Balbriggan area

Snake

What's the area like? We're thinking of moving there but were having a baby in the next 2 or so weeks

The Hill Billy

Try the forum search function. There are several threads already with the info that you are looking for.

Snake

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Try the forum search function. There are several threads already with the info that you are looking for.

Didn't realise, thanks. Ones I saw were fairly old so it could've gotten better/worse since

The Hill Billy

I live just a few miles away & know Balbriggan quite well. By & large I can say that the threads are still relevant, particularly in terms of the areas in the town & the facilities available.

Snake

The Hill Billy wrote: »

I live just a few miles away & know Balbriggan quite well. By & large I can say that the threads are still relevant, particularly in terms of the areas in the town & the facilities available.

Would it be a nice area for a young family? The place were looking at is New Haven Avenue

The Hill Billy

I'm not too familiar with that part of town. There have been a few threads about Newhaven & Dún Saithne here before, so hopefully a couple of the posters out there will see this thread.

NorthDub

Newhaven Avenue and the cul de sacs have a lot of families living around there, a lot of kids are always out and about playing

Kintarō Hattori

I live in Dun Saithne Green which is essentially next door to the area you're looking at OP. While I can't comment on your estate I can say that by and large Dun Saithne is pretty A-OK. People are pleasant, there is little trouble just the odd rowdy teenager or two every once in a while. In my area it's mostly families or couples and the estate looks quite well.

Balbriggan on a whole is very much a town full of young families. With the boom the town expanded hugely and a lot of young couples moved in and as a result there are lots and lots of schools/creches and playgrounds around the town.
It has excellent commuter links to the city with a motorway, a very good direct regional road, very regular trains, a Bus Eireann and Dublin bus service too.

We have the largest Tesco in Dublin contained in a shopping centre which houses a multitude of other retailers too such as Easons, Specsavers, Boots, GameStop, a pet store, butchers, pound shop etc. There is also a small shopping area containing a Dunnes right by the estate you're looking at.
There are several pubs in the town, a few restaurants and more take aways than you can shake a stick at. The hotel has an excellent restaurant and bar food. We also have a Lidl and town library.

Apart from a lovely setting by the seaside the countryside surrounding the town is marvellous with Skerries on our doorstep- which is excellent for food. You also have the Naul, Balscadden and Stamullen which have fine cafes and pubs. Drogheda is just up the road, is closer than Dublin and good for shopping.

Having been raised in Kildare, lived in Dublin city centre for 9 years and bought in Balbriggan in 2011- am I happy here? It's not my ideal spot BUT when you consider what you get for your money it's excellent. It's a fine little town, with great housing, friendly neighbours and excellent ammenities. It gets a bad rap sometimes, mostly I think from people who know little about it. Having been an outsider with no sentimental ties to the place I can happily recommend it once you don't mind being in the very very north of Dublin county

Ask away if you need anything specific answered. I'll try and help where possible.

Carawaystick

Kintaro is probably the best voice to listen to here, you'll have Balbrigganers or NCD'ers giving their few cents also.

2 points, one good, one bad.
There is talk of at last making a road access from the Dunes stores shopping centre area to the Naul road. It's about 200m distance wise, but by road it;s about 2km at the minute. This will improve access in the area you're looking at.

There's a few threads about vandalism in the train station car park, both to bikes and cars, mostly happening in the school holidays.

Snake

Carawaystick wrote: »

Kintaro is probably the best voice to listen to here, you'll have Balbrigganers or NCD'ers giving their few cents also.

2 points, one good, one bad.
There is talk of at last making a road access from the Dunes stores shopping centre area to the Naul road. It's about 200m distance wise, but by road it;s about 2km at the minute. This will improve access in the area you're looking at.

There's a few threads about vandalism in the train station car park, both to bikes and cars, mostly happening in the school holidays.

Don't drive yet, so not a problem for me. But so far all I've heard are things to expect from any area! So hopefully we can get the house we want

P_1

It's a nice enough spot. In terms of supermarkets you have a choice between Tesco, Dunnes, Supervalu and Lidl. Public transport into town is quite good (not Dart level but still reasonable). You have a train roughly every hour and both Bus Eireann (buses to both town and Drogheda) and Dublin Bus serve the town in addition to a few private operators (although I'd avoid using Dublin Bus if you're going into town, the journey is just too long because of the route the bus takes). There are a few pubs in the town if that's your scene and you have football, GAA, rugby, cricket, tennis and boxing (I'm sure I've probably missed a sport) clubs as well as a gym in the town or nearby.

I don't know too much about the northern end of the town but from what I've heard there's plenty of young families settled there now so you should have all the associated creche facilities to help with the new arrival. There's also a pretty reasonable library in the middle of the town.

