celbridge or leixlip?

tastyt

Hi guys,

Couple with two kids and have decided that we will be buying in one of the above towns. We both work in the city and understand the commute arrangements so we kinda want to compare these places just as places to live in general.

I lean towards celbridge as its bigger, seems to have more bars , restaurants and the lovely park. Seems to be growing also so would hope for more amenities being added.

The other half prefers leixlip, she thinks it has a nicer village feel and nicer facilities if not as many. She has also heard some things about celbridge being quite rough and dangerous.

We know the two places but obviously not as well as people who have lived there, if anyone could give any advice on community, schools, anti social behaviour, social life, restaurants and the likes I would be very grateful.

Cheers

emo72

tastyt wrote: »

Hi guys,

Couple with two kids and have decided that we will be buying in one of the above towns. We both work in the city and understand the commute arrangements so we kinda want to compare these places just as places to live in general.

I lean towards celbridge as its bigger, seems to have more bars , restaurants and the lovely park. Seems to be growing also so would hope for more amenities being added.

The other half prefers leixlip, she thinks it has a nicer village feel and nicer facilities if not as many. She has also heard some things about celbridge being quite rough and dangerous.

We know the two places but obviously not as well as people who have lived there, if anyone could give any advice on community, schools, anti social behaviour, social life, restaurants and the likes I would be very grateful.

Cheers

I think it's possible to live in leixlip and enjoy all the amenities of celbridge. I live in Lucan and enjoy the best of celbridge and leixlip.

zapper55

I know both and I'd never heard that Celbridge is rough. The pubs there can be quite dead though. And I've found the restaurants in leixlip to be much better.

wally79

tastyt wrote: »

Hi guys,

Couple with two kids and have decided that we will be buying in one of the above towns. We both work in the city and understand the commute arrangements so we kinda want to compare these places just as places to live in general.

I lean towards celbridge as its bigger, seems to have more bars , restaurants and the lovely park. Seems to be growing also so would hope for more amenities being added.

The other half prefers leixlip, she thinks it has a nicer village feel and nicer facilities if not as many. She has also heard some things about celbridge being quite rough and dangerous.

We know the two places but obviously not as well as people who have lived there, if anyone could give any advice on community, schools, anti social behaviour, social life, restaurants and the likes I would be very grateful.

Cheers

Are you planning to commute by train? If so Different train lines. Which one suits better.

I live in maynooth and find service good

Goose76

I was in this predicament a few months ago and went with Celbridge.

Leixlip is better for communting to city centre, but we realised that from a recreational point of view, if we bought in Leixlip, an awful lot of our time would end up being spent in Celbridge or Maynooth anyway - due to the latter having more restaurants, pubs, cafes, shops, amenities, etc etc. Leixlip village seems fairly dead in comparison. Didn’t see the point of buying somewhere to spend most weekends in another town.

Also house prices cheaper in Celbridge due to further distance out.

Another thing that sold Celbridge for us was proximity of house to the village - we wanted to be within walking distance and plenty of estates in Celbridge facilitated that for us so we had lots of choice. Many estates in Leixlip seem to be far away from the village so we were very limited in terms of what we could afford.

Celbridge may well be a bit rougher but I would attribute that to larger population mostly.

RunRoryRun

Both grand. As has been said, different train lines with the Leixlip line bringing you to the city centre stations (connolloy, Tara, pearse) and Celbridge as far as Heuston.

More supermarkets in Celbridge, but you'd likely be commuting to Maynooth from either to do the big shop in Dunnes or Tesco Extra.

Good primary and secondary school options and sports clubs for kids in both (GAA, football, Rugby), so much of a muchness on that.

Castletown House in Celbridge which is lovely but St. Catherine's Park accessible from Leixlip Confey which is also nice.

Canteen restaurant in Celbridge is great but wouldn't buy a house based on that. Pubs nicer in Leixlip. Maynooth better than both for food and drink so you would likely be taking a journey there from either.

Honestly, don't think you'll be going from Leixlip to Celbridge much to use facilties! Moreso to Maynooth from either because the towns are comparable.

EDIT: Just to add that neither is particularly rough. As with any mid size town there can be a bad element but would have no concerns bringing up a family in either. Towns are similar size (19k v 15k) and village main streets also pretty similar.

