Living in Newbridge

amango

Hi,

My wife and I are thinking of relocating from Dublin to Newbridge.

2 reasons mainly - one being a change of pace of life as my wife suffers from an arthritis related illness which can cause depression and feels that a move away from stresses and strains in Dublin might be beneficial. The 2nd being financial, as my wife can no longer work and this would enable us to pay off a hefty bit of our mortgage.

I luckily have work and would commute to Clondalkin area daily. How long is the average commute in the morning if leaving around 8.30am?

We have heard mostly good things about Newbridge and are hoping the good people on here can give us a feel for what it is like to live in re shopping, doctors/medical services, eating out, socialising etc. We have been in or around the town a number of times looking at houses and have visited Whitewater but are not sure what the rest of the town is like.

We have also seen previous threads saying Newbridge is rough and to be avoided at night. Is this correct? In my experience most towns or urban areas of larger towns/cities will have their local louts and drunks etc. You just have to know how and when to avoid them. We are from Dublin after all and Temple Bar at 1.00am on a Saturday is not exactly the best!!!

Both of us are late 40's, not big drinkers but I enjoy watching a match in a pub and we both like a meal out, preferably in a good pub doing food.

My wife currently volunteers in a charity shop and would liike to do something similar. Me, I am a rugby/gaa fan and would hope to join a club socially.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks in advance for any info

Laneyh

amango wrote: »

Hi,

My wife and I are thinking of relocating from Dublin to Newbridge.

2 reasons mainly - one being a change of pace of life as my wife suffers from an arthritis related illness which can cause depression and feels that a move away from stresses and strains in Dublin might be beneficial. The 2nd being financial, as my wife can no longer work and this would enable us to pay off a hefty bit of our mortgage.

I luckily have work and would commute to Clondalkin area daily. How long is the average commute in the morning if leaving around 8.30am?

We have heard mostly good things about Newbridge and are hoping the good people on here can give us a feel for what it is like to live in re shopping, doctors/medical services, eating out, socialising etc. We have been in or around the town a number of times looking at houses and have visited Whitewater but are not sure what the rest of the town is like.

We have also seen previous threads saying Newbridge is rough and to be avoided at night. Is this correct? In my experience most towns or urban areas of larger towns/cities will have their local louts and drunks etc. You just have to know how and when to avoid them. We are from Dublin after all and Temple Bar at 1.00am on a Saturday is not exactly the best!!!

Both of us are late 40's, not big drinkers but I enjoy watching a match in a pub and we both like a meal out, preferably in a good pub doing food.

My wife currently volunteers in a charity shop and would liike to do something similar. Me, I am a rugby/gaa fan and would hope to join a club socially.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks in advance for any info

Hi,
I moved to Newbridge in March of this year and I find it pretty good.

The Whitewater is a fairly good shopping centre, then Dunnes is open until 10pm and Tesco is open until midnight every night.
Most of the main shops you'd need are there and there are other retail parks nearby at Toughers and out towards Naas.
Personally I don't have much interest in Kildare Village but that's just down the road as well and you can pick up some nice things from time to time.
The only shop they don't have in Newbridge is an Aldi but there is one in Kildare town which is less than a 10 min drive away

I don't know too many people here so I haven't been out drinking in the town
so can't comment too much on whether it's rough or not.
However I live in the town centre and haven't yet seen or heard anything bad
I also go back to Dublin a lot to go out and get either the green bus or the nightrider bus back to Newbridge.
I have a short walk when getting off either of those buses and again haven't seen anything bad whilst passing on the bus or walking home.

I have been to the cinema and the Riverbank theatre numerous times and would be walking home from there around 11 or 12 with no issue.
Most of the younger people seem to head out in Naas or Kildare so they're only passing through Newbridge either on their way out or way home

Re the commute if you're driving at that time it will take you ages.
Traffic is very bad in Newbridge itself especially coming up to 9am
There are something like 10 schools in the town so that generates a fair bit of traffic

Many of the trains going into Heuston stop at Clondalkin & Fonthill train station would that be an option?
What time do you need to start work at?