Basically you'll get good value if you buy a house in Balbriggan. It's close enough to town but you have the countryside and the sea right on your doorstep.

niceoneted

I'm living beside where your looking for the last two years and hate it. I think it is a completely overbuilt area. I have had more kids walk/run out in front of me. I find there is nowhere decent for food out, even a coffee during the day. Shopping is lacking for the size of town. Hoping to be moving soon.

cathy01

Good parent and baby group in Old St Georges School just up from the library.New born up.Monday and Friday, See you there.

Snake

niceoneted wrote: »

I'm living beside where your looking for the last two years and hate it. I think it is a completely overbuilt area. I have had more kids walk/run out in front of me. I find there is nowhere decent for food out, even a coffee during the day. Shopping is lacking for the size of town. Hoping to be moving soon.

House we were looking at is gone so moving somewhere else!

dublinboy123

Myself and my girlfriend are looking into buying our first home and both not being from Balbriggan are considering Castleland Park new developments as an option. Has anyone living in the area any advice on what it is like around that part of Balbriggan? I know there is older threads on this but would be great to hear recent opinions of the area! Thanks

Dizzyblonde

Merged with an existing thread so if you scroll upwards you'll see some previous posts.

Hair Bear

GrayFox208 wrote: »

What's the area like? We're thinking of moving there but were having a baby in the next 2 or so weeks

Hi, GrayFox208
I think Balbriggan is a great place. Just a 20 minutes from Coolock, Whitehall etc and one is in the countryside.

As "Kintarō Hattori" stated it has a lot of things going for it. The people are very friendly, there's plenty for children to do, houses are good value for money, at the moment. Not sure what type of house you are after but there are new ones in Castlelands Park, with a BER rating of A3 selling for €220 K approx.

Only downside for me is the distance from Dublin City, being a southsider! Some areas in Moylaragh I would shy away from as the planning of houses/gardens/roads there is shameful. The fault of the Fingal County Council and their planning section!

Pipmae

Have a look at Stamullen, Co Meath - just over the North Co Dublin border. Lovely small village with great community spirit. Drogheda and Balbriggan are a short drive away.:)

ProudDUB

As it says on the tin....what's it like to live in?

Hope to be buying within the year. Would like to be close to the coast, but can't afford Skerries, Malahide, Donabate etc etc

What is bus service like to the city? Is the train station far away from town? Is it safe to be walking home from the station/main street.

Are there any particular areas or housing estates to avoid. I've heard a few dodgy stories, so am a bit apprehensive. There was a thread in After Hours about what is the worst town in Ireland to live in. Balbriggan got A LOT of votes. Why was that? I found that surprising, seeing as the town is so close to the M1 and lovely spot like Skerries.

Anyway, any opinions welcome. Feel free to PM me if you would prefer to be franker in private.

Kintarō Hattori

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057249423

The station is in the centre of town. You have Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann servicing the town. I've walked home late on many occasions and no-one will bother you.

It gets a bad rep mostly from people who have never been/lived there and assume it's a bad area rather than knowing first hand.

ProudDUB

Cheers. Thanks for that.

ProudDUB

Have had a read thru some older threads.

Wouldn't mind some feedback on the beach area. How was it this summer? Full of beer drinking gurriers on sunny days, (like Portmarnock and Howth sadly are) or decent enough? What's it like the other 9 months of the year, if you are just out for a stroll?

Dizzyblonde

Threads merged.

Kintarō Hattori

ProudDUB wrote: »

Have had a read thru some older threads.

Wouldn't mind some feedback on the beach area. How was it this summer? Full of beer drinking gurriers on sunny days, (like Portmarnock and Howth sadly are) or decent enough? What's it like the other 9 months of the year, if you are just out for a stroll?

Thankfully it's nothing like those areas at all. It's simply lots of people out enjoying some fun on the sand and in the water.

It's used a lot for people to walk their dog and people heading to the train station. There is a popular parking spot up by the martello tower which is always busy when the sun sets and you can access the beach from this area too, so it's generally a trouble free area.

I had heard years ago, about 10, that it was a no go area once it was completely dark but I don't know if that's still the case. To be fair, after dark there's not really a lot going on at the beach so people wouldn't hang around that part of the town.

As I said to the other person asking about the town ask me any questions you may have either here or via pm.

ProudDUB

Hi Kintaro, thanks for your feedback

I spent a few hours up there today doing some exploring.

Ardgillan Castle. It was my first time there and I loved it. What a wonderful amenity to have on the doorstep.

