Moving to Ratoath

Fi_J

Hi Everyone

Thinking of moving to Ratoath from South Co Dublin and wondering what it is like? Moving with a young baby and my husband. I'm a stay at home / studying Mum, so would be looking for a Mum & Baby/Toddler group and to make friends in general.

Like the idea of living somewhere with a community feel, but not too country, if you know what I mean and Ratoath looks beautiful.

Will probably rent until we get a feel for the place, then hope to buy.

Is there much crime? Are people friendly to "outsiders"? Schools, hospital, parks etc.. Any info would be really appreciated. There is only so much you can pick up from a place from driving around it.

Thanks!

Floppybits

Hi Fi_J,

I live in Ratoath, been living out there now for 6 years moved there from North Dublin, probably like have the community out there.

Since I moved out there, there has been no end to the improvements in terms of transport links and community. There 2 national schools in the area all within a 5 minute walk, there is a secondary school as well, numerous clubs, such as GAA, soccer, rugby, tennis, athletics, scouts, cubs and there is a creche as well. Now I think there is a mother and toddler group as well that meet up in the community centre, which is in the middle of the village. There is a large enough supervalu in the village but Ashbourne is only 10 minutes away by car and there there is a Tesco's, Lidl, Aldi and Dunnes Stores and few other shops.

There is a bus service that takes you into the centre of Dublin, you are close to the N2 and N3 and M50, 15 minutes from Blanchardstown shopping centre, 5 minutes drive from the new train station at Dunboyne Parkway which has plenty of free parking and I have never had a problem with leaving my car there all day.

As for crime, I haven't heard of any breakin's in the area and too me it always seems quiet especially after 10pm at night. The good thing is that all the developments in the area are now finished and with the way things are there are no other developments planned.

Since I moved there, I have 3 mates move out there as well and they all love the place. All of us like the rural feel to the place with out it being too rural. Renting is a good idea and there some great places you can get for decent rent, I don't know of any bad areas and I dont think there are any.

I dont think there are too many nicer places to live that Ratoath and it seems to have everything.

Hope this helps.

Fi_J

Wow, fantastic, thanks a mil!

I read a few bad comments about Ratoath and Ashbourne on a previous post and was nervous about moving out. Now to find somewhere!! :P
Thanks!

niallam

Floppybits wrote: »

I dont think there are too many nicer places to live that Ratoath and it seems to have everything.

Lived in the Ratoath area for 27 years and for me the area actually has nothing, full of teenagers now with nothing to do except fight is all it seems to have.
Shopping will all be done in Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin has nothing in it either.
The village has changed very little except for about 4 extra pharmacies and hundreds of extra houses. At least the town of Ashbourne grew with the times and grew to cater for the increase in population.
There are worse places to live in Meath but i wouldn't move back to the area to raise my kids now.

Fi_J

niallam wrote: »

Lived in the Ratoath area for 27 years and for me the area actually has nothing, full of teenagers now with nothing to do except fight is all it seems to have.
Shopping will all be done in Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin has nothing in it either.
The village has changed very little except for about 4 extra pharmacies and hundreds of extra houses. At least the town of Ashbourne grew with the times and grew to cater for the increase in population.
There are worse places to live in Meath but i wouldn't move back to the area to raise my kids now.

OH GOD... That doesnt sound good?? We went up to Ratoath and Ashbourne over the weekend and thought Ashbourne was great for all the facilities, shops etc but looked a little less well kept that Ratoath? But Ratoath does seem to be just houses alright.. Although I have to say, they all look very well kept. What has turned you off Ratoath after living there for so long? And whats that about teenagers fighting?

KERSPLAT!

Teenagers fight everywhere from one end of the country to the other. In Ratoath, where I lived for 24 years it is very uncommon. Ratoath is a very friendly area and like you said its very well kept. It doesnt have the same facilaties as Ashbourne but with it being abou 8-10 mins away, does it matter? Also Blanch is only 15 mins away!

