Retiring to Cork - where to live in the City?

Landmags

I'm presently living in NW England - have done for 18 years now. Hope to 'retire' back to Ireland in next couple of years and want to live in a City as I think I'd find it hard to adjust to rural living again. I'm 53 (soon 54) female, don't/can't drive, have a wee dog and oh yes I'm a single lesbian. Any pointers, advice or recommendations would be appreciated re best bargain places to live (I'm not rich by any means) and places to avoid.
People have been suggesting I look at Galway City too so if anyone has suggestions for best places to live/places to avoid please add those, thanks :-)
Thanks in advance

Outkast_IRE

I like bishopstown, wilton , douglas all nice areas with shopping centres and good bus links etc to other areas

Dudess

I'd recommend St Lukes/Dillons Cross/Old Youghal Road - walking distance from the centre of town, yet far enough for no noise at night. On two bus routes for when it's rainy - at Dillons Cross. Walking distance to Blackpool (another area I'd recommend) which has plenty of shops, eateries, a cinema. And walking distance to Ballyvolane, which has two supermarkets.

Be wary of people saying here that an area has gotten rough due to the odd isolated incident. At the same time though, I wouldn't recommend the very eastern part of Old Youghal Road in Mayfield.

Landmags

Thanks to both Outkast & Dudess for your suggestions - will follow them up. Big decision this so really grateful for all comments & advice.

54kroc

Places mentioned above are spot on, St.Lukes and Dillions cross are nice and close to the city, I'd recommend the Middle Glanmire Rd as well, property prices are very good value around there.

ICANN

I agree with the person who said Wilton as there's a shopping centre, near the lee fields and places to go for nice walks and loads of bus options into town.

Southside, Douglas isn't bad as again it has lots of amenities and transport options into town as well as being near the airport.

If you want to be in the city then around the lough (look at Deerpark) is a nice place and you have a nice place to walk your dog (I think anyway :P ) On the northside Sundays well is nice but I think it's fairly expensive.

Cork is small so nowhere is very far away from anywhere to be honest

FOr a bit of value I'd look at ballyphehane, stones throw from the city and near the Lough which is a nice amenity, lots of terraced houses which would suit single occupancy.

Dudess

Oh yeah The Lough, Pouladuff, Turners Cross - all fantastic places and walking distance from town, but I'd imagine pricey? They used to be old-skool, working-class areas but they're so settled and nice and convenient that I assume this has caused prices to shoot up?

Dudess

Dudess wrote: »

Oh yeah The Lough, Pouladuff, Turners Cross - all fantastic places and walking distance from town, but I'd imagine pricey? They used to be old-skool, working-class areas but they're so settled and nice and convenient that I assume this has caused prices to shoot up?

You'd get a ready to move into terraced ex local authority house in Ballyphehane for < €150,000 ish now as opposed to almost double that in the boom. Very little of those houses in The Lough really, only the ones in the bit of pierce road and Pouladuff area that's in the Lough parish.

.... just to add the proximity of Bandon Road to UCC keeps all the little houses there at a higher price I wasn't saying there was no little houses anywhere else in The Lough except for the Pierce Rd and P'duff road ones

yenom

Montenottee

aujopimur

I'd suggest renting some place short term, maybe house share, you can then do your own research at your leisure into what suits you best.

Landmags

It's been great getting such a huge and informative response. I'll be over on holidays a few times before I make the move and now have a list of places to check out and lots of ideas in general. Many thanks to you all

Chuck Stone

I'd second the Wilton/Bishopstown area.

Large Regional hospital nearby. Shopping centre. Well served by the Number 8 and 5 buses. Quiet enough.

Lee feilds river walk for the dogs.

RebelBOK

Bishopstown/Wilton is nice and has plenty of amenities close by but worth nothing it is the college part of the city and most of the students live in this area and some parts can get noisy at weekends or around rag week etc... Obviously most of the area is unaffected by this but still worth keeping in mind. I lived in Montenotte on the middle Glanmire Rd. for a while and it was very handy for walking into town etc.... and is a really nice area, st.lukes and dillions cross are nice aswell. Douglas is good, plenty of buses and amenities close by, some great restaurants and bars/pubs aswell. There are other areas such as Glanmire, Ballincollig and Rochestown that are really nice too but a bit further out so might not suit. Blackrock is worth looking at aswell imo.

corcaigh07

out by curraheen is a nice area, never rough, very well served by the 5 and 8 buses and easy to get to off the Ballincollig bypass should you ever drive or any of your visitors

Dudess

Blackrock would be expensive though.

donalh087

How about Dyke Parade?



