Moving from Dublin to Kilkenny

fionabrennan

Hi, I am from Dublin and seriously considering a move to Kilkenny. My husband has the opportunity of work there and I think we would have the chance for a calmer and better standard of living. I would really appreciate if some locals or people who have moved there, could tell me what are the best areas to live in and also good schools. I would like a co-ed school. We have a young son due to start primary next year. Thanks in advance!:)

catbear

Hi Fiona.

Kilkenny isn't that big and a traffic jam is about ten minutes. (except near schools)

Now as I'm not a parent I can't advise you much on schools.

As an adult the only big drawback is lack of third level education, I'm leaving Kilkenny soon for this very reason. In the distant future your kids will most likely have to leave Kilkenny for this reason.

I've lived at some stage in all parts of Kilkenny and for me, if I were to settle, I would certainly opt for the Waterford road side. Plenty of schools, public leisure centre, Aldi, Lidl, Supervalue and the best part as far as I'm concerned is having the beautiful castle park nearby. They'll all walkable whereas other parts of Kilkenny like the Comer and Freshford road are a good distance from the main.

With the motorway Kilkenny and Dublin aren't that far.
I hope that's helpful.

Sky King

Kilkenny has a lot more of an 'arty' vibe to it than towns of comparable size (Clonmel, Athlone, etc) with a great art, music and theatre scene for a place its size. There's great festivals here and a nice atmosphere all summer long.

It's a nice town with nice people and I like living here. I have lived in Dublin for a while too and didn;t like the lifestyle and enviornment there at all - though it does suit some people. Each to their own.

It's only an hour to the red cow these days on the motorway anyway

txpjl

Sky King wrote: »

Kilkenny has a lot more of an 'arty' vibe to it than towns of comparable size (Clonmel, Athlone, etc) with a great art, music and theatre scene for a place its size. There's great festivals here and a nice atmosphere all summer long.

It's a nice town with nice people and I like living here. I have lived in Dublin for a while too and didn;t like the lifestyle and enviornment there at all - though it does suit some people. Each to their own.

It's only an hour to the red cow these days on the motorway anyway

Consider also a move to Tipperary with a short commute to Kilkenny. I moved to Ballingarry from New York and work in Cork. Local school is great with great teachers etc.

holyhead

Fiona the best places to live in KK depends on whether your buying or renting and what your fiscal situation is. There are some beautiful estates in KK such as College Square etc on the College Road or Cashel Downs on the Waterford Road , how if buying its top dollar. Waterford Road is feasible for most people at least renting including Parcnagowen, Clongowen. Richview/Weir is nice on the Castlecomer Road. There's a lovely scheme of houses on the Granges Road its name escapes me. Sycamores/Aylesbury is a grand area off the Freshford road.
Kilkenny is beautiful and a really nice place to live. Sure on nights out ye have yer skangers but there everywhere. Great arts, decent shopping, lovely park, plenty of social clubs etc. Not too sure if there is a co-ed school. Just remember that although KK is a city i won't have the array of cultural/shopping/entertainment options that Dublin can offer. As against that KK is intimate and city centre is compact. Best of luck with your decision making.

lilo77

Hi, you'll love Kilkenny and I'm sure your son will too!
I went to the Model School (Castlecomer rd) One of the best primary schools out there!
Hope you enjoy our city

fionabrennan

Thanks to you all for the information, it is really helpful!!! As I don't know what areas are good and which ones to avoid. I shall be renting as I really don't want to buy for the moment...rents seems to VERY reasonable compared to Dublin and we should be able to afford a nice 3-4 bedroom house. I really am ready for a change,the pace of life here is crazy, everyone in such a rush to nowhere! Any time I have spent in Killkenny I have loved but I know that being on holiday and living somewhere is not the same thing but so far KK definitely ticks a lot of the boxes. I really do appreciate you taking the time to write.

Raze_them_all

Avoid castlcomer like the plague.

Dozen Wicked Words

Raze_them_all wrote: »

Avoid castlcomer like the plague.

Yeah, plenty of nice areas/villages outside Comer though, and its handy enough for emergency beer shopping (though not cheap!) in Eurospar, or chips from the van.

