Moving out of Dublin

khaldrogo

mortimer33 wrote:

If the main concern about quality of life is being able to look after your own kids then would it be possible for your wife to work part-time and stay in Dublin? Kids will be in school for half the day anyway...

As it is, there are no kids on our road the same age as my kids and that won't be changing anytime soon. My kids are missing out on having friends. I would like to move to an area that has kids for them play with and stuff like GAA, beaches, forests on our doorstep.....

wexie

khaldrogo wrote: »

As I said, I am using the option on MyHome that tells you how long the journey time is in rush hr traffic......without actually doing the drive myself from all the locations I'm looking at that's all I can do.

No harm in doing the same thing with Google maps, you can change the time on the journey and it gives a bit of an approximation of what the times are at different times of day. (although perhaps that's where Myhome gets its info)

khaldrogo

Really wasn't trying to be smug.

Captain Flaps wrote:

Genuinely lived there for 25 years myself, have lived all over dublin but always said if we had the means we'd end up there, so we have. Genuinely wasn't having a go at you because I spend a lot of time hiking etc so I totally appreciate wanting to move out of the city, you just seemed like you were being a bit smug about it. When I was growing up my mates who loved in commuter towns were miserable about it, my partner is from Naas and she said the bus home from college each week was her least favourite journey even though she loved seeing her family.

khaldrogo

mariaalice wrote:

See I don't agree with that, have a sister that lives in a small village although it's not too far from Limerick, they play rugby, GAA, handball, soccer they are involved in Scór, they are involved in choirs and putting on plays the list is endless.

This is the epitome of what we are after.....

CeilingFly

If you look medium term, I'd suggest Naas or Kildare Town and you'll find a lot of D14/16 people in the area.

Within 18 months the widened M7 will be open.
Excellent train service from both Kildare & Naas/Sallins (Naas/sallins is in short hop zone) including services to grand canal dock.

Good choice of schools and new schools being built.

Relatively good value on housing - 3 bed semis under 300k, good size 4beds 350k ish.

Plenty of activities for adults and children.

khaldrogo

The only problem with cork is the cork people boi!!!!!!! Lol.

We still want to be close enough that a trip to Dundrum SC or a visit to the parents is easily done and as quick as possible.

Having just been down in Kerry for a week its really nice and all that but its just too far.

Purple Mountain wrote:

If you say you don't have people calling in for coffee or they live a 40 minutes away anyhow, why not just up sticks altogether and go to Galway or Cork? If you're working for a reputable company now in Dublin surely you will get a job in another smaller city? With the M8 and M4 you will always be within a few hours of Dublin to go back every few weeks to see family. A nice suburb in either city will have considerable lower house prices than Dublin but still have access to third level so you're not paying out accommodation or commute for your kids in a few years.

John_Rambo

mariaalice wrote: »

See I don't agree with that, have a sister that lives in a small village although it's not too far from Limerick, they play rugby, GAA, handball, soccer they are involved in Scór, they are involved in choirs and putting on plays the list is endless.

What do you think is in Dublin that you cant find anywhere else? They cycle and walk to their friends. The secret is to be not too far from the village/Towns and pick somewhere with a secondary school.

Ah come on. the usual Dublin bashing is expected, but this is just a ridiculous post.

The fact that Dublin is a city differentiates it to rural areas, rural towns and villages.

Can you go to the zoo, the museums and galleries ANYWHERE in Ireland? Is there a massive choice of restaurants, bars, cubs, hobbies, societies, services, amenities, public transport etc… in every single part of the country? Are you telling us there’s a the exact same selection of colleges, and employment opportunities in Dublin as there is all over the country?