Ratoath has what it needs for its size, schools, newsagents, supermarkets, hairdressers, chemists, Take aways, Restaurants etc

There are also loads of things to do for all ages, GAA, Soccer, Rugby, Athletics club, Tennis club, Golf sociaty etc

Has a decent bus service, I think every 40-50 mins to Dublin City Centre and about the same to Ash and Blanch if you didnt have a car

Nightlife is pretty much non existant, 3 Pubs, 1 is old man type, 1 is usually empty but The Auld Stand is usually good craic and has a restaurant upstairs but like I said, Ash is 10 mins away, plenty of pubs there and same with town obviously

I lived in Ratoath for 24 years and would have no problem walking, on my own, around 99% of it in the early hours of the morning, cant say the same for the surrounding towns or where I live now!!

ladycam

I have to say, I love it in Ratoath.
Really friendly place, you always get at least a nod from people as you walk down the street.
I have 3 young kids so my nightclubbing days are over;)
I think if you make the effort to meet/ talk to other people, you will have lots of friends in no time.
It is full of young families now, lots of mums in same position as you, ie new baby and wanting to meet other mums.
HTH:D

niallam

Fi_J wrote: »

What has turned you off Ratoath after living there for so long? And whats that about teenagers fighting?

Nothing in it really despite what anyone says, you'll find yourself always going somewhere else for shopping and to go out, as for the fighting it's the worst of any of the nearby area's, no point me going into it but lack of a garda station has a lot to do with it.

IPAM wrote: »

Teenagers fight everywhere from one end of the country to the other.

There are also loads of things to do for all ages, GAA, Soccer, Rugby, Athletics club, Tennis club, Golf sociaty etc

There's things for teenagers to do in every town in the country, they just don't want to do it. None of the nearby town has grown at the rate Ratoath has and now 15 years later all the young kids are in their teens... Here's a pic of how ratoath used to look, only change is hundreds of houses, as i said Dunshaughlin hasn;t grown in the last 15-20 years at all in comparison and Ashbourne has grown with the population with shops and facilities.

Dubh Geannain

I've lived in Ratoath for the last 2 years. I have to say I like it mostly, but as niallam says if you want to do anything you'll find you're heading out of the town. That's probably more to do with the fact I only know about 5 or 6 other families living there at this stage.

The pub scene is completely dead. Considering there's only 3 pubs and the size of the population I would have expected there to be a bit more happening on that front. But then again it's probably because there seems to be a disproportionate amount of young families living here.

It seems to me though that there is plenty for kids to do in the area. I don't think anyone mentioned the modest pitch-and-putt yet. It's up to the kids whether they want to use the facilities or not so you'll always have the gangs hanging around. I've have had an exchange of words on a couple of occasions with them while out running. I usually don't let them get away with shouting smartass remarks. Probably land me in trouble some day :rolleyes:

Obrieski

Lived in Ratoath all my life. Seen it change from small village to town! I would not change living here for the world. Some of the friendliest people around and as mentioned tons of clubs for young people who are any way into sport. As people say with so many young people not a lot to do nightlife wise but that could change and I find the pubs are good, especially the Auld Stand. Have had extended family move out here from Dublin and they would not regret their decision for one second, one currently out here with young children, and another one looking to come into the area as well. I can't rate the place highly enough. I know a lot of people in Ashbourne and the town of Ashbourne quite well but I would much rather live in Ratoath than over there

b318isp

I also live in Ratoath. Here is a summary of it's pros and cons:

Pro's:
Good schools
Good restaurants and take aways
Good sports
A good community spirit (Meadowbank stands out as one of the best)
Reasonably active counsellors and politicians
Good support for the elderly
Local fruit/veg/meats
Tesco Express and Supervalu supermarket
Generally a more affluent population
Most estates are beautifully kept
Constant evolution (national? BMX course now being built)
I work in Tallaght and the commute is now 30 minutes
Growing business development and support
Most of the bigger estates have green areas for kids to play

Cons:
Not really scenic, missing architectural and historical character
No clubs or discos (maybe just as well!)
No pub scene
Reasonable bus service - BUT expensive as it is not in Dublin Bus catchment area and getting into town can take a long time due to meandering routes
No large supermarket
Can be a rat run, but much better since the M2 and M3 opened
Roads a bit busy for cycling (esp. for kids)
Can be a target town for break-ins
Some snobbishness and keep-up-with-the-Jones's
Need to travel to places for kids to play (there is a playground tho')

BTW: The previous opinion given on teenager troubles I don't think is balanced. Yes, there has been issues - and there will be issues in the future, but they are a fraction of the problems you will experience elsewhere.