Raze_them_all

dooferoaks wrote: »

Yeah, plenty of nice areas/villages outside Comer though, and its handy enough for emergency beer shopping (though not cheap!) in Eurospar, or chips from the van.

nowhere near comer is nice. It is a hole. Comer only looks ok after passing through athy.

Dozen Wicked Words

Raze_them_all wrote: »

nowhere near comer is nice. It is a hole. Comer only looks ok after passing through athy.

Sirte looks nice after passing through Athy.

fionabrennan

dooferoaks wrote: »

Raze_them_all wrote: »

nowhere near comer is nice. It is a hole. Comer only looks ok after passing through athy.

Sirte looks nice after passing through Athy.

Hi there, just to clarify is it the castlecomer road you are referring to? What makes it so bad? Also, can anyone recommend small villages that are nice and easily commutable? I think we will stay in the city but just to keep options open. Thanks a mill.

road_high

fionabrennan wrote: »

Hi there, just to clarify is it the castlecomer road you are referring to? What makes it so bad? Also, can anyone recommend small villages that are nice and easily commutable? I think we will stay in the city but just to keep options open. Thanks a mill.

Castlecomer road is a lovely part of Kilkenny city. Villages that are nice and commutable to Kilkenny, I think Bennettsbridge is lovely and very near town. A bit further out is Thomastown which is a lovely small town with good facilities and restaurants.
But I thnik I would stay in Kilkenny myself. You will have everything on your doorstep and close to the motorways and just an hour from Dublin as well.
As regards somebodies suggestion re Ballingarry Co. Tipperary, all I can say is LOL

Dozen Wicked Words

fionabrennan wrote: »

Hi there, just to clarify is it the castlecomer road you are referring to? What makes it so bad? Also, can anyone recommend small villages that are nice and easily commutable? I think we will stay in the city but just to keep options open. Thanks a mill.

Castleomer Road in Kilkenny is OK, the town of Castlecomer is more whats being to referred to there, 20 minutes away from the City and has the reputation for not being very nice. (It isn't very nice)

Deliverance XXV

I'm up by the Castlecomer Rd. and can only highly recommend it. Eight months up this side of town and never seen any trouble.

Captain Havoc

I'm Castlecomer road area also, it's only a ten minute walk from town. You also have Newpark and MacDonagh shopping centres in close proximity and you're almost on the ring road.

PhilipMarlowe

Same here, though a little further out than 10 mins, more like 25 to the Parade. I used to live near Larchfield and it was great for access to town and castle park, really convenient. Moved to the Castlecomer Road and it's quieter with more room while still a nice walk into town (through the Peace Park along by the river bank).
My kids go to the KSP (kilkenny school project) which is over on the Waterford road (can get a bus from outside Richview on the Castlecomer Road).

For villages, Bennettsbridge & Thomastown are both on the river Nore and are worth a look. Thomastown has more to offer IMO. Gowran is also in that general side and has a fine Golf course and is also relatively easy to access the motorway (J7 on the M9 is close by in Paulstown).

Raze_them_all

to prove my point about comer, someone took a digger to the post office and made away with the safe

fionabrennan

PhilipMarlowe wrote: »

Same here, though a little further out than 10 mins, more like 25 to the Parade. I used to live near Larchfield and it was great for access to town and castle park, really convenient. Moved to the Castlecomer Road and it's quieter with more room while still a nice walk into town (through the Peace Park along by the river bank).
My kids go to the KSP (kilkenny school project) which is over on the Waterford road (can get a bus from outside Richview on the Castlecomer Road).

For villages, Bennettsbridge & Thomastown are both on the river Nore and are worth a look. Thomastown has more to offer IMO. Gowran is also in that general side and has a fine Golf course and is also relatively easy to access the motorway (J7 on the M9 is close by in Paulstown).

Thanks for that, I put my son down for KSP in June, so I'm really hoping he has a chance to get in. Have you any tips, does it matter where you live? I really would like him to go there as the equivalent type of schools ib Dublin are almost impossible to get a place.

PhilipMarlowe

Operates by a first come, first served principle as far as I know so it doesn't matter where you live, just when you apply. I'm sure they'll let you know how you stand as best they can if you ask. Mixture of kids from all over the city and county there.

Badgermonkey

fionabrennan wrote: »

Also, can anyone recommend small villages that are nice and easily commutable?

