leixlip but its nowhere near as bad as a lot of parts of dublin, just avoid the blackspots and you'll be fine.

Joe Public

I'm not too sure why you advise people to avoid Ballymakealy and St Patrick's Park, it's not as if there are daily or weekly muggings in these areas. Both estates are occupied by mainly sound good people and a small few that could have more sense like you have in all estates. If you are deciding on where to live and can afford houses in most estates then another factor to take into consideration can be the Tidy Towns - Tidy Estates Competition.

cgarvey

Eric Cartman wrote: »

avoid are estates like [..] st patricks park.

That's one of those things you hear about, lots. Yet I've never seen any trouble, or any signs of trouble there, and I've walked it many the night from around 10pm 'til 2 or 3 am (with the dog). Whenever I ask what the problem is, I never get an answer. I.e. no one can provide an example of anti-social behaviour or problem with theft, etc. They just "heard".

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Tesco is no longer 24 hours due to antisocial problems

That's simply not the case at all.

GarIT

cgarvey wrote: »

That's one of those things you hear about, lots. Yet I've never seen any trouble, or any signs of trouble there, and I've walked it many the night from around 10pm 'til 2 or 3 am (with the dog). Whenever I ask what the problem is, I never get an answer. I.e. no one can provide an example of anti-social behaviour or problem with theft, etc. They just "heard".

I know a couple of families that are getting a lot of trouble from neighbours in Ballymc. There are a few families of nomadic decent that cause a lot of hassle for residents.

GarIT

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Tesco is no longer 24 hours due to antisocial problems.

the walls near bus stops / by beaty park/grove are another hangout for teens, and there is lots of drug dealing and use down near castletown gate at night.

Nearly all Tesco stores that were 24 hours nationwide are now closing at night, it is a company decision as they were loosing money at night. Maynooth is soon to follow.

I've never seen any problem other than a bit of litter around the bus stop and very occasionally the windows will get broken in on the stop which happens at any bus stop. I haven't seen teens hanging out around there but even if they did it's not a problem unless they actually do anything wrong.

I'm often at castletown gates at night often for hours, I haven't see any drug dealing happening there.

wirelessdude01

GarIT wrote: »

Nearly all Tesco stores that were 24 hours nationwide are now closing at night, it is a company decision as they were loosing money at night. Maynooth is soon to follow.

I've never seen any problem other than a bit of litter around the bus stop and very occasionally the windows will get broken in on the stop which happens at any bus stop. I haven't seen teens hanging out around there but even if they did it's not a problem unless they actually do anything wrong.

I'm often at castletown gates at night often for hours, I haven't see any drug dealing happening there.

Maynooth has already been shutting early for the past few months.

GarIT

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Maynooth has already been shutting early for the past few months.

I thought that was still to come, either way it was due to financial reasons rather than antisocial behaviour.

n97 mini

Celbridge is also short on services (aside from Supermarkets):

- No real train station
- Doesn't have a bus terminus for the one service it does have (67)
- Nitelink is patchy
- No swimming pool
- No cinema
- No recycling centre

The last three can mean a car in Celbridge is not optional, but almost equally they apply to Maynooth, Leixlip, etc.

Joe Public

n97 mini wrote: »

Celbridge is also short on services (aside from Supermarkets):

- No real train station
- Doesn't have a bus terminus for the one service it does have (67)
- Nitelink is patchy
- No swimming pool
- No cinema
- No recycling centre

The last three can mean a car in Celbridge is not optional, but almost equally they apply to Maynooth, Leixlip, etc.

************************

Celbridge has a very good train station, it's just that's it's a mile outside the town with a feeder bus service.

Why do you need a bus terminus?

Nitelink was there any time I needed it.

Swimming pool in St Raphael's, The Manor hotel are possibly developing a leisure centre.

KCC refused a cinema, still not convinced on the reasons.

Nearest recycling centre for north Kildare is Kilcullen or Ballymount. There was a plan to site one on the Maynooth Rd. in Celbridge but objections went against it.

Paranoid Mandroid

n97 mini wrote: »

Celbridge is also short on services (aside from Supermarkets):

- No real train station
- Doesn't have a bus terminus for the one service it does have (67)
- Nitelink is patchy
- No swimming pool
- No cinema
- No recycling centre

The last three can mean a car in Celbridge is not optional, but almost equally they apply to Maynooth, Leixlip, etc.

There’s also no…

• Ice rink
• Major Casino
• Indoor ski slope
• Turkish baths
• Brothel (that I know of)

….but we just have to look on the bright side and live with it :pac:

cgarvey

n97 mini wrote: »

- No real train station
- Doesn't have a bus terminus for the one service it does have (67)
- Nitelink is patchy
- No swimming pool
- No cinema
- No recycling centre

In order:

• It has a train station (with decent car park), that has a regular commuter service. No DART (yet, at least; some of the works have been completed), but there's still a regular service. There's a free feeder bus for most services to/from the village.
• Doesn't need a bus terminus. There are plenty of sheltered bus stops, RTPI signs, and regular bus stops. The service is a reliable (in my experience) twice hourly service. Also cheap given that we're not paying the outer-suburban rate (just the over 13 stages rate).
• Nitelink has never failed me. Great value for a fiver (and is direct, not the windy regular 67 route). Never any hassle on any I've got, either.
• No swimming pool is probably the most legitimate argument you have. Although there are options nearby if you are committed. Plenty of towns of Celbridge's size don't have a pool, but it would be nice alright.
• Cinema is a 20 minute bus journey away (Liffey Valley)
• Plenty of recycling options (regular recycling bins plastered all over the village). If it's larger WEEE/oil/wood stuff you want, most towns and villages don't have such a facility.

I think you're demanding more than is sustainable for a small town like Celbridge, and exaggerating the lack of public transport options.

L1011

67N has one less frequency than the 66N. Its not as marked as the days of 3 vs 7 and €1 more.

tvnutz

I also mentioned the new Entertainment centre Base in an earlier post, brought the U14 team that I coach up there for their Christmas party, laser tag a bit expensive, bowling can only be done in groups but has anyone else been up there? Its some amazing set up, most other towns the size of Celbridge will have nothing like it.

L1011

Balls, was going to make a smart comment about Celbridge not having anything like it as its in Maynooth but from checking the OSI maps it looks like the traditional area boundary runs behind the sodding place

Moonbeam

Is the train within the Dublin area commuter belt?