Moving to Athenry

Dub69

Hi all

I am moving to Athenry during the summer with kids. Am currently looking for a house to rent. Not sure should I live in town (which would be handy, kids would be able to walk to school) or live outside town. I have heard different stories about the town!!!. I have also heard that the playground it not really suitable for the children!!!. My eldest is 16 - would it be safe for him to go the shop or chipper on his own in the evening!!
One side of me is looking forward to moving - everything available in the town and train station there and also so near Galway. On the other hand should I be worried about my children being safe. Any parts of it that I shoud avoid. I love the thought of moving there, but when you start hearing diffent stories, you don't know what to believe and you start doubting your decision.

Any help or information would be great & helpful

Thanks

biko

You can find local crime news about Athenry like this
Finding houses like this.
Search this forum like this

I'll move this to Galway County, it's a bit busier than West.

galwegians

Hi athenry is a nice town, I moved to athenry about 5 yrs ago and have found the people to be very friendly and helpfull, Is any town in ireland safe anymore for young people to walk around, I dont know what you have heard about athenry but it is no different than the rest.

athenry is fine

same as dublin, you get trouble if you go looking for it

playground is great for kids, its often well packed

i think someone has been talking rubbish to you. Athenry is no different to any other small town around the country

dantbyhid

Moved to a village 2 miles from Athenry 4 years ago and have nothing bad to say about the area. Never had or seen any type of trouble but then I've never gone looking for it. Decent enough shops and services in the area too and Galway is unbelievably easy to get since the opening of the dual carriageway.
I still do all my going out (gigs/pubs etc) in Galway city so can't comment on the 'nightlife' really. There is a shuttle bus that runs on weekend nights which is pretty handy for people living in Athenry town itself I'd say. Never used it myself as I hardly ever drink when I'm out and the odd time I was on the lash and had to get home I got a taxi. There are some decent restaurants and cafes too.

Mr Man

Dub69 wrote: »

Hi all

I am moving to Athenry during the summer with kids. Am currently looking for a house to rent. Not sure should I live in town (which would be handy, kids would be able to walk to school) or live outside town. I have heard different stories about the town!!!. I have also heard that the playground it not really suitable for the children!!!. My eldest is 16 - would it be safe for him to go the shop or chipper on his own in the evening!!
One side of me is looking forward to moving - everything available in the town and train station there and also so near Galway. On the other hand should I be worried about my children being safe. Any parts of it that I shoud avoid. I love the thought of moving there, but when you start hearing diffent stories, you don't know what to believe and you start doubting your decision.

Any help or information would be great & helpful

Thanks

Were you talking to people from Tuam by any chance?

Athenry is a fine little town. It is beyond why anyone would say the playground is not realy suitable for children.

Munster_Gal

Athenry is a lovely town. Would be living there myself only for the public transport isn't really suitable for the hours that I will be working... It would have been my first choice otherwise!

redsteveireland

Mr Man wrote: »

Were you talking to people from Tuam by any chance?

Athenry is a fine little town. It is beyond why anyone would say the playground is not realy suitable for children.

I will agree with you that Athenry is a great town, I always walk late at night and never see any trouble.
The playground is not suitable for children. A child was almost killed outside the gates today.

There are 2 gates which open onto a main road which are always left open especially by people who decide to take a stroll through.

Another gate, which is half broken, leads to an open area of the river which is fast moving.

A fourth gate leads to an area which has a dangerous drop.

The rubbish bins are broken........


Where do I stop?

aido76

redsteveireland wrote: »

I will agree with you that Athenry is a great town, I always walk late at night and never see any trouble.
The playground is not suitable for children. A child was almost killed outside the gates today.

There are 2 gates which open onto a main road which are always left open especially by people who decide to take a stroll through.

Another gate, which is half broken, leads to an open area of the river which is fast moving.

A fourth gate leads to an area which has a dangerous drop.

The rubbish bins are broken........


Where do I stop?