Some options south of the city.

Bennettsbridge

1hr15mins drive to Red Cow roundabout, 10 mins to KK, 10 mins to Thomastown (LIDL, SUPERVALU etc.)

Post Office / Great Butcher / Nice Pub / Newsagents / Petrol Station / River Nore
Home of Nicholas Mosse Pottery
http://www.nicholasmosse.com/store/

Kells / Stoneyford

Small villages with great communities 1hr15mins drive to Red Cow roundabout, 15-20mins from KK.

5mins from Mount Juliet, 10mins from Thomastown.

IMO, it's preferable to live just outside the villages.

Great Pubs / Newsagents / Kells Abbey / Kings River
Home of Knockdrinna Cheese
http://www.knockdrinna.com/

femur61

Raze_them_all wrote: »

to prove my point about comer, someone took a digger to the post office and made away with the safe

I think everyone is referring to the Castlecomer Road in Kilkenny city, not Castlecomer itself

Raze_them_all

femur61 wrote: »

I think everyone is referring to the Castlecomer Road in Kilkenny city, not Castlecomer itself

They mentioned surrounding towns, I mentioned don't go to comer back in page one.

frankie2shoes

I, like yourself, moved to kk from dublin. A great decesion for my family and I. even though I don't physically work in kk the lifestyle that affords my famiy has been life changing. from a 650 sq ft cottage in phibsboro to 2500 sq ft house on 2 acres in kk, its like a different world.
I know you're planning on living in town but note that you dont have to travel far outside kilkenny to get a nice quiet house away from the madding crowd. I would agree with a lot of posters in that the south side of town is probably a better place to live. Its handier for the dublin road for a start which means ya can pop back to see friends pretty handy. Be aware that you will be up and down to dublin a lot if, like me, you have lots of friends and family up in de big smoke. try and ensure you rent a house with a spare room so you can have people down, they'll all wanna visit!
there's very few places like kilkenny. A real mix of art, cultural events and history, but its no greenwich village. It's still a small town/city but it does punch above its weight.
Like everywhere there are the great people and the small minded - yer only a blow in-types. these are few and far between and by and large the people are friendly, welcoming and great craic.
hope this helps

S28382

kilkenny is great i moved from waterford city to kilkenny city a year ago and i love it up here its a nice little town my two boys love it here as does my girlfriend so happy days and another plus iv never seen an ounce of bother up here even on a night out it has that busy but safe feeling about it......so yes kk is definitely worth the change

Rega

I'll add my endorsement for Kilkenny as a place to live. Moved up here from Cork 5 years ago. Married to a Kilkenny girl now. Have a nice house a few miles out of town which is handy as I'm out in the countryside and can walk the dog on quiet country roads but it's still only a 10 minute drive into town to arse around on a Saturday afternoon and get a bit of lunch.

Only an hour from Dublin and barely two hours back to Cork on the motorway. Happy days!

clairemcbear

St Canices Co Ed is a fantastic school and the surrounding areas are nice,anywhere on the Granges road or Freshford Road is less than 5 minutes walk to the school and they are good areas to live.

up for anything

Co-Ed primary schools are the Kilkenny School Project, Gaelscoil, St Canice's and the Model School. The Project school and Gaelscoil are both on the Waterford Road side of Kilkenny. The Project school has a huge waiting list, I'm not sure what the Gaelscoil one is like. The Model school is close to the Castlecomer Road - North side of Kilkenny and St Canice's is close to the hospital/West side of the city. Best get his name down now rather than waiting when the move is finalised. Other town schools are the CBS Primary (B), Presentation Primary (B&G), St John of Gods (G), St John's (B&G), Lakeside (B&G) and I'm never sure whether it's known as St Patricks or the De La Salle (B).

If you want to PM me your address I'll see if I can get hold of a copy of Kids Kilkenny in the library and post it on to you.

It's probably not politically correct to say so but when I moved to KK 14 years ago and asked a local where to rent. I was told not rent in Newpark, Hebron, the Butts, Dean Street and some areas in Loughboy. I'd say that still stands but you could add Lintown Hall and St Margaret Fields to the list too. Before anybody jumps on me and says that some of those places are grand, there is a huge difference between born and raised in an area and arriving in as a blow-in.