Merlin Park

Congoose

Hi,

I'm moving to Galway in September to start a postgrad in NUIG. One of my friends has a house and I'm hoping to move in with them. Unfortunately I don't really know Galway well. All I know is it's in a place called Merlin Park, somewhere in the suburbs/outskirts. I've had a look at some online maps but I'm having trouble finding it.

Could anyone tell me where it is? The house seems good and the rent is quite cheap, but I'd just like to know how far away from college it is and what kind of commute would be involved. Would it be difficult to get to college? Are the buses good, would I be better off to cycle, etc?

I'd really appreciate any advice at all.

Thanks,
C

snubbleste

It's a good distance about 5/7km..
I think the MerlinPark bus goes straight through to Newcastle but am open to correction

Fobia

Too far to walk from the NUIG anyway, cycling is a possibility... I think they do alot of car pooling out there so might be worth looking into..

daveg

Merlin Park is located on the Dublin road. Past Renmore.

FergusF

Not the most convenient spot for NUIG, it is on the opposite side of the city so you will spend a fair bit of time travelling.

'Merlin Park' is a general name for the area near / around Merlin Park hospital, do you know the specific name of the estate?

Pros: lots of new estates in the area so you are likely to get very good quality houses and reasonable rent. Drawbacks - not much in the way of shops / pubs here, and public transport is not too frequent. So you will be dependent on car, bicycle or taxis.

Congoose

Ah, I've found it on the map now. Looks a bit far out alright but I suppose I could either cycle or bus it to town and walk from there? Won't have a car unfortunately.

I got some more info today. Not sure of the name of the Estate but I know it's on the Doughiska Road, I think somewhere near the junction with the Dublin Road.

Thanks for all the help.

FergusF

Doughiska Road, yeah I know the area as I work near there and live on the west side, beyond NUIG. It's about a 20-25 minute cycle from there to uni.

Elfman

|From Merlin you'd have to leave 25-30 min to get to towna nd another 15-20 to get to the uni I wouoldn't advise it

PrettyKitty

I would recommend you look for something closer...Doughiska is just that little too far out for NUIG. I live in Merlin Park, near the hospital, but where you are describing is the new estate...not particularly nice place actually.

Maybe look for somewhere in Newcastle, Salthill (lovely walks along the prom and not far to walk to NUIG), or city centre. You will have a much better time at Uni if you are closer to the campus...

Look on daft.ie - it's the best place to find accommodation - and you can also join up with other people to look for somewhere together!!

Congoose

Cheers everyone. Yeah, somewhere closer to college would be very handy but I'm quite keen on this place as I'd be living with friends. I'll certainly look into the cycling/carpooling options though. Going to try it for a while anyway and see how it goes. I'll probably be in Galway for the next couple of years, so I guess I could look for somewhere else if it was too difficult.

PrettyKitty wrote:

where you are describing is the new estate...not particularly nice place actually.

Just wondering, in what way is it not a nice place?

Thanks,
C.

FergusF

Congoose wrote:

Just wondering, in what way is it not a nice place?

Thanks,
C.

It is nice in that is is clean and new, the lawns are well-trimmed, all mod cons in the house, etc.

But - all the houses look the same - it's your typical suburban car-based estate as found all over Ireland now. It's not a 'neighbourhood' like Newcastle, Salthill and a few other places mentioned earlier in the thread, i.e. very little in the way of local shops, pubs, restaurants within walking distance. You will not meet many NUIG students living here either so you will be missing out on some of the craic of student life.