I agree. The items in the playground are fine but the access points are dangerous as the gates are not self closing. You really need to keep an eye on your kids. Monivea, about 6 miles away, has a much safer playground.
I grew up in the town and while there are some dodgy characters around as with all towns, the majority are very decent people.

xxtattyberxx

I moved to Athney 2 yrs ago, I didnt want to go, but now Id have to be brought back into town kicking and screaming.
If you choose to live in the town Everything is in walking distantce that you'd need, schools, station, local shop. If you go outside the town will prob will need to drive everywhere the roads wouldnt be all that safe.
As for security I couldnt let my lad outside all to often when we lived in town now hes free to wonder around teh estate all he likes. Hes to young to be of down the town etc but from what I know about neighbours teenage kids they go of down the town, hangout where ever and do normal teenage things.
Majority of the people are lovely, polite, talkative but your always gonna get a few bad eggs

Dub69

Thank you all very much for your replies! You have all been helpful and as the move is fast approaching you have all put me at my ease. Thanks again.

Hulk Hands

Dub69 wrote: »

Hi all

I am moving to Athenry during the summer with kids. Am currently looking for a house to rent. Not sure should I live in town (which would be handy, kids would be able to walk to school) or live outside town. I have heard different stories about the town!!!. I have also heard that the playground it not really suitable for the children!!!. My eldest is 16 - would it be safe for him to go the shop or chipper on his own in the evening!!
One side of me is looking forward to moving - everything available in the town and train station there and also so near Galway. On the other hand should I be worried about my children being safe. Any parts of it that I shoud avoid. I love the thought of moving there, but when you start hearing diffent stories, you don't know what to believe and you start doubting your decision.

Any help or information would be great & helpful

Thanks

My God, the place isn't the Bronx!

It's a lovely town and as safe as any small town in Ireland. There is no reason at all why you shouldn't let your 16 year old out and about. If he gets bored, he can always get the quick train into Galway. In fairness he's 16.....a few months past that I moved out of home for the first time

I don't know what stories you must have heard. I suppose there is one or two bad apples around but that's a given in a town of 4,000+

dnme

Best of luck with the move. Oh yea and don't forget to go and visit the actual fields :rolleyes:

adevane

Hope your move to Athenry went well dub69. We are contemplating a move to Athenry ourselves in the New Year and wondered if any of your earlier concerns rang true?
It seems to tick all the boxes for us on paper. As our eldest is currently in secondary school, we've been looking for school that would best match the subjects he's already been studying (especially the particular novels, plays etc he's been sweating over.) and one that was a fit with his particular interests too. Husband will be working in Oranmore. So, we think somewhere either in or near Athenry would suit as husband could commute. Would anyone know if the road is busy in the direction of Oranmore in the mornings? Also, I've been reading about the new motorway which was due/started construction in Nov. Would roadworks for this have an affect on the roads he might be travelling on? Sorry, have been trying to find a map of the motorway but any I found weren't detailed enough. Any helpful comments would be very much appreciated.

Vote 4 Pedro

Athenry is fine, been here last 9 years with no regrets, the road to Oranmore is a easy journey to make and only takes a few mins,
The town has most things but it's very near Galway via the motor way so i don't think you'll be stuck for anything.

adevane

Vote 4 Pedro wrote: »

Athenry is fine, been here last 9 years with no regrets, the road to Oranmore is a easy journey to make and only takes a few mins,
The town has most things but it's very near Galway via the motor way so i don't think you'll be stuck for anything.

Thanks for that!

dantbyhid

adevane wrote: »

Husband will be working in Oranmore. So, we think somewhere either in or near Athenry would suit as husband could commute. Would anyone know if the road is busy in the direction of Oranmore in the mornings? Also, I've been reading about the new motorway which was due/started construction in Nov. Would roadworks for this have an affect on the roads he might be travelling on? Sorry, have been trying to find a map of the motorway but any I found weren't detailed enough. Any helpful comments would be very much appreciated.

No need to worry about getting to Oranmore. There are several routes you can take and they are grand for traffic. Oranmore is just up the road from Athenry really.
You're probably talking about the Gort/Tuam motorway? Works have not started on that and I doubt they will anytime soon.

Dub69

Hi Adevane.

