buying 1st home in dublin / schools

[newindublin]

Hi all
We're looking to buy a house in Dublin (from UK) and are trying to work out the pros and cons of different areas with a mind to hopefully needing schools in the future (our preference would be coed, private ok, ideally modern languages taught in primary). We've seen places we like both in Rathmines and the Botanical garden side of Drumcondra - to afford Rathmines we'd have to settle on a smaller place or somewhere needing a lot of work. We've seen beautiful places for the same price near the botanical gardens / drumcondra. Could anyone give me their thoughts? I work near Trinity and I'm a little worried about having to travel through some of the less nice areas to get there /back by bus / if hanging around at the Pearse train station will be okay round 7/8 if I'm at work late / out with friends after. The co-ed school options (especially with strong modern language teaching) also seemed more limited near Drumcondra but I might be wrong ...

I am crap at remembering where is where but I do some work in Dublin and people moving from the UK seem to really like St Andrew’s - Co-Ed, private (but that’s cheap over there relatively speaking), I think it’s technically an international school.

.. Might be senior only but will be easy enough to find out the feeder schools.

thanks! Yes that is on the south side (Rathmines side but further out) and is one I've heard a lot of good things about there.

Botanic Gardens (Glasnevin) and Drumcondra have good bus services to Trinity and have good schools.
You need to visit Dublin to establish where you would like to live/can afford.
St Andrews is in an expensive area on Southside, I know people who send their kids there from "cheaper" areas.

There is also Clontarf, Killester, Sutton and Howth as options with good schools.

A lot of snobbishness associated with schools never mind quality of education that you need to suss out.

I've been renting in Dublin near Rathmines for a little bit. I've walked around Drumcondra several times but it's hard to get as good a feel for it. Or to really know the scoop on schools - hence my asking here.
Both are affordable but what we could get in each would be very different.

If you are working near Trinity, I’d look at being near the green Luas line which runs north and south. Both are well served for free primary and secondary schools. You should put enquiries in for places for the year of entry asap.

Also, it is worth ringing the primary schools (before they break up, most 30th) to ask what secondary schools they feed into.

Both are good areas. Rathmines is nicer, more shops, restaurants etc but the prices reflect that. Drumcondra however is a good area and the glasnevin end near botanic gardens is very very nice.
Co Ed schools for primary level are well served in drumcondra / glasnevin with a number of educate together schools. Secondary is more challenging with fewer options. The south of the city has far more Mixed Ed school options

I know both areas well. You'll pay more for an equivalent house in any area of the south city compared with the north, so Druncondra (esp around the Botanics) is a great option - it's a really nice neighbourhood and you'll get far more bang for your buck. Loads of good Educate Together schools in that area too (co-ed, non-religious, modern outlook).
Modern languages at primary level are just being introduced to the curriculum so will be offered in all primary schools in the next few years; I doubt they're an option in many primaries at the moment, except as an afterschool activity.
The standard of primary schools overall in Ireland is excellent, and there is only a tiny private sector at this level - fewer than 20 schools in the whole country, I think? Whereas there are tons of private secondary schools, though more in the south city than the north.
None of the areas you've mentioned would be considered the least bit unsafe; Pearse St station at that time of day will be busy++!

Just to say this last bit isn't necessary any more - new school enrolment legislation came in a few years ago and schools are no longer allowed to hold waiting lists or to take names for enrolment until the autumn of the year prior to entry.

True, but many secondary schools have feeder primaries, and sometimes this is geographical and sometimes faith-based. And the OP may find herself in an area which doesn’t feed into a secondary of her choosing. Some secondary schools seem to operate an informal central applications scheme (and I don’t think it’s entirely legal) which prioritises primaries in their catchment. This has been my observation in D13, so worth a phone call to find out, so that the OP doesn’t find herself well down an arbitrary pecking order when planning secondary applications.

Lots of primary schools are finishing this Friday 23rd if you are calling them.

Currently languages (aside from Irish) are not routinely taught in primaries. You might get an after school activity or a few weeks of a module but it really is not language teaching. As others have said there are very few fee paying primary schools but they are in many cases feeders for secondaries. Rathgar Junior School would be the exception amongst the ones I can think of in D6.

You can only apply in the January before your child would start primary (for JI places). In most schools you can apply for other classes at any stage but realistically in Dublin 6 and quite possibly in Glasnevin you're going to be applying to be on waitlists (don't know about the fee-paying ones). Like someone said the primary schools are closing this week and the state schools are unlikely to have their admin in again until mid-late August.

Working near Trinity, Rathmines would win hands-down for me because of the public transport and cycling options (Luas and distance). But you'll get more house northside even in Glasnevin.

I'd have no safety concerns in the way you described.

I note there have been mention of Educate Together schools and while I would once have supported the model I would not send my children to one now given their stance on the teaching of gender identity ideology. While the degree of enthusiasm varies slightly from one to the other, as a group they are serious level evangelists.

When choosing an area I would look carefully at the secondary offerings as well as primary. The fee-paying options in Dublin 6 are significant (to the point where there are more fee-paying options than not which is I think unique. This is particularly true for co-ed though there is now an ET in Harold's Cross).