what are these areas of dublin like to live in? opinions appreciated thanks

speedy2007

Hi,
My boyf and i will be moving to dublin in a couple of mths, and we've been researching the best places to live. This so far is a few of the places weve come up with, and would like peoples opinions if theyre good or not. We are looking for a 1bedroom flat, our budget would be €1000-€1200 a mth (between us, not each)- the cheaper the better as long as its not a dive of a place.
Want somewhere nice, a safe area and one that isnt too far from the city centre, or at least has good transport to it.

So far we've got:
Drumcondra
Glasnevin
Castleknock
Rathmines
Rathgar
Ranelagh
Milltown
Dundrum
Rathfarnham

Would appreciate opinions if we're on the right track with this selection of places. Cheers

Aard

imho:

- Drumcondra
- Glasnevin
- Castleknock
+ Rathmines
+ Rathgar
+ Ranelagh
- Milltown
+ Dundrum
- Rathfarnham

I guess the real reason here is transport. But it's also subjective. Are you from Dublin, OP? If so you should have a general feel for good places in the city by now.

speedy2007

hey, nope im not from dublin, ive only ever been up there for 1/2 day shopping trips, so i only really know grafton and o connell street etc.. Not familiar with the places ive mentioned, but ive heard stuff from friends of friends.

wallyworld

I would highly recommend both Drumcondra and Glasnevin, especially if you want to live close to the city of centre...loads of buses from there and the Drumcondra train station can be used as a feeder into the Dart by going to Connolly Station.

As with several areas in the city, "Glasnevin" is a state of mind/in the eye of the beholder;). There are plenty of rentals/homes for sales that advertise themselves as "Glasnevin" that are actually other areas.

When you go look at the apartment, take a map with you and make sure you know where you are living!

Monkey61

Definitely Ranelagh or Rathmines would be my top two. Both absolutely perfect places to live. Ranelagh would be my top one cos its villagey and has lots of restaurants, Rathmines is much better for pubs and clubs though - but theres only a ten minute walk between the two so either is good.

Next I'd go for Dundrum because its got a nice villagey buzz to it and the shopping centre is quite handy - although theres no nightlife/restaurants really if you want those nearby.

Milltown - No stuff but brilliant transport. Only 10/15 minutes into town.

Rathgar - Nice area, probably too far to walk into town though, not as many shops/pubs/restaurants etc and can be loads of traffic in mornings and evenings if your on the bus/car.

Rathfarnham - pain in the ass for transport.Not much to recommend it really.

Glasnevin and castleknock - Really just don't.

Drumcondra - You can walk to town, but novelty wears off soon and just becomes grim and depressing. Bits of it are okay but a lot is very skanky.

mikemac

Monkey61 wrote: »

Drumcondra - You can walk to town, but novelty wears off soon and just becomes grim and depressing. Bits of it are okay but a lot is very skanky.

Aard wrote: »

imho:

- Drumcondra

The OP has class and has listed all nice areas

Guys, what's your problem with Drumcondra? Skanky? You are probably referring to areas like Whitehall or Ballybough that call themselves Drumcondra.
Or maybe you are referring to walking to town from Drumcondra. I agree, walking through Ballybough, near Mountjoy Sq or Summerhill would almost make you cry and put you in bad form
Drumcondra is great, except on Croke Park match days :mad:

jdivision

speedy2007 wrote: »

Hi,


So far we've got:
Drumcondra
Glasnevin
Castleknock
Rathmines
Rathgar
Ranelagh
Milltown
Dundrum
Rathfarnham

Would appreciate opinions if we're on the right track with this selection of places. Cheers

Drumcondra is handy for town and there's some nice places there but some of area between town and there are scummy
Glasnevin itself is nice but like another poster said a lot of places have been "added" to it. If you want to pm me names of developments you're looking at I'll let you know what they're like
Castleknock - good facilities but traffic nightmare (and I mean nightmare)
Rathmines - studenty vibe, parts can be loud, good facilities
Ranelagh - a proper village these days, everything from a good Italian up to a restaurant that's about to get a Michelin star. lots of cafes, good budget food etc, pubs aren't as good as they should be in my opinion
Rathgar - nice suburb, would prefer Ranelagh
Milltown - good transport but nothing there
Dundrum - some v nice apartments, good transport, handy facilities, again a lot of other areas are now being called Dundrum that aren't
Rathfarnham - too far out, traffic nightmare

Abraham

Glasnevin is very good and doesn't have any of the scumbag designer res's while Drumcondra has a few to be honest but it's generally OK.
One thing that does affect these areas tho is the D/Dkr buses which can be skanger infected beyond endurance by the time they get to G or D on the way to town.
Oh and don't be misled by Glasnevin Avenue cos it's not even in Glasnevin but had it's name changed to give that impression a good few years ago when it was called Ballymun Avenue....so now you know. It's got a good pub tho'....the Auobahn.

