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County Clare towns/villages - which ones are the best

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  • 09-07-2017 4:39pm
    #1
    outlooks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 90 ✭✭


    Hello,

    Looking for opinions on the best County Clare towns/villages based on the following criteria:

    1. Childcare
    2. Schools
    3. Supermarkets
    4. Outdoor activities for kids
    5. Best balance between quality and cost of life

    Thank you.


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    #2
    notharrypotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,112 ✭✭✭notharrypotter


    outlooks wrote: »
    Hello,

    Looking for opinions on the best County Clare towns/villages based on the following criteria:

    1. Childcare
    2. Schools
    3. Supermarkets
    4. Outdoor activities for kids
    5. Best balance between quality and cost of life

    Thank you.
    You are missing a category.
    Where are you working.
    Spent last week at Willie Clancy festival, would not fancy having to drive to Ennis or Shannon from there every day.


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    #3
    Shapey Fiend
    Registered Users Posts: 1,997 ✭✭✭Shapey Fiend


    If you're thinking checklist wise I suppose Ennis has the best selection in terms of shopping, schools etc. Villages such as Quinn would be pretty popular.


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    #4
    Sundew
    Registered Users Posts: 1,554 ✭✭✭Sundew


    Are you considering relocating from " the big smoke"?
    Are you familiar with the county?
    Ennistymon might be worth considering.....lovely charming old fashioned market town. Nice big Supervalue & Aldi/ quaint bookshop/ bakery and a few nice cafes. It's on the up in my opinion with some new business and arty people moving in. On the edge of the Burren with plenty of options for outdoor activities. Surfing in Lahinch/ horse riding/ hurling etch
    Also has the option of a Steiner School in the town which would be a winner in my book!
    https://molanoige.ie/


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    #5
    Lady Chatterton
    Registered Users Posts: 19,585 ✭✭✭✭Lady Chatterton


    + Killaloe

    http://www.discoverkillaloe.ie/


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    #6
    chuckles30
    Registered Users Posts: 1,380 ✭✭✭chuckles30


    It really depends on where you're going to be working & how much time you want to spend on the road.

    Tulla has both primary & secondary schools, childrens playground and a Super Valu. Lots of outdoor activities in the greater East Clare area.


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    #7
    dennyk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,668 ✭✭✭dennyk


    Seconding Killaloe/Ballina. Nice little pair of towns on the river, well-located and 30 minutes or so to anywhere in Limerick City, including Raheen via the motorway, so handy if you're working down there. 25-30 minutes from Nenagh as well. There's a SuperValu and a couple local grocery stores in town, a few pharmacies, GPs, a dentist, optometrist, a few other specialty shops and hairdressers and the like, and several nice pubs and restaurants. Don't know much about the schools myself, but there's a secondary school and a couple primary schools in town, I think. Couple childcare places, too, I believe, though I've no idea if they're full. Both towns have GAA clubs and there's parks, playgrounds, and lots of outdoor activities around, as well.


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    #8
    outlooks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 90 ✭✭outlooks


    Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Work is telecommuting so no need to drive around. The plan is to move out of Dublin, the rents and house prices are out of control IMO. I know Shannon and Sixmilebrigde but it might be too much of a change to move from Dublin to such a small town(s).


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    #9
    dennyk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,668 ✭✭✭dennyk


    Well, I wouldn't move to Shannon unless you have a job there; there's really nothing to the town other than the airport and industrial estates. Sixmilebridge is quite a small village as well.

    Haven't lived in Dublin, but I moved to Killaloe from Atlanta, GA, and it is definitely quite a change of pace. I really like it here, though. If you really want someplace bigger, you could consider a place in Limerick itself; rents in the city are higher than outside, but nowhere near the absurdity that is Dublin.

    Also, if you telecommute, make sure you take broadband services into consideration; landline services may be slow or nonexistent in many rural areas and small villages. I know Killaloe/Ballina is quite well covered with Eir's 100Mbps FTTC service, at least in the estates immediately surrounding the towns, but I don't know about other villages around here, and if you live outside of town, you're unlikely to have any decent service at all.


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    #10
    chuckles30
    Registered Users Posts: 1,380 ✭✭✭chuckles30


    Sixmilebridge has great broadband, a very good creche/montessori (bridge kids) and national school. Secondary schools would traditionally be Shannon with bus service, although I know the locals are looking for bus service to Tulla since the new school opened there, but not sure how that is progressing.
    Big step down from Dublin, but couple of bigger small supermarkets. Only 10-15 mins from Shannon where you have Lidl and a small Dunnes. Iceland & Aldi both have plans to open in Shannon too.
    Also only about 15 mins from Limerick with large Dunnes (Jetland) & large Tesco (Coonagh) both at Clare side of town.


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    #11
    Sundew
    Registered Users Posts: 1,554 ✭✭✭Sundew


    outlooks wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Work is telecommuting so no need to drive around. The plan is to move out of Dublin, the rents and house prices are out of control IMO. I know Shannon and Sixmilebrigde but it might be too much of a change to move from Dublin to such a small town(s).

    Outlooks you won't look back...seriously! We moved West after living in Dublin.....we felt it was time to get out of the rat race,as we had been living there throughout the Celtic Tiger and the recession, and we were starting to see it all play out again. OH born and bred in Dublin wouldn't go back for anything...no traffic, no crazy house prices, no having to keep up with the Jones. My advise would be to pick a town within an hr of a major city like Limerick or Galway and you won't look back.


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    #12
    ElNino
    Registered Users Posts: 1,505 ✭✭✭ElNino


    As already stated don't buy a house in Shannon. Ennis sounds like the perfect location for and you will only be 30 minutes from Limerick and an hour from Galway. Most of Ennis has 100Mb FTTC and in certain estates you can get either 350Mb Virgin Media cable fibre or 1Gb FTTH from Siro or eir.


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    #13
    outlooks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 90 ✭✭outlooks


    Thank you everyone for your valuable inputs. Another option came up, I know it would not be for this forum, but just wondering in anyone ever lived, has relatives or knows anyone who lives or lived in Gorey, Wexford? How Gorey might compare to similar towns in County Clare?

    Apologies in advance if I'm comparing oranges to apples. I just never lived in any of these places.


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    #14
    outlooks
    Closed Accounts Posts: 90 ✭✭outlooks


    ElNino wrote: »
    As already stated don't buy a house in Shannon. Ennis sounds like the perfect location for and you will only be 30 minutes from Limerick and an hour from Galway. Most of Ennis has 100Mb FTTC and in certain estates you can get either 350Mb Virgin Media cable fibre or 1Gb FTTH from Siro or eir.

    Hello, would there be an area in Ennis that you would recommend please? Or areas to avoid? Thank you.


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