Amber 123

I think this thread is focusing too much on commute times. It’s all about balance. You will sacrifice certain things for others. I live a couple of miles outside Gorey and commute to South Dublin 5 days a week. Yes the drive can be tough and yes you have to deal with traffic, the financial implications and the nuisance of living far away from work (it bothers me the odd time when I want to go for a night out with work friends but they’re very kind and will always proffer a bed!). However, I wouldn’t live in Dublin for diamonds. We have a fantastic house in a rural area with lots of land and invaluable peace and quiet. I’m 10 minutes drive from Gorey which is a super town with great shopping, lots of restaurants/pubs/nightlife, lots of great schools, a beautiful library, the town park with running track and weekly park runs, a number of great gyms and so on. I’m also 10 minutes from the beach and a local community that has a thriving GAA club and a soccer club. The commute is hard but it’s worth it for all this area gives me that I could never have in Dublin. It’s easy to drive home for an hour when you’re greeted by a home that you can comfortably afford and a pace of life that is so relaxed and enjoyable.

mariaalice

John_Rambo wrote: »

Ah come on. the usual Dublin bashing is expected, but this is just a ridiculous post.

The fact that Dublin is a city differentiates it to rural areas, rural towns and villages.

Can you go to the zoo, the museums and galleries ANYWHERE in Ireland? Is there a massive choice of restaurants, bars, cubs, hobbies, societies, services, amenities, public transport etc… in every single part of the country? Are you telling us there’s a the exact same selection of colleges, and employment opportunities in Dublin as there is all over the country?

The op is talking about children and trying to escape a Dublin lifestyle and mindset. Dublin is great if that is where someone wants to be its a great city but the mindset of there is nothing outside Dublin is silly.

theyoungchap

Different strokes, different folks. Personally I would rather either earn 20k less (taking a job locally say) or pay an extra couple of hundred thousand for a house, than face 3 hours in a car each day, but that is maybe just me.
I see the benefits of both, I grew up in the countryside and all it offers, but I am happily living in a city now.

BarryD2

My advice to OP is either to live reasonably close to Dublin if you must work and commute there, find the tipping point which suits both best. But if you don't need to work in Dublin, then move a good distance away. You may want to live within an hour or two of other family but know that you'll likely do all the driving up and down to see them! Whereas if you live in Kerry or Donegal or wherever, they are more likely to make the effort! That's just the way life works

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

khaldrogo wrote: »

I lived in athlone for college many years ago. Would certainly not want to live in the area I lived in. Not sure what parts of it would be considered good.

Most locals wouldn't consider buying in the estates around the college, they're generally rented to students or are council houses. That is only one small corner of a town of 22,000. There are loads of lovely places to live in Athlone.

I wouldn't commute Athlone to Dublin long term though. Doable for a couple of years at most. If you're working in Dublin city centre, it's an hour and a half on the train, and I'm sure worse in the car.

Captain Flaps

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Most locals wouldn't consider buying in the estates around the college, they're generally rented to students or are council houses. That is only one small corner of a town of 22,000. There are loads of lovely places to live in Athlone.

I wouldn't commute Athlone to Dublin long term though. Doable for a couple of years at most. If you're working in Dublin city centre, it's an hour and a half on the train, and I'm sure worse in the car.

I'm weird in that I really enjoy bus/train commuting as long as I have the space and comfort to catch up on movies/TV/games/podcasts. I don't quite class it as leisure time but it's a hell of a lot better than the car.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Captain Flaps wrote: »

I'm weird in that I really enjoy bus/train commuting as long as I have the space and comfort to catch up on movies/TV/games/podcasts. I don't quite class it as leisure time but it's a hell of a lot better than the car.

Agreed, it's a lot better than driving, but a lot worse than being at home! I'd actually do it 2 or 3 times a month for work and I don't mind it, but I wouldn't fancy doing it every day, it'd be quite tiring. That said, there seems to be plenty of people doing it from Athlone!