In terms of groups and amenities I think there is a reasonable amount going on
You might need to seek things out but there are quite a few clubs and groups in the area.

There are a number of charity shops - Jack & Jill foundation, Kildare & Wicklow SPCA, The Red Cross and St Vincent De Paul ( there might be a few others). I'd say they'd be delighted to have another volunteer.
KARE are a big charity based in the town - they work with people with disabilities and would also take on volunteers
I volunteer with The Tidy Towns group and found that opportunity through a search on volunteer.ie

There is a Rotary and a Lions club.
There are two GAA clubs Sarsfields & Moorefield and the main GAA pitch for county Kildare is in Newbridge (I think, I'm open to correction on that)
Sarsfields is based out near the train station and Moorefield is at the other end of the town
Moorefield are current county champions.
Both clubs seem to be very active
McDonells pub in the town is a Moorefield pub I believe

There's a football club and a whole heap of teams some of which are purely social
There's an athletics club
There is also the Ryston Sports club - they have pitch & putt, badminton, boxing and other regular events on there
There is a rugby club called Cill Dara rugby club
There are also a couple of nice golf courses nearby
In the summer through to October time you have races at The Curragh which are a nice day out.

There is a camera club which meets every Thursday evening in the Newbridge Parish centre.

The Riverbank arts centre is great. They show arthouse films on a Monday night, have quite a busy theatre schedule and also have comedy and music gigs there.

There's an Odeon cinema in The Whitewater. It's quite a nice cinema and they have bargain Wednesday where any film is €6

I've been out for drinks in McDonnells, Harrigans and Johnsons and they're all good pubs. Harrigans is slightly more of a restaurant
but certainly Harrigans or McDonnells would be a grand place to go to watch sport on TV
There are a number of other pubs in the town that would show matches
and they seem ok. I think you'd know pretty quickly if it's dodgy anyway.

There is live music in some of the pubs different nights of the week
Swifts and Judge Roy Beans have music at the weekends.
McDonnells have Trad on Wednesdays and different bands at the weekend
I think The Curragh Inn also have musicians at the weekend

Harrigans do a nice steak on the stone and are generally good for pub grub
I haven't eaten in Judge Roy Beans yet but it is meant to be good.

All Seasons is a lovely restaurant that is down one the side streets
I think there are a couple of nice restaurants in the town
There are also some good restaurants in Kildare town and in Naas
which wouldn't be a million miles away.

The Hanged Man is a little bit further out in Milltown but the food there is lovely. It would be a nice place to go for Sunday dinner.
You could combine it with a walk in Polllardstown Fen

The only advice I was given before moving here was don't live on Eyre St
I guess this would be the rough part of town but even there isn't particularly bad so far as I can see- someone that has lived here longer may disagree.

There are a number of medical centres but I found that most were not taking on new patients.
I found a doctor right beside my house though, I've only had occasion to see him once but it was a positive experience.
There is a late night pharmacy in Moorefield and five or six pharmacies in the town

I get my broadband and TV through UPC is was easy to set up. You have all the usual options available to you in the town.

All of the main banks are in the town and the various mobile phone providers

If you like I can try and put together some links for the groups or places I've mentioned.

It would be a change of pace from Dublin but you certainly wouldn't be cut off and off peak times Dublin is only a 40 minute drive away

Ken.

Nothing I can add really to the above except to say that Aldi got planning permission to build in the town and work should start on it in the new year.

porsche boy

I moved down from Dublin with the good lady back in '07. Newbridge is a lovely town to spend a few hours shopping, having a coffee etc. There are great shops in Whitewater centre and having a big Penny's on one side and the Courtyard s/c on the other keeps everything very close.