Gavin "shels"

I'd recommend around the Dublin 8 area. Safe (depends where:D), plenty of shops, walking distance, Luas, several bus routes, etc...

speedy2007

cool, thanks for all this info...this helps a lot. Ranelagh and rathmines are sounding nice...looking on the daft website, they seem expensive. This is due to the location i guess.

Pride Fighter

speedy2007 wrote: »

Hi,
My boyf and i will be moving to dublin in a couple of mths, and we've been researching the best places to live. This so far is a few of the places weve come up with, and would like peoples opinions if theyre good or not. We are looking for a 1bedroom flat, our budget would be €1000-€1200 a mth (between us, not each)- the cheaper the better as long as its not a dive of a place.
Want somewhere nice, a safe area and one that isnt too far from the city centre, or at least has good transport to it.

So far we've got:
Drumcondra
Glasnevin
Castleknock
Rathmines
Rathgar
Ranelagh
Milltown
Dundrum
Rathfarnham

Would appreciate opinions if we're on the right track with this selection of places. Cheers

You are on the right track, they are nice places. Avoid Ballymun, Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Most of Finglas, half of Tallaght, the inner city and most of Coolock and Darndale.

gurramok

Pride Fighter wrote: »

You are on the right track, they are nice places. Avoid Ballymun, Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Most of Finglas, half of Tallaght, the inner city and most of Coolock and Darndale.

Wrong, these areas don't exist anymore!

Ballymun has been absorbed into Glasnevin
Ballyfermot is Palmerstown
Inchicore is Chapelizod
Finglas is Glasnevin while Finglas west is Castleknock East
Tallaght is Templogue
Coolock is East Raheny
Darndale is North Raheny

And lastly inner city is City Centre

NextSteps

Drumcondra - well the downside is walking home on Dorset Street, I wouldn't do it at night. Lots of chippers though.
Glasnevin - bit far out but you've got the Botanic Gardens
Castleknock - too far away.
Rathmines - Yes! You can walk home from town, tons of shops, restaurants (Jo' Burger!), pubs (Slatterys must be one of the best in Dublin), good transport (though the bus can be slow in the morning), bike lane, nice places for walks, it's all good. I think everyone should live in Rathmines for a while.
Rathgar - nice but boring.
Ranelagh - nice but too many restaurants, too little everything else (though I hear there's a new Superquinn)
Milltown - where?
Dundrum - if you like women's clothing. A lot.
Rathfarnham - too far away, too much of a gradient to walk or cycle home. Though you do have the parks and the Dublin mountains.

kittensoft1984

having worked and gone to college in Rathmines, i would recommend there.

its a nice area with a good mix of people. and close to the luas and bus stops to get into town.

good luck in your move!

jdivision

UB wrote: »

Ranelagh - nice but too many restaurants, too little everything else (though I hear there's a new Superquinn)
.

They're going to knock the Four Provinces and turn it into one, will take about two years I'd say

JoeSchmoe

micmclo wrote: »

The OP has class and has listed all nice areas

Guys, what's your problem with Drumcondra? Skanky? You are probably referring to areas like Whitehall or Ballybough that call themselves Drumcondra.

Whitehall is considered Skanky now? When did that happen?


I would say all of the areas you mentioned would be fine, certainly some of the better areas to live in the city, I would make a choice based on were you plan/intend/hope to work/study.

Cross city transport is terrible as is links between different areas on either side of the liffey. Nearly all the buses go to the city centre, so if you are living in Rathmines and working in Blackrock say, getting to work would involve a trip into and out of the city centre there and back. which is very annoying and time consuming (BTW these locations are just examples, please don't bombard me with transport options from Rathmines to Blackrock, if they do exist)

luckat

Depends on where you're going to be working/studying, too. Take that into account.

Rathgar is very nice, very quiet, but a little elderly. Good bookshop and The Butler's Pantry for delicious food after which you'll waddle home.

Rathmines is more downmarket and studenty. Very near town, though- you just stroll in down Camden Street.

Ranelagh is a buzzing village, with the Luas into town (big plus) and plenty of good restaurants, plus the Laser DVD rental shop if you like arty films.

Milltown is near Ranelagh; nice, but a bit harder to get into town.

Glasnevin is elderly, but the further reaches of Ballymun - which as others mention are now quoted as 'Glasnevin' - can be rough.

