Where to live in Dublin?

[campervan07]

I was hoping for some advice from anyone who knows Dublin please. I might have the opportunity to relocate with work to be based near Dublin Airport but I have never been to Ireland let alone Dublin so trying to do some research before expressing any interest.

One of the motivators for me is potentially being able to afford a bigger house ( currently dh, 2 ds's and I share a 2 bed flat) so was hoping for advice on good areas to live in and around dublin.

Main requirements are good primary schools and a commute of no more than 30 minutes. I prefer semi rural to city centre but would need easy access to shops and things to do with the kids (4 & 1 year old).

Can anyone tell me any nice areas and also what's good about them so I can get on right move later please?

Also if anyone has relocated from near London to Dublin, it would be good to know anything you found particularly challenging? Thanks in advance.

Skerries, Portmarnock, Balbriggan and Malahide are very nice, all north of the city on the coast. Clontarf is a little further south, closer to the city.

Bettystown in Meath has an Educate Together school, and also an Irish speaking school (Gaeilscoil) that are non-denominational.

When it comes to things to do with small children, you really have to make it up for yourself in Ireland, find parks or playgrounds you like, explore the beaches, etc. There is not that much that is laid on for the very young. A lot of people invest in a nice swing/climbing set for their back gardens... There are the usual dancing (ballet and Irish) and music lessons.. If you look around, you might find horse riding.

Here's a little purple prose about Malahide:
"Malahide
Malahide is a very beautiful heritage village with old-world elegance and plenty to occupy its visitors, including Europe’s largest model railway, an exceptional kiddies' playground and miles of sandy beaches.

Cobbled side streets give the village an intimate and welcoming feel. There’s a host of chic boutiques, bookshops, and antique shops you could lose yourself in for hours. Or you could make a visit to stately 900 year-old Malahide Castle set amid 250 acres of parkland and gardens. A broad range of pubs and restaurants can take you well into the night.

If the weather is good, the Malahide to Portmarnock walk will also beckon. It’ll take you along the magnificent coastline of the northern shores of Dublin Bay where the blue flag Velvet Strand, popular with wind surfers and kite surfers, vies for the title of Dublin’s best beach."

*Maybe ask to have your thread moved to Craicnet, where you'll find lots of Irish posters.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet you should get loads of good advice here

Well you will be living north side which is cheaper than south side for house prices. The towns mentioned above are mostly coastal and lovely. Malahide would be expensive. Skerries is gorgeous, like a county town and very friendly. Beautiful beaches. It's very far from Dublin city but there are good train links.

Swords is the town nearest the airport, nice little village with plenty of affordable housing spread out around the area.

I think the best idea would be to move over and rent somewhere and spend your weekends driving around different areas to get a feel of them before you buy.

Totally agree with the above posts. We relocated from Oxford last year and it's taken a lot of getting used to (and we're Irish originally).
We have found that Dublin is no cheaper - we are in an expensive area Southside, but when you take into account the medical expenses, car prices, insurance and tax, bins, phones etc - everything is more expensive.
It's tough OP - we wouldn't have made the move if it wasn't for work, but we really loved where we were living. Ireland is not the same for children. There are no playgrounds near us, for instance.
It is great to be near the sea, though!

Thanks everyone. Lucille, that's helpful to know. Am a bit concerned that I am doing 'the grass is always greener' thinking'. I don't think the move would be forever but would need to benefit us all to accept it.

Another vote for Malahide.

Also a warning to check out admissions policies if your children aren't baptised. We lived southside and there was a lot of pressure on school places and in our area schools either had religious criteria or waiting list from birth. We had moved to the area for the good schools but in the end moved away before eldest started because she wouldn't have got into any of them.

We're moving next week. We've ended up renting a lovely house in Ballsbridge (which I appreciate is no good for you since its south Dublin) but rental prices were a shock for me.

I imagined it'd be significantly cheaper than London but it's really not and far far less availability.

I've lived over in Ireland in Drogheda which is about 25 mins from the airport. Would second the other posters - Balbriggan, Malahide, Swords, Skerries (lovely!)

If you have any questions feel free to shout :-) Going back over there in 3 weeks time!

Just consider medical bills (€50 per visit) though under five are free.

Limited things to do - nice festivals this time of year

Daft.ie is best for renting

I wouldn't consider Balbriggan, houses are cheaper but very little to to do and the beach isn't clean. Skerries is lovely, Malahide has good access to the city and lots of nice restaurants.

Yes, the rental market is CRAZY and as a tenant it feels very precarious here as opposed to the UK.
I know I sound really negative - we are getting used to it and Ireland has its good points, but I do believe that our quality of life was better in England.

There are places that are closer to the city too:
Glasnevin is a nice old suburb, and Castleknock is also nice.

Back towards the coast, Sutton is nice.

There are lots of places in Meath.

Avoid Finglas, Coolock and Ballymun.

Thanks all. Lots to think about!

Malahide is lovley but expensive and busy.

I'm from Coolock Mathanxiety! . But I know what you mean. . Its not the best of areas.

Clontarf is nice. As is some parts of Raheny.

If you will be working near the airport Swords would be good. Maybe try rent there for a while and explore a bit.

Cider.

(In my defence, there are several parts of my own home suburb I would drive very quickly through or actually take a detour around.)

It's ok. Even now I don't write Coolock on anything I send to my parents. Learned my lesson applying for jobs back in the 80s.

An old boyfriend told his mother I was from Coolock but the posh bit. I wasn't aware there was one!

Another vote for Skerries! Beautiful beaches, plenty to do plus lovely educate together school. Rental situation (in Dublin in general) is dire at the moment though.

If you would like small village type have a look at Stamullen, it's near drogheda and Balbriggan which gives you a good choice of supermarkets etc but still has local shops, pharmacy, pub. Bit more rural than the bigger towns and housing less dense.

Swords also near airport but a bit too built up for me.

Malahide is lovely, by the sea.
Pricey though.