My biggest criticism by far about Newbridge is the traffic. There was a population explosion in the last decade but the infrastructure wasn't upgraded to support it. Driving down main street on a Saturday can be slow and fustrating.

I live in Kildale Town and I think it's the best of both worlds, Newbridge is only a few minutes away with all its amineties, Kildare Town is small with a few lovely pub/grub locations and no traffic issues and between the two is the Curragh, a place me and my dog have walked the length and breath of on Many a long summer evening.

I highly recommend the move.

braddun

you will be bored in newbridge


your travel costs will eat any savings,rail trip takes 28 minutes


the worse thing for depression is moving to new area and away from family

porsche boy

braddun wrote: »

you will be bored in newbridge


your travel costs will eat any savings,rail trip takes 28 minutes


the worse thing for depression is moving to new area and away from family

Sorry but that post is just presumptuous and rude. how do you know how the OP will feel? Or how his travel costs will eat away his savings...or how this might effect depression???

Laneyh

braddun wrote: »

you will be bored in newbridge


your travel costs will eat any savings,rail trip takes 28 minutes


the worse thing for depression is moving to new area and away from family

In fairness the OP was looking for opinions on moving to Newbridge not on solutions to depression.
I presume fares will go up again in Jan but as far as I know the train costs €200 per month if you're signed up to the taxsaver scheme.

I don't know anything about the OP's current situation in relation to finances or proximity to friends & family and I only know the interests he outlined in his post.

There are a wealth of sports clubs in Newbridge and around county Kildare. There are also a number of charity shops and charities based either in Newbridge or nearby.
If he said he was interested in nightclubs I might recommend looking elsewehere but there is plenty to do in Newbridge and surrounding area based on the interests outlined.

Laneyh

amango wrote: »

Hi,

My wife and I are thinking of relocating from Dublin to Newbridge.

2 reasons mainly - one being a change of pace of life as my wife suffers from an arthritis related illness which can cause depression and feels that a move away from stresses and strains in Dublin might be beneficial. The 2nd being financial, as my wife can no longer work and this would enable us to pay off a hefty bit of our mortgage.

I luckily have work and would commute to Clondalkin area daily. How long is the average commute in the morning if leaving around 8.30am?

We have heard mostly good things about Newbridge and are hoping the good people on here can give us a feel for what it is like to live in re shopping, doctors/medical services, eating out, socialising etc. We have been in or around the town a number of times looking at houses and have visited Whitewater but are not sure what the rest of the town is like.

We have also seen previous threads saying Newbridge is rough and to be avoided at night. Is this correct? In my experience most towns or urban areas of larger towns/cities will have their local louts and drunks etc. You just have to know how and when to avoid them. We are from Dublin after all and Temple Bar at 1.00am on a Saturday is not exactly the best!!!

Both of us are late 40's, not big drinkers but I enjoy watching a match in a pub and we both like a meal out, preferably in a good pub doing food.

My wife currently volunteers in a charity shop and would liike to do something similar. Me, I am a rugby/gaa fan and would hope to join a club socially.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks in advance for any info

On a slightly negative note, the nearest hospital in Naas hospital and I've not heard good things about there though I think this is largely in relation to the A&E dept.

The whatclinic site is useful for looking up local doctors and their ratings
I think there are most likely local support groups for both arthritis and depression sufferers

http://www.irishhealth.com/psg/arthritis.html

Hope this helps with your decision and if there's anything I've mentioned that you'd like more info on let me know

amango

Laneyh, Ken and porsche boy,

Thank you all for you constructive comments. Laneyh, you very obviously gave my query great consideration and your response was great, it was so informative, thank you so much for the thought and effort put in.

There are obviously things we need to consider, as suggested;

- Travel costs: Whilst they would increase I have travel costs now to get to and from work so I wouldn't anticipate too big an increase.