The move couldn't have gone smoother. The town is great. Everything you need is there. Lovely little shops and restaurants. I find the people very friendly. The kids have settled in great and like their schools. We are living half a mile from town, which is great, short enough to walk, but long enough so that the 16 year old doesn't want to wander in the evening!!. Plenty of sports activities for the kids. The train service to galway is great. 10 to 15 mins drive to Oranmore.
A worthwhile move. I would recommend it.

adevane

dantbyhid wrote: »

You're probably talking about the Gort/Tuam motorway? Works have not started on that and I doubt they will anytime soon.

Yes, that's the one I meant. I read somewhere that it was due to start in Nov 2011 :rolleyes:

dub69, I'm delighted to hear you haven't looked back since your move. You sound very happy. I'll be hoping to keep the reins firmly held on my teenager too. Our kids are very settled here in Cork and really love their little lives. It makes me so nervous when I think of what's ahead.... yanking them out of their schools and dropping them into the unknown. I know they say kids are resilient but it's a big ask all the same- expecting them to start afresh with friends, schools etc and then the teenage years can be a minefield without the added emotional upset of having to part with peers. Having said all that, we have family in the West and it would be lovely to be able to see more of them. All in all, if the kids end up settling into their schools and new surroundings, we'd end up with a better quality of life. I'm asking a lot of Athenry!

factual lies

dantbyhid wrote: »

.
You're probably talking about the Gort/Tuam motorway? Works have not started on that and I doubt they will anytime soon.

work will be starting early next year and they hope to be finished by 2015.

JDcycle

Hi, I know this is an old old post but I am looking to purchase a house in Cluain Ri, Athenry in Galway and was wondering what the estate is like or any feedback on the area.

Many thanks.

dnme

JDcycle wrote: »

Hi, I know this is an old old post but I am looking to purchase a house in Cluain Ri, Athenry in Galway and was wondering what the estate is like or any feedback on the area.

Many thanks.

Ironically, I'm moving out of Cluain Ri today

I rented a house in the estate for the past few months. The estate is grand, quiet but people still get a shock when I wave at them (I wave at my neighbours, thats how I was brought up)

The problem with Cluan Ri is the build quality of the houses. You can hear your next door neighbour. Anything they do that involves the touching the woodwork such as walking, stairs, closet doors, etc is loud. At night time I had to use really good quality ear plugs and I could still hear them. The bedrooms are on the adjoining wall so you can hear them talking at night.

The houses are built with no, and I mean NO sound insulation whatsoever. I reckon this is true of most of these celtic tiger estates. They were thrown up for stupid money.

JDcycle

dnme wrote: »

Ironically, I'm moving out of Cluain Ri today

I rented a house in the estate for the past few months. The estate is grand, quiet but people still get a shock when I wave at them (I wave at my neighbours, thats how I was brought up)

The problem with Cluan Ri is the build quality of the houses. You can hear your next door neighbour. Anything they do that involves the touching the woodwork such as walking, stairs, closet doors, etc is loud. At night time I had to use really good quality ear plugs and I could still hear them. The bedrooms are on the adjoining wall so you can hear them talking at night.

The houses are built with no, and I mean NO sound insulation whatsoever. I reckon this is true of most of these celtic tiger estates. They were thrown up for stupid money.

Thanks for that, yep they do seem to be thrown together but I agree that's with most of them new estates.

Mr Man

JDcycle wrote: »

Hi, I know this is an old old post but I am looking to purchase a house in Cluain Ri, Athenry in Galway and was wondering what the estate is like or any feedback on the area.

Many thanks.

As dnme says, those houses are not great. We looked at them originally and were not impressed with the quality.

I think there is also a set of traveler houses behind some of the houses (relevant info for someone wanting to purchase).

Dun Ri and Caislean Oir are nice estates with decent enough quality houses.

redsteveireland

Also the lack of a footpath over the 2 railway bridges on that end of the town can make walking into the town quiet interesting.

JDcycle

Mr Man wrote: »

As dnme says, those houses are not great. We looked at them originally and were not impressed with the quality.

I think there is also a set of traveler houses behind some of the houses (relevant info for someone wanting to purchase).