Beach/harbour area. Pity to see the harbour area so run down. It could be a mini Howth, as it would be the perfect spot for cafe's, restaurants etc. I saw the Martello Tower at the end of the beach. Is that it as far as coastal walks go? Is there anything like the cliff walk between Portrane & Donabate, or the cliff walk at Howth Summit? I'm currently renting in Sutton. My whole reason for wanting to live by the coast, is to continue the ease of access to great beaches and coastal walks. If all there is, is a small-ish beach & a car park, I may need to rethink living in Balbriggan.

Any decent restaurants? I drove down Main St and pretty much all I saw were take aways and chippers.

Kintarō Hattori

ProudDUB wrote: »

Hi Kintaro, thanks for your feedback

I spent a few hours up there today doing some exploring.

Ardgillan Castle. It was my first time there and I loved it. What a wonderful amenity to have on the doorstep.

Beach/harbour area. Pity to see the harbour area so run down. It could be a mini Howth, as it would be the perfect spot for cafe's, restaurants etc. I saw the Martello Tower at the end of the beach. Is that it as far as coastal walks go? Is there anything like the cliff walk between Portrane & Donabate, or the cliff walk at Howth Summit? I'm currently renting in Sutton. My whole reason for wanting to live by the coast, is to continue the ease of access to great beaches and coastal walks. If all there is, is a small-ish beach & a car park, I may need to rethink living in Balbriggan.

Any decent restaurants? I drove down Main St and pretty much all I saw were take aways and chippers.

The lack of investment in the harbour is shameful and it doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon unfortunately.
Starting out on the beach you can walk for miles and miles along the coast. You can walk along the beach up past the martello tower to Gormanstown and beyond. It's a long pleasant walk. To be fair the walk by Portrane is amazing and it is a different community so not really a fair comparison.

There are four decent but small restaurants that I know of. There's an Italian on the main street near SuperValue which is very small but seemingly very good. A Thai restaurant near the cinema and another Italian and an Indian just a 1 minute walk from the main Spar.

Fair enough you may rethink wanting to live here but I don't think you can expect the same type of lifestyle when you move so far out of town. It's a different way of life. Coming from Sutton you'll be used to a lot of amenities and things not being too far away.
People living in a small town like Balbriggan don't think anything of travelling to another town/village to head for a meal or to visit the pub. Country life is making a compromise between having a potentially nicer home/way of life but travelling to do the things you want. While my partner and I could choose to live closer to the city our home would be smaller and may not even have a garden. Further out people are absolutely friendlier which I love.

I'm originally from Kildare myself but lived in the city centre for 9 years- slap bang in the middle of things. While sometimes I miss that life I love being just 25 minutes away via the motorway. It's great to get up at the weekend and if you want you can head somewhere like Naul or Skerries for a breakfast. Driving to both is a pleasure. While town is always a short drive/train journey away if you want to shop without the madness of town you have the airside retail park/Pavillions or you can go to Drogheda to Scotch Hall or the two retail parks. You have the best of both worlds really.

P_1

ProudDUB wrote: »

Hi Kintaro, thanks for your feedback

I spent a few hours up there today doing some exploring.

Ardgillan Castle. It was my first time there and I loved it. What a wonderful amenity to have on the doorstep.

Beach/harbour area. Pity to see the harbour area so run down. It could be a mini Howth, as it would be the perfect spot for cafe's, restaurants etc. I saw the Martello Tower at the end of the beach. Is that it as far as coastal walks go? Is there anything like the cliff walk between Portrane & Donabate, or the cliff walk at Howth Summit? I'm currently renting in Sutton. My whole reason for wanting to live by the coast, is to continue the ease of access to great beaches and coastal walks. If all there is, is a small-ish beach & a car park, I may need to rethink living in Balbriggan.

Any decent restaurants? I drove down Main St and pretty much all I saw were take aways and chippers.

If you continue north from the Martello Tower there's a fine strand that you can walk (mainly uninterrupted) north as far as the Boyne. From memory you need to be mindful of the tides at a cove called the Sailors Grave, there are river crossings at Gormonstown (simply double back to the old N1 to cross) and Laytown (there's a footbridge) and the beach around the army camp at Gormonstown may have its access restricted during artillery exercises.

On the restaurant front, the town could improve but you have Harvey's above the Harvest Bar and a decent Italian on Mill Street, plus Skerries is only down the road.

prettygurrly

You'll get a lot more for your money if you buy in Drogheda, IMO. House prices in Balbriggan because it's technically Co. Dublin can be 30 or 40K higher than the Drogheda area when in reality it's the same time commuting by public transport to Dublin for work and about 10 mins further down the road if driving to the city. Drogheda is a fairly large town with lots to do and in the last couple of years the spirit of the town has improved immensely - nearly back to 2007 feeling. It can be a little difficult to make friends in the town but if you have kids then you have so many more avenues to meet people. Toastmasters has improved my social network and now having moved to the UK, I miss the town!