To copy another poster and ask what you love about Dublin?

[busymum17]

In a similar situation to another poster, hope they don't mind me stealing their thread idea. We are likely to be relocating to Dublin, I've never even visited (though will before we move) and am a bit terrified. I know nothing - good schools/places to live/things to do etc etc.
Any thoughts, advice, experiences or opinions would be welcomed!

Man alive, everyone is moving to amazing places today! I'm so envious!

Dublin is a fantastic city. Incredibly friendly, fantastic nightlife, amazing culture, great food and drink, beautiful buildings, great music scene, wonderful history, near beautiful coastline and countryside - it's fab. you'll love it. The only downsides are the ridiculous housing costs which wages absolutely have not kept pace with - if you can afford to buy, do, because renting is ridiculous - and, imo, the healthcare which is expensive and often not that wonderful. Also education can be a bit costly (even state education comes with hidden costs!). I'm sure someone will be along with more specific information about areas etc but it's a gorgeous city and I really think you'll be happy there. :)

Hi op, I did the same although I was a single 20 something.

I lived in Dublin 3 (Marino) which is nice and close to the city centre but still far out enough to not feel too too built up.

I was renting and the prices were obscene. Ten years ago I lived in a room which had a sink and microwave (and shower room) and it was 550€pcm. Daft.ie if it’s still running is a great resource.

I also lived in Rathmines (south) and Howth. Howth is north and fairly far out and is near to the seaside /pier etc. I would oftentimes get the Dart out when I lived in Marino just to get some sea air.

There is a fairly obvious north south divide (or there was ten years ago). With south city perhaps a bit “posher”? Or from what I could tell...

The people there are some of the nicest you’ll meet. No one can do enough for you. Despite being a city, the shops have an almost villagey feel.

If I wasn’t old and decrepit (hmmm) I’d be back there in a heartbeat.

I found public transport fairly good. There’s always a bus into the city.
I drove also and it wasn’t too mad- I wouldn’t drive in London for instance and I am not used to motorways, just normal roads.

Crime from what I see is usually drugs - I once walked from Marino to town through Summerhill which was (not sure about now) known as a bit rough and saw a few transactions at 1pm in the afternoon...

The nightlife is fantastic - you’ve got your quiet country pubs - beer gardens- wine - cocktail bars- trad pubs ( be prepared for the national anthem ) and nightclubs etc.

A million places to eat.

So much history - wherever you go.
Dunnes stores / Penney’s (primark) and all the shops you can think of.

I could wax lyrical. It’s the people and it’s history who make a city in my opinion and Dublin is seeped in history and the people are fab.

I used to live there for quite a few years.
It has a few upsides like some good pubs and a great cultural scene, but ultimately nothing you couldnt get in Manc or Lpool.

Shitty public transport, possibly western europes only capital to have no rail access to its airport, so expensive bus or taxi it is.

Housing a disaster, high cost of living.

You frequently come across unprovoked anti-English sentiment although less so in the younger generations.

Weird "D4" nouveau riche scene.

Basically underwhelming. To be honest, I found it kind of parochial for a capital, possibly with a sense of self that dwarfs reality - a bit like Brighton although in a different way.

Dublin is fabulous. I'm from there, but moved abroad 10 years ago.

Observations:

Healthcare is a weird hybrid of NHS and private. Expect to pay for GP etc.

Schools are great, broadly Catholic and single sex (or maybe that has changed?) with high standards for the most part. Private school is relatively cheap compared to the UK and definitely worth looking into. There is less hand-wringing about private in Ireland than in the UK.

Property is still pretty mental. If I was moving back, I would be thinking around Rathmines - walking distance from city centre, nice town centre in itself, or a DART-line suburb like Dalkey. However, there are beautiful houses in the north city centre, and Drumcondra (the bit near town) has a lot to recommend it.

Eating out is EYEWATERINGLY expensive. OMG. Drinking less so.

Traffic is bad. Hopefully the new Luas routes will help.

Everybody is lovely. I was back for a weekend recently after not being back for a year or so and it really hit me how staff in shops/cafes/bars are so much bloody NICER than in my experience of the SE and London here in England.

There is so much variety in what to do and as it is a relatively small city you can get EVERYWHERE. It's not like in London where your heart sinks when you check a distance on CityMapper.

It's so BEAUTIFUL. The grandeur of the city centre is disproportionate to its size, and is obv. because of how the city developed and the attitudes held by the Anglo Irish aristocracy, who wanted to make Dublin a major European capital, not a booby prize. When you think about it, Leinster House (among much other Dublin architecture) is ridiculously OTT, and that's what makes Dublin so great.

Everything (but I am from here😁).
Yy to previous posters about expensive though. Rents are ridiculous. Do you know what part you're looking to move to or would it be work in Dub but possibly live commuter distance away?

