Athy Town in Kildare

Cork Skate

I know there are a few threads on Athy town already, both good and bad, but from what i gather its pretty much on par with other towns. A healthy mix of people who have lived there all their lives and have the scars and horror stories to prove it and then the new comers who are then pleasantly surprised. I get it, most towns have good and bad places, and you just have to learn whats what and get on with it.


Anyway, for someone moving to Athy i just want to get an idea of what is there. I do know that Kildare County Council are due to preside over a planning application in Feb 2013 which requests permission to lay fiber under ground for the remaining areas of the county. I dont know how likely this is to get the go ahead but it would seem to me to be a huge advantage in allowing this to happen.

This will basically provide fiber powered broadband to the county, and something a resident of Athy would be very interested in i'd imagine. Aside from that i gather that eircom provide Next Generation Broadband in Athy? Is that all over? What speeds? Is it a good service? Also what about mobile phone operators, is there good reception in and around Athy?

I think its always good to see what the council are up to in any town but also the Athy Chamber of Commerce, is this still up and running and active? Also, any info on the Athy Community Enterprise Centre? Again, is it active?

I've been looking at public transport as well, bus routes, other bus routes, train service, community transport, Get There as well as the transport plans that are in place, which will probably go someway to resolving the traffic problems within the town. Not fully familiar with the area yet so some of the changes in the pipeline i don't really understand yet. Also looking at Petrol Stations in the area, there seems to be good enough value available. Is there a local taxi/hackney service?

The Athy K Leisure Centre does look good as well it must be said. Also if all of these / these places are still open then there seems to be a good variety there. Has anyone eaten in them though? Are they good?

As regards accommodation in the area, there is Clanard Court Hotel, Hawthorn B&B, Aurora House and Dollardstown House all seem to be ok places to stay in if need be. Any one know if they are any good? Are there anymore places around?

Pablod

Hi CorkSkate,

You've certainly done some research already, I'm not going to comment good or bad stories as I've seen how they go on other threads
I am probably classed as a "blow-in" to the locals , Living in Athy (Carlow Road area) 6&½ years now originally from Dublin - and love the town.

You can get a good feel for the events hosted in the town and majority of them are annual events - http://www.athy.ie/events.asp

Not sure what the latest is on the laying Fibre - but I can tell you the Athy exchange is NGB enabled and apparently is capable of up to 24mb
I have only ever been on an 8mb NGB pack as its consistent and good enough speed for what I need

Athy Town Council - There are monthly meetings with Councillors where the Public are encouraged to come along
There are 2 main hackney firms in the town and I've never had to wait any more than 15-20mins for one

Public transport:
I can't comment on too much as I don't really use it
Although I know the trains on the main Dublin-Waterford line are almost once every hour or there abouts especially during busy commuting times

Plenty of variety on the Petrol Pumps - no worries there

The public park across from the train station (Peoples Park)
Has just been granted a fund of €42k for a facelift Floodlighting, Outdoor Play equipment and Safety Fencing and work on that is due to commence soon

On the old Take-aways - there is good variety and 1 or 2 more in addition to what appears in Just-Eat
Your best bet is to try them all because every different person will tell you there favourite is different from someone else

The Clonard would be one of the top places, have had plenty of Friends and relatives stay there - but can be pricey for the weekend stays
There is also Knockfin B&B on Carlow Road, 2mins walk from Town Square have had plenty of friends stay there and all had great stays

In addition to the above, if you drive? Athy is kind of handy and central to other big towns around
Approx. 20mins to Carlow
Within 25-40mins drive you can also get to Naas/Newbridge/Kildare Town/Portlaoise

The sports clubs are great, plenty variety of GAA & Rugby clubs
On the main Athy GAA/Rugby grounds a new large indoor astro pitch was built last year to add to the existing outdoor astro pitches.
The K leisure Centre is a great facility Gym and Pool, Pool great for kids

Hope this helps
Pablo

rameire

What Pablod says.
we stalk each other.

NGB, I am on 8mb with Vodafone and it is good.
as for fiber, it will take some time to actually get done. so I wouldnt count on it.
The town needs a new river crossing for traffic, this is in the plans and will hopefully go ahead in the next 10 years.
traffic can be bad, but it is usually at the same time or because of some eijit who parks their car with a trailer on double yellows.
The number 7 bus eireann goes through the town and takes an hour to Dublin.
the train takes 56 min to and from Dublin.
You will get all mobile operators down here, again I am on Vodafone and it works well out in the open.

The Councillors seem to enjoy talking to the public, they are on facebook and twitter and come to residents meetings, they do seem to care, but are restricted by lack of money and red tape.

I would recommend the Clanard Court, it is family run and very friendly.
There are nearly as many take aways as pubs in the town, so there are loads of choices. I have my favourites.
La Scala is a good restaurant.

Cork Skate

Just done a bit of homework on fiber for Athy and Phase 5 includes Athy in Dec 2014. Currently UPC TV only is available and eircom have 12mb (that varies) and have packages for 8mb and 24mb (obviously if its only 12mb available then thats all you'll get of the 24) so it would be an idea to test the line first and see whats best. Everyone's line is different, speeds vary by the mb so there is someone on 1MB, 7MB, 11MB, 13MB, etc. The plans we have are just pre-determined at these speeds.

rgiller

Meteor coverage is good in my experience and the broadband speed is excellent (I'm on 8MB with eircom), in the Rathstewart area. I'm not sure if this is available throughout the town.

THe cheapest place for fuel I've found is the Amber station on the Stradbally road (opposite K leisure). I usually fill up at the weekend for the weekly Dublin commute, as it's cheaper on Sat and Sun. Usually 3-4c cheaper than anywhere on the N7

K leisure is excellent with free classes for members. It's €45 a month for single and €69 or so for a couple for use of gym, pool and all classes. I find this to be good value - classes are varied and well run.

There are 4 supermarkets (2 x supervalu, 1 Lidl and one independent), which provide for most of your needs, although I find myself needing to shop at Tesco in Carlow once a month or thereabouts. Ngai's is also a good restaurant.

The train service to Dublin is quite good - on time and always seats available. It gets to Heuston in 50 mins and then you've got to get where you want from there by train, luas, whatever. Doesn't work out too well for me, trying to get to Park West but I have used it when the car has been in the garage and it's ok. Pricey enough for a day return (€16 up to ~€19 on Friday) but if you were to go with a monthly ticket and offset against tax, it would be quite competitive.

I like the fact that people recognise you around the town, in shops, restaurants, barbers, etc. Gives a good community feel to the place. All in all, it's not a bad place to live!

rgiller

Also, RE traffic: it always seems to be worse coming into Athy from the Kilkenny side and can take anything up to 30 minutes to get across the two brindges from there. Dublin side is usually quite clear and there are a few backroads to skirt around it on that side