LirW

Amber 123 wrote: »

I think this thread is focusing too much on commute times. It’s all about balance. You will sacrifice certain things for others. I live a couple of miles outside Gorey and commute to South Dublin 5 days a week. Yes the drive can be tough and yes you have to deal with traffic, the financial implications and the nuisance of living far away from work (it bothers me the odd time when I want to go for a night out with work friends but they’re very kind and will always proffer a bed!). However, I wouldn’t live in Dublin for diamonds. We have a fantastic house in a rural area with lots of land and invaluable peace and quiet. I’m 10 minutes drive from Gorey which is a super town with great shopping, lots of restaurants/pubs/nightlife, lots of great schools, a beautiful library, the town park with running track and weekly park runs, a number of great gyms and so on. I’m also 10 minutes from the beach and a local community that has a thriving GAA club and a soccer club. The commute is hard but it’s worth it for all this area gives me that I could never have in Dublin. It’s easy to drive home for an hour when you’re greeted by a home that you can comfortably afford and a pace of life that is so relaxed and enjoyable.

Generally I agree but I got to see the other side too. There are stress related issues especially commuters deal with in rural areas, the local GPs have these people in constantly. It can be so bad that you won't get any enjoyment out of the upsides unless you're medicated so you wanna make the decision carefully because it'll become a crucial part of your life. Giving it a trial run with renting is definitely a good idea.
Now I live down there myself and I love it but being realistic about the downsides if you're a commuter. There are little jobs locally, your life will be commuting if you wanna maintain a well-paying job.
Moving down there made it possible for us though to live on one salary and I can look after my own children which is amazing and it suits our family. Getting my foot back into work is going to be tough though, I'm aware of that.
The people are nice, the scenery is nice, the area has a lot going for it in that regard.
I still think though that taking commute into account is crucial because it could change your family dynamic significantly, in a good or a bad way.
And if people do Gorey Dublin city or west in peak traffic in under 50 minutes I'm pretty certain that you're the kind of selfish driver everyone hates.

_Kaiser_

Ms2011 wrote: »

Carlow & back 5 days a week = €50

Ms2011 wrote: »

The car is 10 years old so the majority of it's depreciation would be done now regardless.
It's serviced once a year for the NCT which would happen no matter where we lived.

That seems extremely cheap to be honest... what kind of car?

I do a just-under 200km weekday round trip (99% motorway) at the moment and I need tyres at least twice a year and servicing the same. Now admittedly I also do a 350km round trip at the weekend and drive a 3 litre diesel, but still.. €50 seems too cheap?

An older car will need more in maintenance costs as well - unless you're ignoring stuff until it stops, or when the NCT is due? You're also going to face higher insurance (and they'll charge more when you declare the mileage you're doing) from here on as the Insurers are actively discriminating against older cars, NCT or not.

Trade-in values will take a hit too as the mileage increase will make it very unattractive in our "anything over 100,000km is ready to fall apart" :rolleyes: market (mine has 330,000 and still going like a train!).

In any case...

My commute is only manageable because I have flexible start/finish times and can work from home on occasion. I too am living "an hour" from Dublin, but it's only an hour after the peak rush has passed.. it'd be double that if I was expected to be in the office for 9am.

As for the whole "certain types of Dub" and wanting to be close to South County thing... I've worked (and previously lived) in that area for the past 6 years. It's massively overrated IMO and Dundrum SC is the height of Celtic Tiger-era "notions" ... I certainly wouldn't be buying in this area even if I had the money, but each to their own.

John_Rambo

mariaalice wrote: »

The op is talking about children and trying to escape a Dublin lifestyle and mindset. Dublin is great if that is where someone wants to be its a great city but the mindset of there is nothing outside Dublin is silly.

What are you on about? Nobody said this!! People live all over the country, it's perfectly habitable and has plenty going on, only a fool would think there is nothing outside Dublin.

To turn post that you can find what ever is in Dublin everywhere else is just silly.

Ms2011

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

That seems extremely cheap to be honest... what kind of car?

Kia Proceed 3dr Diesel.

880kms per week.

It's just been NCT'd which showed the lights needed aligning & a new front tyre needed to be replaced , that cost €80

Our insurance went down €100 this year due to the change of address.

daithiK1

khaldrogo wrote: »

Captain Flaps wrote:

Side note, I've just bought in the D14/16 area and I'm certainly not expecting gangland problems or Feral kids.