I live in Dublin. In the suburbs. Like any big city there are some lovely parts and some terrible parts.
There is plenty to do, lots of culture, sport, music etc. I don't drink alcohol at all but i believe the pubs are good. The coast is beautiful, the mountain are beautiful and the countryside isn't far away.
Personally I think the city centre is a bit scruffy.
The education system is very good, particularly primary schools.
Housing is very expensive. The cost of living is high.
I love living in Dublin. I'd hate to live anywhere else.

Not keen on Dublin as it has a bog standard European feel to it. Love, love, love Cork though. Tons of expats living in West Cork.

We moved back after 8 years in London. We're (kinda) from here though, so maybe a bit different.

It's a great city in many ways; very friendly, lots of entertainment and culture, absolutely thriving food scene (emerged in the last few years), good place for kids, schooling is very decent and private school much less expensive than UK. Plus it's very easy to 'get out' of Dublin and hit the countryside. Seaside and mountains about half an hour away by car from the city centre.

Housing and transport are your biggest issues and I'd advise you to plan this carefully. Do you know where your jobs will be? Because public transport is pretty dismal and traffic horrific, so being close to work is a big plus. Are you looking to rent or buy? Renting is extortionate, so be prepared for that. Buying looks reasonable compared to London but I found the process soul destroying. Getting a mortgage is a major pita. Finding somewhere you actually want to buy even more so.

However, we ended up buying in Dublin 8, which I would highly recommend, it's becoming quite trendy, good for families. If you've more money than us Rathmines/Ranelagh/Tenenure are all great areas, good amenities, brilliant schools, within striking distance of city centre. For the not so loaded, Harold's Cross is becoming quite sought after, also very close to town. (I only do South Side tbf).

Alternatively, if your workplace is handy for the DART, Bray and Greystones are good options. They're on the coast (actually in Wicklow), very family friendly, nice community feel.

Do do your homework on location. It will pay off.

I've been to Dublin loads of times. It's very annoying that apart from some seating down by the river there's absolutely nowhere to sit in the city. No benches or seats, nothing. If you just want to have a sandwich and a drink and sit in the sunshine, forget it. For some reason Dublin city council don't think tourists (or workers on their lunch) should be able to sit and rest.

buttercup Stephen's Green has lots of seating

Why not ask on a more appropriate forum instead of cluttering this one up

Is St Stephens Green in the city center Laurie? I should have said that's where i meant. If so whereabouts?

Who is "cluttering up" firecracker?

Yes, bang in the middle, top of Grafton Street.

Nowt. It’s filthy and overpriced and over rated. Try Belfast, that’s a great city to live in.

If you're looking for good things, you'll find them everywhere. It's pretty beautiful. Is a short distance to the sea/mountains for escape from the city. City centre is small enough to not need too much learning to understand your way around. The people are fantastic.

People in government are mostly monumental self-serving morons. Rents are horrific and about 95% of landlords are greedy and exploitative of the housing crisis. You'll have to learn how to spot and dodge the aggressive junkies all over (mostly north side) inner city. And say a hard no to aggressive career beggars.

I believe it's hard to get kids into schools unless they're catholic.

On a whole, I (mostly) love it here.

Mulligans

I moved to Dublin a year ago and it’s a great city.

I’m in D4 - not sure what the reference to “weird nouveau rich scene” is but I like it, lots of nice bars and restaurants, good schools and walking distance of city.

The best thing is it’s tiny compared to other capital cities. It’s perfectly feasible to walk most of the city in a day and very pretty.

I find eating out cheap compared to London and the US and schooling if you are in the fee paying sector is enormously cheaper. I guess it really does depend on your context.

“Try Belfast, that’s a great city to live in.”

😂😂😂😂

Belfast like. Fucking Belfast 😂😂😂

People in government are mostly monumental self-serving morons.

While this is a fair assessment, they're comparing quite well to their UK counterparts these days.

I believe it's hard to get kids into schools unless they're catholic

If they're baptised into the any Anglicab Church and you live on the south side you'll be fine.

Anglican doh

It has to be said, the best thing about Dublin (and all of Ireland) is the people.

Anyone coming here who wants to make friends will make them, quickly and easily. There is a great sense of community; there isn't the "class system" that seems to block friendships in the UK (ok, well England mostly).

It's expensive, the traffic is shit, healthcare is really expensive, but overall it's a great place to live.

The best thing - walking down Grafton Street on Christmas Eve. I defy anyone to do that and not think it's a wonderful place.

yy Laurie; I was a bit skeptical about Varadkar and Coveney but they're looking pretty good these days

I'm not sure about the making friends thing. I've heard it's can be quite cliquey if you don't know people. The Irish can be great fun in a pub but hard to get to know on anything more than a superficial level. Anyone who's not from there able to confirm/deny that?