Goose76

RunRoryRun wrote: »

Both grand. As has been said, different train lines with the Leixlip line bringing you to the city centre stations (connolloy, Tara, pearse) and Celbridge as far as Heuston.
.

I could be wrong but I think Hazelhatch line goes to Pearse and Tara now as well?

RunRoryRun

Goose76 wrote: »

I could be wrong but I think Hazelhatch line goes to Pearse and Tara now as well?

You're right, sorry. Monday to Friday it operates to city centre. Weekend looks like it still goes to Heuston. LUAS outside the door so not a massive deal.

Rulmeq

RunRoryRun wrote: »

You're right, sorry. Monday to Friday it operates to city centre. Weekend looks like it still goes to Heuston. LUAS outside the door so not a massive deal.

They added a number of off-peak services recently (not sure if that includes the weekends), but I would argue that it's easier to get to Hazelhatch from Leixlip than from the Western side of Celbridge (unless you can cycle)

RunRoryRun

Rulmeq wrote: »

They added a number of off-peak services recently (not sure if that includes the weekends), but I would argue that it's easier to get to Hazelhatch from Leixlip than from the Western side of Celbridge (unless you can cycle)

You're right, the station isn't that accessible for the whole town. Leixlip has two stations / options.

Heres Johnny

Celbridge train goes to Connolly alright under the Phoenix park tunnel. Different Celbridge trains go to Heuston so you can get to either.
Not much difference between the towns to be honest, I've lived in both. Grew up in Leixlip, lived in Celbridge for 3 years as a young adult. Live in Lucan now. Went to university in Maynooth. All good towns really.
Concentrate on the house you are buying, make sure it's right for you, don't worry about the town. I use different facilities in Lucan Leixlip Maynooth and Celbridge all the time, there is only ever about a mile or so from where one town ends and the other begins so it's dead easy, once you drive I suppose.
Do you have any special hobbies or interests that might sway one over the other? Let me know what kind of clubs or organisations your family might join and I'll tell you what is around. Maynooth best nightlife and restaurants by far though. Lucan best for my commute by a good way, traffic out that way is busy in the mornings. Despite the distance being small it could take 30 mins to get to Lucan from any of the others sometimes.

Ken Tucky

Lived in Celbridge 14 years now.
Anyone saying Celbridge is rough has lived a very very sheltered life.
Yes there are a lot of teens about and a small percentage maybe idiots but that is mirrored in every city/town/village and small parish in Ireland and beyond.
I'm from Dublin and work where I'm from but wouldn't move back. Traffic is torture but if you're up for the commute Celbridge is a great place to live.
I'd say people living in Leixlip would say the same as me. Two good towns, it will be personal choice

tastyt

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies, seems like both towns have more positives than negatives

Heres Johnny

tastyt wrote: »

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies, seems like both towns have more positives than negatives

They certainly do. North Kildare is a decent enough area as far as antisocial stuff goes these days, of course there's still a bit but that's just life. The only thing is they are big towns and some of the newer estates are far from the village etc, and both towns main streets are a disaster to park on, Leixlips is pretty much non existent. Overall, I'd probably go for leixlip marginally over Celbridge just because of the 2 train stations and slightly less traffic congestion. But it will depend on what house you can get for your money.

mloc123

On either area being "rough"... The worst estates in both towns are still far removed from any of the Dublin suburbs that people would consider to be rough.

You will never see stolen cars burnt out on the greens etc..

The Mulk

I'd have to agree with all the comments here, i'm 15 years in Celbridge,moved from Dublin in 2004, on our second house now. I know some other families who have done the same.(moved from their original house into a bigger one)

The Hazelhatch to Connolly train is great, with Taxsaver tickets and car parking it is very reasonable too.(It's a bit far to walk for many and the bus isn't well advertised). 67X is good too, but packed a lot of the time.

The sports clubs are good for adults and kids and have a good mix of locals and people from other towns too.