- Family: Our families are a bit spread out at the moment but I would hope close enough that the distance isn't a big issue, 25 mins from Whitewater to my mothers in Dublin on Saturday. My wife's parents are both deceased and parent wise I only have my mother and I have to be realistic and say that she is of an age whereby she may not be here in 10 years so our decision has to be for us firstly. Both of us can stay with my mam to look after her if need be.

- Other circumstances: I don't wish to get involved in a big discussion about depression etc except to say that I said it can be a side affect of the condition my wife has and the drugs used for treatment. It does not mean that she suffers from it permanently and obviously we have thought long and hard about the consequences moving down. Again laneyh thanks for your observations re the hospital.

- Boredom: This was mentioned too but judging by the amount of varied activities on offer it doesn't seem like it would be an issue and anyway we are also both the wrong side of 40, so sometimes boredom is good ;-)


You guys have all contributed towards helping us make our decision and I have to say that if you guys and others we have met in Newbridge are representative of the town then we would be very happy to live there.

Laneyh, your offer to create some links is very much appreciated and whilst I won't put you to the trouble now, if you don't mind I may refer back to you as a move date becomes closer. Maybe we can even meet you for a coffee or a drink so we could say thank you properly. Perhaps I could pm you nearer the time.

Thank you all and we may get to meet some of you as neighbours in the near future. Will keep you posted.

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and New Year.

delahuntv

braddun wrote: »

you will be bored in newbridge


your travel costs will eat any savings,rail trip takes 28 minutes


the worse thing for depression is moving to new area and away from family

Here's my answer to that -

Where else can you...

...Walk along the river liffey watching it gurgle its way towards Dublin.

...Walk onto hundreds of acres of plains and walk as far as your legs will carry you.

...experience the wildlife of pollardstown fens behind the Curragh

...watch as new born horses take their first steps just hours after being born (National Stud)

...be already out of the Dublin traffic if you are going away for the weekend

...watch some of the world's best Jump and Flat racing horses gallop by the rails of Punchestown & the Curragh racecourses

... shop til you drop at discount prices a few minutes away in Kildare Village.

...be within walking distance or short taxi ride from some great pubs and restaurants - Hangedmans in milltown being particularly good or Athgarvan Inn or the place in Two Mile House etc etc

...breathe in the fresh country air on every breath you take.



I'm outside Kildare Town - if you gave me a free house in Dublin I'd refuse to move back!

Ken.

I've lived in the Curragh and Newbridge for a total of 34 years. You could go walking on the Curragh every day for a year for an hour and never cross a previous track.

Also if you happen to have a dog there is a regular dog walking group organised by the Kildare animal foundation. They do a morning and evening walk during the longer days.

Also the toddler groups organise walks around the Curragh. No where else could you stand in one spot and your toddler go half a mile in any direction and still be safe and seen by you.

A few older people I know were told that the Curragh is a great spot for people suffering from knee,hip,leg problems. In horse racing terms the Curragh rarely gets any harder than yielding-good. Nice soft ground so low impact workout. Just watch your footing. Can be rutted and bumpy in spots especially where the horses train.

Laneyh

amango wrote: »

Laneyh, Ken and porsche boy,

Thank you all for you constructive comments. Laneyh, you very obviously gave my query great consideration and your response was great, it was so informative, thank you so much for the thought and effort put in.

There are obviously things we need to consider, as suggested;

- Travel costs: Whilst they would increase I have travel costs now to get to and from work so I wouldn't anticipate too big an increase.

- Family: Our families are a bit spread out at the moment but I would hope close enough that the distance isn't a big issue, 25 mins from Whitewater to my mothers in Dublin on Saturday. My wife's parents are both deceased and parent wise I only have my mother and I have to be realistic and say that she is of an age whereby she may not be here in 10 years so our decision has to be for us firstly. Both of us can stay with my mam to look after her if need be.