Floppybits

b318isp wrote: »

I also live in Ratoath. Here is a summary of it's pros and cons:

Pro's:
Good schools
Good restaurants and take aways
Good sports
A good community spirit (Meadowbank stands out as one of the best)
Reasonably active counsellors and politicians
Good support for the elderly
Local fruit/veg/meats
Tesco Express and Supervalu supermarket
Generally a more affluent population
Most estates are beautifully kept
Constant evolution (national? BMX course now being built)
I work in Tallaght and the commute is now 30 minutes
Growing business development and support
Most of the bigger estates have green areas for kids to play

Cons:
Not really scenic, missing architectural and historical character
No clubs or discos (maybe just as well!)
No pub scene
Reasonable bus service - BUT expensive as it is not in Dublin Bus catchment area and getting into town can take a long time due to meandering routes
No large supermarket
Can be a rat run, but much better since the M2 and M3 opened
Roads a bit busy for cycling (esp. for kids)
Can be a target town for break-ins
Some snobbishness and keep-up-with-the-Jones's
Need to travel to places for kids to play (there is a playground tho')

BTW: The previous opinion given on teenager troubles I don't think is balanced. Yes, there has been issues - and there will be issues in the future, but they are a fraction of the problems you will experience elsewhere.

I agree with most of the Pro's you have there but a couple of the con's I do have a problem with,

No clubs or disco's. Is this really needed? How many other places have clubs or nightclubs in them? Would it really affect your decision whether to live in an area or not? There are nightclubs in Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne. I think the fact that there is no nightclub would be a positive as you don't have all the trouble that can come with a nightclub.

Can be a target for break ins? I haven't heard of any break ins in the area and I have often left my car unlocked at night time. Not saying there are no break ins, its just that I haven't heard of any. I know the Tesco got robbed a couple of times but that's about it.

Need to travel for kids to play? Most of the estates in Ratoath all have green areas where kids can play. I know the area that I live in there are 3 very large green areas that seem to be full of kids. I will say though and I am not sure that this applies to all estates or just mine but maybe the drivers need to be more careful in the estates and follow the rules of the road like actually driving the correct way around a roundabout instead of the cutting the roundabout by driving the wrong way and yes I have seen this done by drivers in all sorts of cars from boy racers to family cars.

As for teenagers, yes they are a pain and can be loud but they are teenagers and considering the area that I grew up in in Dublin, the teenagers in Ratoath are saints to compared to the ones that I seen growing up.

b318isp

Floppybits wrote: »

No clubs or disco's. Is this really needed? How many other places have clubs or nightclubs in them? Would it really affect your decision whether to live in an area or not? There are nightclubs in Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne. I think the fact that there is no nightclub would be a positive as you don't have all the trouble that can come with a nightclub.

I agree, but some may prefer local clubs.

Floppybits wrote: »

Can be a target for break ins? I haven't heard of any break ins in the area and I have often left my car unlocked at night time. Not saying there are no break ins, its just that I haven't heard of any. I know the Tesco got robbed a couple of times but that's about it.

I have heard of around 6 in the last year. A nearby neighbour has been burgled 3 times in 3 years. Another neighbour had his BMW stolen.

Floppybits wrote: »

Need to travel for kids to play? Most of the estates in Ratoath all have green areas where kids can play. I know the area that I live in there are 3 very large green areas that seem to be full of kids. I will say though and I am not sure that this applies to all estates or just mine but maybe the drivers need to be more careful in the estates and follow the rules of the road like actually driving the correct way around a roundabout instead of the cutting the roundabout by driving the wrong way and yes I have seen this done by drivers in all sorts of cars from boy racers to family cars.

I mean for a day out, I did mention the availability of local greens. There is Tayto park (expensive), Dalgan Park near Navan, Balrath Woods, Pheonix Park, etc. all within about 20-25 mins drive tho'.

Gonzo

Ratoath is definitely a better place to live than Dunshaughlin which has hardly anything to offer, Dunshaughlin has barely changed since the 1980s in terms of growth, services etc.

duffalosoldier

Hello there, was looking to open up this discussion again to see how things may have changed for the better/worse in the past three years since this was first posted.

We are thinking of making a similar move. Specifically we've been eyeing up the Steeplechase development as it looks like a well kept estate. Although the gardens seem quite small and pokey for such a nice development. I would love to hear peoples thoughts on green areas, communal parks etc for kids to enjoy as this is largely the reason we are thinking of relocating from Dublin - Im sure this is a common theme! Have there been much improvements to public transport in the past 3 years?

Any comments appreciated.

bitemybanger

This thread is a few years old now and information is dated. I suggest starting a new thread as ill be closing this one.