Castleknock is basically countryside suburb; don't go there unless you want to drive.

You might look at Marino - very nice, seasidey but not far from the city (northside) - Harold's Cross (a combination of doddery and arty), and if you want to go out a bit, Dun Laoghaire/Sandycove/Glasthule (tres trendy, with the Dart into town, which I'm told is a bit crammed nowadays).

MIN2511

Rathmines....
Loads of buses
good shops(Tesco, Dunnes, Aldi)
good pubs(Toast)
good restaurants,eateries(Monsoon, Jo burger, Pizza Hut, Domino's Zen Chinese)

lightening

luckat wrote: »

You might look at Marino - very nice, seasidey but not far from the city (northside)

+1. Excellent area, nice and quiet and great for getting in and out of town.

Electric

I'd recommend Glasnevin or Phibsboro it's only a half hour walk into town. Good few shops pubs etc. And there's loads of buses for when you don't feel like walking. Plus a taxi home costs around a tenner.

The other posters are right there are places in Finglas & Ballymun that call themselves Glasnevin so general rule of thumb Glasnevin Ave and Glasnevin North is Finglas and anything north of Griffith Ave is Ballymun.

Degsy

Electric wrote: »

I'd recommend Glasnevin or Phibsboro it's only a half hour walk into town. Good few shops pubs etc. And there's loads of buses for when you don't feel like walking. Plus a taxi home costs around a tenner.

The other posters are right there are places in Finglas & Ballymun that call themselves Glasnevin so general rule of thumb Glasnevin Ave and Glasnevin North is Finglas and anything north of Griffith Ave is Ballymun.

Wrong.The upper part of Glasnevin Avenue is Ballymun.Whats all this **** about avoiding certain areas?No part of anywhere in Dublin is more than half a mile from a "corporation" area so you're goingto get scumbags no matter where you go.You got to look at it from the point of view of what are you going to get for your money,proximity to bus routes,shops,facilities etc.You wont be renting much in any of the areas listed for the money the OP has.

Mrs. MacGyver

I live on the North Strand (near Marino/Fairview) and its safe and quiet.
Marino is grand.
I lived in Glasnevin for 4 years and loved it, nice walk into town, a lovely small park (near enough to the Botanics), nice people and a grand take-away.
Never lived on the south side so can't recommend anything there!

Charlie

If you're expanding your options, take a look at Clontarf.

Smashin little area, in fact i'd rate it as one of Dublin's all round best places to live in, while still retaining a sense of community and not too much D4 snobbery that you get with soutside suburbs.

Lots of amenities and only 15/20 mins on a bus/car to the city centre.

zAbbo

Just moved to Rathmines myself, nice viba and pretty good transport links.

shrapnel222

jdivision wrote: »

They're going to knock the Four Provinces and turn it into one, will take about two years I'd say

the superquinn is already open, (a week ago i think) and is just opposite the luas station

Pines

jdivision wrote: »

They're going to knock the Four Provinces and turn it into one [Superquinn], will take about two years I'd say

Actually, it's open already.

I'd add my votes for Rathmines and Ranelagh.

jdivision

Sorry didn't realise that. Is it the Four Provinces or another place? They defo bought the Four Provinces to redevelop it. Thanks for info lads

Corruptedmorals

I quite like Drumcondra, it's old-fashioned or something, and although it has a bit of a skanger element, it's not a 'problem' as such. It has a park, too! Glasnevin has a few bad bits. All of the other places mentioned are quite well-to-do which means yes, they will be expensive. Castleknock is further out than all of the rest BUT it is on the train line. Unfortunately, the Maynooth line, so you would not get a seat, ever.

Pines

jdivision wrote: »

Sorry didn't realise that. Is it the Four Provinces or another place? They defo bought the Four Provinces to redevelop it. Thanks for info lads

It's the Four Provinces site which they redeveloped behind the scenes and put the shop front up about a fortnight ago in place of the old red pub front.

Miss Fluff

speedy2007 wrote: »

Hi,
My boyf and i will be moving to dublin in a couple of mths, and we've been researching the best places to live. This so far is a few of the places weve come up with, and would like peoples opinions if theyre good or not. We are looking for a 1bedroom flat, our budget would be €1000-€1200 a mth (between us, not each)- the cheaper the better as long as its not a dive of a place.
Want somewhere nice, a safe area and one that isnt too far from the city centre, or at least has good transport to it.