However, having lived in that area for 25 yrs I can tell you it certainly has its issues. If we wanted to stay in Dublin and wanted to take on massive debt that area is where we want to live.

What are the issues?. While there are some parts less than perfect imo the majority of d14 /16 is very suitable for raising children, at least on a par with the rural option and realistically over the longer term more cost effective.

mloc123

khaldrogo wrote: »

That may well be but an hr from the m50 would get me to athlone and my work is 5 mins from the m50.

It takes me 50 mins to get from Celbridge to Mullingar on Sunday mornings. I think you are fudging numbers a little.

ardinn

Courtown and riverchapel are out - no great places at all.

Gorey is actually a very vibrant town, never suffered really from the recession. Good option.

Dont go within a country mile of carnew or god forbid bunclody!!!

There are plenty of nice places around - but you seem to want to be close to the sea!

wexie

ardinn wrote: »

Dont go within a country mile of carnew or god forbid bunclody!!!

not the first time I've heard that , Craanford isn't too bad though I think?

ardinn wrote: »

There are plenty of nice places around - but you seem to want to be close to the sea!

Maybe worth checking out Ballygarett and Kilmuckridge? Was on the beach the other day and there seem to be a few places for sale out there. Not sure too many of them would be under 200K though.

khaldrogo

daithiK1 wrote:

What are the issues?. While there are some parts less than perfect imo the majority of d14 /16 is very suitable for raising children, at least on a par with the rural option and realistically over the longer term more cost effective.

There are a number of estates in the area that breed little scumbags. I had a number of issues over the years with them.

khaldrogo

mloc123 wrote:

It takes me 50 mins to get from Celbridge to Mullingar on Sunday mornings. I think you are fudging numbers a little.

From my door to the IT in athlone 50mins, 60mins at the longest......I've done it many, many times.

wexie

khaldrogo wrote: »

There are a number of estates in the area that breed little scumbags.

Don't make the mistake thinking you won't find the same estates out in the country ,maybe to a lesser extent and at less of an impact....but there's still plenty of it out there.

khaldrogo

ardinn wrote:

Dont go within a country mile of carnew or god forbid bunclody!!!

Really???

ardinn wrote:

There are plenty of nice places around - but you seem to want to be close to the sea!

Not a deal breaker

LirW

khaldrogo wrote: »

Really???



Not a deal breaker

Bunclody has quite a few 'insert ethnic Irish minority here' families living there.
Carnew also has a particular troublesome family there but I know many people in Carnew because I live literally up the road from it and it's grand when you know what corner to not live in, they have a pretty good secondary school there and the local shops are decent enough and for shopping you can always pop down to Gorey or Bunclody.
Craanford is definitely nice.
Personally if I'd have the choice between Gorey and Tullow I'd pick Tullow, Gorey is too mini-Dublin for me but then again I grew up a country girl and that's why I prefer it.
If you have any questions about certain areas in the Carnew corner, you can send me a PM.

mortimer33

mariaalice wrote: »

See I don't agree with that, have a sister that lives in a small village although it's not too far from Limerick, they play rugby, GAA, handball, soccer they are involved in Scór, they are involved in choirs and putting on plays the list is endless.

What do you think is in Dublin that you cant find anywhere else? They cycle and walk to their friends. The secret is to be not too far from the village/Towns and pick somewhere with a secondary school.

So in addition to 2-3 hr daily commutes to Dublin, parents may also end up driving kids back and forth to clubs in other towns at wkds :rolleyes:

BarryD2

mortimer33 wrote: »

So in addition to 2-3 hr daily commutes to Dublin, parents may also end up driving kids back and forth to clubs in other towns at wkds :rolleyes:

Sure, there's often a lot of driving if you live out in the country. Public transport is generally non existent.

We moved from a big English city to rural Ireland. As soon as us kids were finished school, we all moves to Dublin.
My mother spends all her time in Dublin now, rather than be in the country, with nothing to do & no public transport.