Only kidding. I can't believe no one has suggested Sundays Well. It's a beautiful part of town. Short walk to UCC (lots of cultural and alternative events), short walk across the shakey bridge into the park, short walk into town. And yet with a village community feel. Quite arty and academic.

evilivor

donalh087 wrote: »

I can't believe no one has suggested Sundays Well.

Somebody did on the previous page.

Solair

If you're considering the city centre / old inner suburbs, Montenotte and Sunday's Well are hard to beat. They're just that little bit out of town so they're relatively quiet and they have stunning views and quirky old victorian architecture.

Bear in mind that many of the stunning buildings aren't visible from the roads either. You could drive through Montenotte for example and not notice anything other than high walls and backs of houses that make them look like cottages. What you don't see is that the huge Victorian villas and modern homes are often hidden behind those old stone walls. It's not immediately obvious what's there.

It depends on what you want really. If you're looking for shopping, amenities, etc on your doorstep Douglas or Wilton/Bishopstown might be more suitable. Personally, I just find they're a little soulless and suburban. Some people like that sort of thing though, it's very subjective.

The City Centre itself is great, but I've lived there and I find it ridiculously loud at night. That applies to most urban centres though, I don't think it's unique to Cork.

We were living right in the city centre in a fairly nice apartment but wow the noise was really ridiculous when the pubs and clubs close. Again, I think it's a matter of personal taste. There's the huge advantage of being able to wander out your door and be in a cafe, restaurant, pub, theatre etc within minutes, but the trade off is that it's not quiet.

Also, I would argue that the quality of buildings in the city centre, unless you're willing to pay quite a lot, is rather poor by international standards. A lot of the older buildings are in a relatively bad state of repair and the new apartments are, in my experience anyway, not very well organised. I know we had endless problems with management companies, lack of maintenance of communal areas and structural problems / dampness forcing us to move etc. Again, this applies to apartments throughout Ireland, it's not unique to Cork.

Do you research and perhaps spend a few days in different areas. Try staying in the Montenotte Hotel for example and see what you think of Montenotte / St Lukes.

It very much depends on your personal preferences and budget. Cork's quite compact and has a whole range of areas within very short walking distance of the city so, I'd say explore and see what you find.

The area between Blackrock, Balintemple and Douglas is really nice too. Again, winding streets, and quirky Victorian architecture.
I'd also rate the area around UCC very highly in that regard too.

Also, if you are buying a place DO NOT buy anything low lying and ensure that you check for local advice on areas that are prone to flooding.

Cork has major issues with flooding in parts of the City Centre and immediately west of the City centre. So, just be extremely careful before handing over cash that you have done your research.

razorblunt

Great suggestions here OP, one caveat, I would rule out Deerpark it's full of college rentals, not exactly quiet there.
Turner's Cross / Ballyphehane is a great shout.

chakotha

Deerpark is nice and quiet and 15 minutes stroll into town.

Solair

Also, if you're retiring, I'd definitely consider accessibility to bus routes. While it might be fine now, as you get into your 70s and 80s, access to public transit can be a really big advantage.

Landmags

Gosh I'm spoilt for choice and now a few people have suggested Galway City too in private messages. So I need to broaden out. If anyone has comments about best parts of Galway - areas to avoid please add them in. I totally take the point of Solair - this is a home for my future - hopefully my last home so public transport and being able to tottle to the shop etc are important. Churches & schools have far less priority :-) A nice pub or restaurant is however always a plus - I intend to live an outrageous old age.
donalh087 - I actually saw Dyke Parade on the map and thought it would be cool - there's also ****** Hill/Road somewhere :-))

donalh087

wish I knew what the ****** was !!

Landmags

oh my - the Fa***t word isn't allowed - but there's a street named... oh well - over to the town planners :-)

Landmags

From looking at Dart.ie and google maps etc the Sundays Well area seems nice - what's Blarney Street area like? It seems to have good houses and green spaces for an old dog (not me) to have a sniff about. (She's retiring too).

castlepoint

douglas would be my choice if i had to move to suburbia.

ICANN

The Dyke Parade is full of students mainly and rents are expensive and also it's dreary enough around there in the dark.

ABajaninCork

Landmags wrote: »

From looking at Dart.ie and google maps etc the Sundays Well area seems nice - what's Blarney Street area like? It seems to have good houses and green spaces for an old dog (not me) to have a sniff about. (She's retiring too).