So far we've got:
Drumcondra
Glasnevin
Castleknock
Rathmines
Rathgar
Ranelagh
Milltown
Dundrum
Rathfarnham

Would appreciate opinions if we're on the right track with this selection of places. Cheers

Ranelagh or Rathmines without a doubt. Where will you both be working though? Surely you need to take that into consideration when finding somewhere to live?

david

If you plan on commuting early into town, i'd rule Milltown out, the luas is always jammers from 8-9am. The bus service from Milltown isn't great, I know they have the 14a which is pretty infrequent, theres nothing there... I live in Dartry. The bus service up through Rathmines is pretty good if a bit congested. Rathmines really has all you need though. Excellent nightlife, Slatterys, Bolands, Reillys, The Madison, and TramCo at times can all be a laugh.. Its about a 30min walk to grafton st. from the Rathgar Junction in the center of Rathmines. I'd pick this or maybe Ranelagh which is closer again to town. Ranelagh just seems a bit desolate in places, nice restaurants but thats about it. Keep in mind that the Luas is usually full by Windy Arbour at rush hour.

david

Well there comes a time when you have to wait a few trams before i could get on, I got in trouble for "luas diving". Its like Tokyo at rush hour.

jdivision

Pines wrote: »

It's the Four Provinces site which they redeveloped behind the scenes and put the shop front up about a fortnight ago in place of the old red pub front.

Cheers, need to know that for the job!

Aard

Mr.S wrote: »

the worst is when your stuck in the middle, and have to get out out a weird stop where no one gets out.

now that, is near impossible.

Even 'big' stops like Ranelagh can be difficult to get out at at peak hours.


I wonder if the OP has made any decisions yet?

Pepe LeFrits

From that list, Ranelagh by a mile.

speedy2007

cheers everybody, this is really helpful. Im moving up in another mth, dont have a job yet, but have a few interviews mostly for jobs in the city centre, so fingers crossed for that. Just been trying to get a few ideas for where to live b4 i make the move.
Ive added marino and clontarf to the list on the recommendations given here. Rathmines and ranelagh sound the best tho , but doesnt seem to be too many 1 bedroom flats for those 2 areas on daft.ie right now.
Harolds cross is another place someone mentioned, that did have a few nice flats on daft.
anyway thanks again to everyone whos answered so far.:D

ealach

I'd agree with the majority of the posters on Ranelagh & Rathmines. My only issue with those areas is that the buildings are nearly all very old. When I was looking at renting there I found most of the places very small and overpriced. One area I would add to the list is Grand Canal Dock. It's within walking distance of the city centre and also has a very good bus service, not to mention the DART.
Lots of new apartment blocks have gone up here over the last few years and there are quite a lot of young people living in the area now. Rent will be cheaper than Ranelagh and the accomodation will be more spacious and modern.
Amenities are not as good as they seemed to build the accomodation first and only thought of amenities afterwards. Still, there are some good bars and there are more shops opening on a regular basis.
I don't live in the area but I have a number of friends living there who would all recommend it.

Suzywuzy

Castleknock's not that bad and a good area too. Traffic might be bad, but you have that everywhere and it's mainly cos it is a good area to live in. It's not that far from town and the Maynooth train line runs through Castleknock and Coolmine. I work in Dame Street and get the train from Coolmine and am in work at my desk 40 minutes after getting on the train in Coolmine. Having said that, I could spend almost 2 hours on the 39 bus from Clonsilla Road to get in. The train service is definitley the bonus. You also have the shopping centre in Blanchardstown with in walking distance too or a short drive away. And the Phoenix Park only down the road. Don't think Castleknock deserves the bad comments it's getting here !!!

Fratton Fred

ealach wrote: »

I'd agree with the majority of the posters on Ranelagh & Rathmines. My only issue with those areas is that the buildings are nearly all very old. When I was looking at renting there I found most of the places very small and overpriced. One area I would add to the list is Grand Canal Dock. It's within walking distance of the city centre and also has a very good bus service, not to mention the DART.
Lots of new apartment blocks have gone up here over the last few years and there are quite a lot of young people living in the area now. Rent will be cheaper than Ranelagh and the accomodation will be more spacious and modern.
Amenities are not as good as they seemed to build the accomodation first and only thought of amenities afterwards. Still, there are some good bars and there are more shops opening on a regular basis.
I don't live in the area but I have a number of friends living there who would all recommend it.

I work at Grand Canal Dock and i would quite happily live in this area. Easy walk back from town as well.

For €1200 per month for a one bedroon apartment, you could pick up somewhere nice all along the Dart.

speedy2007

ive just got a place this week in rathmines area, its pretty spacious compared to another few i saw, and its fairly new as well. Rent is bloody expensive tho in dublin...i know its the capital city, but everything is so dear compared to the rest of the country. Its crazy.
but thanks to everyones advice:D