- Other circumstances: I don't wish to get involved in a big discussion about depression etc except to say that I said it can be a side affect of the condition my wife has and the drugs used for treatment. It does not mean that she suffers from it permanently and obviously we have thought long and hard about the consequences moving down. Again laneyh thanks for your observations re the hospital.

- Boredom: This was mentioned too but judging by the amount of varied activities on offer it doesn't seem like it would be an issue and anyway we are also both the wrong side of 40, so sometimes boredom is good ;-)


You guys have all contributed towards helping us make our decision and I have to say that if you guys and others we have met in Newbridge are representative of the town then we would be very happy to live there.

Laneyh, your offer to create some links is very much appreciated and whilst I won't put you to the trouble now, if you don't mind I may refer back to you as a move date becomes closer. Maybe we can even meet you for a coffee or a drink so we could say thank you properly. Perhaps I could pm you nearer the time.

Thank you all and we may get to meet some of you as neighbours in the near future. Will keep you posted.

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and New Year.

Happy Christmas and feel free to PM me whenever suits.

nelly17

I moved down from Dublin and started my family here, would never move back, commute to clondalkin not too bad with new lands x flyover open

murty01

ken wrote: »

Nothing I can add really to the above except to say that Aldi got planning permission to build in the town and work should start on it in the new year.

Good news. Where is the new Aldi store going to be?

Ken.

murty01 wrote: »

Good news. Where is the new Aldi store going to be?

Do you know newbridge, Its going to run from swift print up to the credit union

Pretty much from the silver car to the red car.

RTighe

is there a planning note for this?

had a look at the kildare coco website and cant locate it

Ken.

RTighe wrote: »

is there a planning note for this?

had a look at the kildare coco website and cant locate it

Check out this thread here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057120441

delahuntv

murty01 wrote: »

Good news. Where is the new Aldi store going to be?

ken wrote: »

Do you know newbridge, Its going to run from swift print up to the credit union

Pretty much from the silver car to the red car.

Nope - it will border the Centra shop/Topaz and run up to Swifts stationery shop.
Carwash in Topaz is part of the site.

Ken.

delahuntv wrote: »

Nope - it will border the Centra shop/Topaz and run up to Swifts stationery shop.
Carwash in Topaz is part of the site.

Oh, I stand corrected.

Jewelg

Hi

Just started to think about moving to Newbridge and these posts have been great but just a few more questions if anyone can help

Are there any areas to be really avoided ? With young children any places you would recommend buying ?
What are rush hour trains like ie can you get a seat? Can anyone tell me how long it roughly takes to get to pearse street area for work at 9 ?
What is it like for work getting a part time office job or other part time work?

Hope some can help early days but we like the town and relocating is a big decision so lots of information and points of view are helpful.

GavMan

Jewelg wrote: »

Hi

Just started to think about moving to Newbridge and these posts have been great but just a few more questions if anyone can help

Are there any areas to be really avoided ? With young children any places you would recommend buying ?
What are rush hour trains like ie can you get a seat? Can anyone tell me how long it roughly takes to get to pearse street area for work at 9 ?
What is it like for work getting a part time office job or other part time work?

Hope some can help early days but we like the town and relocating is a big decision so lots of information and points of view are helpful.

The only area's I wouldn't buy myself are the old council houses such as Dara Park, Pairc Mhuire, Piercetown, etc. More so because they're old, mostly small, don't look very nice and there is a flood risk in Dara Park I believe. Some say you can get some anti social behavior but I can't really comment. I myself bought in Walshestown Park and think its fantastic. Quiet, seems safe, large green spaces for kids to play on. If your budget allows, I'd look here, Belmont, Kilbelin Abbey. You're a 2 minute drive or 15min walk out of the town but its really nice, especially for the kids. A little closer to the town is the Oaks or the Elms which I liked. College Park is nice, big houses, close to the station but they're older. Might require some investment. Rathcurragh, Curragh Grange, Beechmount, Liffey Hall, Riverside, Kilbelin all seem safe bets but I don't live in them so can't really say.