Dun Ri and Caislean Oir are nice estates with decent enough quality houses.

Yea there is a halting site behind or close by I think?? Im not sure how close or if any trouble has been caused. I might ask around.

JDcycle

dnme wrote: »

Ironically, I'm moving out of Cluain Ri today

I rented a house in the estate for the past few months. The estate is grand, quiet but people still get a shock when I wave at them (I wave at my neighbours, thats how I was brought up)

The problem with Cluan Ri is the build quality of the houses. You can hear your next door neighbour. Anything they do that involves the touching the woodwork such as walking, stairs, closet doors, etc is loud. At night time I had to use really good quality ear plugs and I could still hear them. The bedrooms are on the adjoining wall so you can hear them talking at night.

The houses are built with no, and I mean NO sound insulation whatsoever. I reckon this is true of most of these celtic tiger estates. They were thrown up for stupid money.

Hi Dnme, As you lived in the estate I was wondering that with the halting site (so I have been told) so close was there any problems? I driven around a few times but had trouble finding the site. I think Athenry is a good place to live from what I hear.

I know you can't generalize but just going find out as much about the area and neighbors as a house purchase is such a big move.

Thanks

redsteveireland

JDcycle wrote: »

Hi Dnme, As you lived in the estate I was wondering that with the halting site (so I have been told) so close was there any problems? I driven around a few times but had trouble finding the site. I think Athenry is a good place to live from what I hear.

I know you can't generalize but just going find out as much about the area and neighbors as a house purchase is such a big move.

Thanks

I don't think it's a halting site. More like a row of bungalows occupied by settled travellers and there is the odd caravan and horsebox around the place from time to time. AFAIK.

JDcycle

I see you mentioned caisleann Orr and dun na ri estates, any feed back on those estates? Or is any one particulary better than the other. I'm looking at both tomorrow.

Mr Man

JDcycle wrote: »

I see you mentioned caisleann Orr and dun na ri estates, any feed back on those estates? Or is any one particulary better than the other. I'm looking at both tomorrow.

They are both good estates within short walking distance to a good local shop, train station and the town itself.

We bought a house in Caislean Oir in 2007. Apart from all the nequity, we are very happy.

birdygirl

I was wondering if anybody who lives in Athenry or has experience of the place, could give me some advice.

Im thinking of moving to the town or somewhere preferably near a bus stop. (Will be commuting to Galway)... actually could someone tell me where exactly is the bus stop

Also, could anyone let me know of nice, safe areas to live in Athenry (bearing in mind my transportation needs).

Thanks guys

aido76

The Bus Eireann stop is outside Somers Service station(Texeco). Don't think there are other stops but not 100% sure. They may run from the train station.Here is a map.
http://journeyplanner.buseireann.ie/jp/bin/query.exe/en?ld=std&currentCSS=theme_be&seqnr=1&ident=av.0291662.1349036765&OK#focus

There is a local company running a daily service to Galway.
http://www.farrelltravel.ie/services/athenry-galway-athenry-daily-bus/
They have a few stops around the town so may suit you better as you would have a choice of areas to choose to live.

Train may also suit you.
http://www.irishrail.ie/media/111_DublinGalway111.pdf

In terms of areas to live, I grew up in the town but it has been a few years since I lived there. For the Bus Eireann bus, anywhere in the town or towards Prospect/GAA pitch would be within walking distance. Most of the estates would be a bit out of the way as most are the opposite side of town.

For Farrells bus they have a stop at Londis (Tuam RD) so out the Tuam road would best suit you. There are numerous estates that side of town. You need to make sure bus times and destinations suit your needs.

jkmanc1974

Lived down in the apartments near prospect/Joyces for 3 years - to be honest would recommend the train over the bus(CIE) unless you happen to be working in Ballybrit/Parkmore - have only used Farrells nightlink service so could not really comment.

Brgds
Johnny

birdygirl

Thanks Aldo and Jk!

May get some viewings arranged for the next few days

RubyGirl

Hope you don't mind op but I have a request. Friend is looking for a four bed house close to Athenry, she's on rent allowance and is finding it hard to get a house that will take this payment.

Pm me if you can help.