NOOOO - Not Blarney St!! No public transport and quite hilly too. Nowhere to walk the pooch either.

What about Ballyvolane? No 7 gets you into town in 10 mins or less. Dunne/Lidl there as well. Lovely walk for the pooch in the Glen, or the small park past Dunne's.

Good luck with the search and move!:)

evilivor

Landmags wrote: »

what's Blarney Street area like? It seems to have good houses and green spaces for an old dog (not me) to have a sniff about. (She's retiring too).

Blarney Street is quite long and varied - some parts are nice, some parts are, well, less nice. Sunday's Well is lovely but prices reflect that. Not great on the public transport front and quite badly served in terms of local shops etc but very handy for town and parks.

Colonel_McCoy

Frankfield another good spot

Dan Dare

Is almost self-contained as regards shops, also within 15 minutes walk to town, and is not located up a hill. Good luck with your move.

Montenotte is a tad high pricewise, Blackpool on the other hand isn't but hardly ideal to retire there if you aren't from there, you'd have to be fairly selective which part and check out the neighbours too.

Dudess

donalh087 wrote: »

How about Dyke Parade?

OP, ya have to!

Nah, unfortunately it is low-lying and gets hammered during floods, and it's noisy and studenty. Wouldn't suit you I don't think. Damn! :pac:

Sundays Well could be expensive - unless you rent a kip. Blarney Street can be kinda rough and it's really dreary.
Shanakiel/Hollyhill and Blarney Road are the same area - might be more affordable/nicer.
I'd recommend the newer part of Blackpool. The old part can be like Blarney Street in places.

Landmags

I must admit my heart is still with Cork rather than Galway. Wilton has potential but Glasheen has lots of small green spaces and prices seem very reasonable... any downsides?

Landmags

Landmags wrote: »

I must admit my heart is still with Cork rather than Galway. Wilton has potential but Glasheen has lots of small green spaces and prices seem very reasonable... any downsides?

Glasheen is very nice, only potential downsides is some houses will have students as tenants but that would be predominantly on Magazine Road. No downsides as such to Glasheen I reckon. You are on a bus route, walking distance (ish) to town and Wilton. The Lough, Fitzgeralds Park and The Lee fields aren't too far away. Antisocial behaviour with be negligible, perhaps non existent. Reasonable taxi fare from the city too which might be a consideration for a non car owner.

It's a very very settled area.

Dudess

Glasheen - great area. But as Rover says, it's near the university. It's also not too far from the institute of technology. I don't think too many students rent there though - it's too residential.

Dave147

Someone mentioned Glanmire, great place to live, but you don't drive, you need to drive if you are going to live in Glanmire, the public transport is very poor. I think Douglas or Wilton are excellent suggestions, bus stop outside CUH seems to never stop going. Lived in Wilton before and never had any problems with the area. Cork is a nice place, just there are some places to avoid!

Dudess

Dudess wrote: »

.............. But as Rover says, it's near the university. ....................

Just thinking there, parts of UCC campus aren't bad for a stroll either really Nice bit by the Lee.

Landmags

Once again thanks to everyone for their advice, opinions and information. It really is all appreciated - thank you

gifted

I'm living in Galway for the last three and a half years but from Cork city originally and would definetly move back down in the morning but herself has work commitments up here so no joy :rolleyes:, We live in Oranmore which is a nice village just outside of Galway. Galway city itself is a lively oul spot, good crack up here, good music scene and some great restaurants. Would still rather Cork though but I am bias

Aug2009

I would stick to the Western Side of the CIty as you can nip down to West Cork easily. Would you consider moving a 30 minute drive away? It really is far nicer than the city. 30 minutes west of COrk City and you have beautiul scenery and a bit of privacy as well. Anywhere around Bandon is only 30 minutes from City yet only 10 minutes from the heart of Ireland - West Cork. Best of both worlds?

Aug2009

Aug2009 wrote: »

I would stick to the Western Side of the CIty as you can nip down to West Cork easily. Would you consider moving a 30 minute drive away? It really is far nicer than the city. 30 minutes west of COrk City and you have beautiul scenery and a bit of privacy as well. Anywhere around Bandon is only 30 minutes from City yet only 10 minutes from the heart of Ireland - West Cork. Best of both worlds?

Just realised you don't drive. Probably excludes that so as public transport isnt great. Pity though. Beautiful part of the country.