I get either the 07:45 or 08:07 train. Both are direct to Heuston and take 25mins or so. I get a seat on either 95% of the time. Certainly on the earlier on because there are more carriages. The 8:07 is a smaller train so more likely to stand on that one but not too often. Your connection options are to get the bus up to town and jump off at a stop near Pearse. Or jump on the luas, get off up town and walk over from Connolly or Georges Dock. I cycle myself. I grab a dublin bike from the car park at heuston and I'm up to grand canal dock in 20mins. For me, this is the best most direct and dependable way to get up town. You can also bring a fold up bike on the train at peak times for free or a full size bike but I believe it costs 6 quid each way...not sure how often they check for that though. You should also note that Irish Rail intends to open the Phoenix park tunnel next year for kildare trains to bypass heuston and continue on to Connolly via the Broombridge line. Trains will then also proceed to Tara, Pearse and Grand Canal Dock. That will be a game changer for the commuter towns IMO..just bring a change of clothes to cycle in...

Can't speak about work but there are plenty of shops in the town where you might pick up part time work. There are a good few business, small offices, solicitors that might hire from time to time

Hope that helps

CARMENCam

Just have an enquiry about Newbridge , I'm planning to move there and would appreciate if u could give me any advice about bad aria if there's any particular aria to stay away from , how is Allen View Heights ?? thanks alot

baubau1

Hi,

I am looking for information for the areas in Newbridge. Where are the bad and good areas? We are with small child so we are looking for family area. What do you think for Allen View Heights? Thank you!

WishUWereHere

Hi

If I could suggest read this thread from the beginning. Nothing much has changed imo. Aldi has opened and (afaik) Tescos have changed their open hours to now close at 22h00.

I can’t help You with AVH, sorry. As also said above there’s good and not so good anywhere. I also wouldn’t go down Eyre Street at night, but otherwise I’d say everywhere is safe.

The one thing I think we could do with is a couple of good decent restaurants. If the weather is okay, one will enjoy the banks of the Liffey, good decent walks there.

Newbridge is a great place to live I’m sure You will enjoy it here.

GavMan

Amazing to think it took 6 years to build that Aldi

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119617284#Comment_119617284

Allenview Heights is grand. I wouldn't know it on a day-to-day basis but there was never any trouble there that I know of,and I live close enough. There's a Mace shop and a bookies just near the entrance to it.

nice bit of green

I grew up in AVH but moved away 20 years ago. Parents still live there and there is little to no trouble. There is a nice mix of original residents and new, younger families. Local primary schools but secondary are down by the river. 20 mins walk into town. You won’t notice the noise of the trains. It never had and still doesn’t have any amenities for the kids tho.

KillerShamrock

Hey folks, thought id jump in here also possibly thinking of moving to newbridge ourselves, currently looking at houses in and around these spots: Curragh Grange, Moorefield Park and College Farm, anyone got any input for these areas good bad or in different?

Whats it like getting from Curragh Grange and Moorefield to the train station is there a bus for those horrible days or just tough it out and walk it

NewbridgeIR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119619121#Comment_119619121

Agree re the restaurants. There are five really nice ones that we go to regularly. All have one thing in common - they're not in Newbridge.

The Brown Bear (Two Mile House)

Fallon's (Kilcullen)

The Hanged Man's (Milltown)

Harte's (Kildare)

Silken Thomas (Kildare)

NewbridgeIR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119637224#Comment_119637224

No bus from Curragh Grange or Moorefield as far as I know. Probably take you 25/30 minutes to walk from there to train station.

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638954#Comment_119638954

Been to all those restaurants except Silken Thomas. They worth a try NIR?

NewbridgeIR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119658440#Comment_119658440

Definitely

Great breakfast - nice fry

Dinner menu is very decent too - never been disappointed. My kids also love it.