I've found that the pubs and restaurants have gotten better over the last couple of years, so much so that we'll only go to Maynooth if there's a band on in the Roost or the Salmon Leap in Leixlip for a change.
Other than that we've nearly everything we need (a pool would be nice:pac:) within walking distance. I'm sure the locals in Leixlip would say exactly the same.

marieholmfan

Is there a pool in Raphael's?
Can the Liffey be swum in - must be fairly clean in Celbridge?

The Mulk wrote: »

I'd have to agree with all the comments here, i'm 15 years in Celbridge,moved from Dublin in 2004, on our second house now. I know some other families who have done the same.(moved from their original house into a bigger one)

The Hazelhatch to Connolly train is great, with Taxsaver tickets and car parking it is very reasonable too.(It's a bit far to walk for many and the bus isn't well advertised). 67X is good too, but packed a lot of the time.

The sports clubs are good for adults and kids and have a good mix of locals and people from other towns too.

I've found that the pubs and restaurants have gotten better over the last couple of years, so much so that we'll only go to Maynooth if there's a band on in the Roost or the Salmon Leap in Leixlip for a change.
Other than that we've nearly everything we need (a pool would be nice:pac:) within walking distance. I'm sure the locals in Leixlip would say exactly the same.

The Mulk

marieholmfan wrote: »

Is there a pool in Raphael's?
Can the Liffey be swum in - must be fairly clean in Celbridge?

Yeah there is a pool in Raphaels, it's not always accessible though due to lessons and use by the residents.
It's small and very warm too, the few times i've used it.
I've seen kids/teens in the Liffey at Salmon Leap and in the canal at Lyon's, but it wouldn't be the safest imo, not the type of family swim I'd be after.

marieholmfan

The Mulk wrote: »

Yeah there is a pool in Raphaels, it's not always accessible though due to lessons and use by the residents.
It's small and very warm too, the few times i've used it.
I've seen kids/teens in the Liffey at Salmon Leap and in the canal at Lyon's, but it wouldn't be the safest imo, not the type of family swim I'd be after.

Very warm water in Raphael's. Suspiciously warm?

The Mulk

marieholmfan wrote: »

Very warm water in Raphael's. Suspiciously warm?

yes a slight yellow tinge too.

As far as i know they keep it warmer than normal for the residents, this was a few years back though and i found it hard to train in.
I had to e-mail them to look for a spot, it wasn't advertised as a public swim.
I started using Clondalkin on the way home instead.
Fingers crossed that the hotel builds something in the future

Stealthirl

mloc123 wrote: »

You will never see stolen cars burnt out on the greens etc..

Well not regularly

I grew up in Leixlip and have family still there [My grandparents lived there over 100 years ago] Iv lived in Celbridge for nearly 40 years and 2 estates.
I think Leixlip is slightly better but Maynooth would top the 3 if it wasn't for the traffic.

Id say find a house your happy with in the area. I always felt Leixlip had a friendlier vibe then ether.

n97 mini

If public transport is or will be important to you in the future (e.g. change job) Leixlip is way better connected to the city centre than Celbridge. It has a much more frequent bus service and the two train stations are walkable from almost anywhere in the town. There is also a bus service between Leixlip and Blanchardstown/Naas. Hazelhatch station is quite a bit outside Celbridge and isn't walkable. There is a feeder bus, but that's only at peak times.

It's for this reason that the sort of lack of pubs and restaurants in Leixlip is mitigated by the public transport.

mloc123

n97 mini wrote: »

If public transport is or will be important to you in the future (e.g. change job) Leixlip is way better connected to the city centre than Celbridge. It has a much more frequent bus service and the two train stations are walkable from almost anywhere in the town. There is also a bus service between Leixlip and Blanchardstown/Naas. Hazelhatch station is quite a bit outside Celbridge and isn't walkable. There is a feeder bus, but that's only at peak times.

It's for this reason that the sort of lack of pubs and restaurants in Leixlip is mitigated by the public transport.

It is a 2km walk from main st... most people can manage to walk 2km

n97 mini

mloc123 wrote: »

It is a 2km walk from main st... most people can manage to walk 2km

It's a half an hour walk from The Village pub, but a lot of Celbridge has been built in the opposite direction... It's almost an hour from Aldi...

The Mulk

It takes 20 minutes, brisk walking from The Grove, cutting across Hazelhatch Park to the station. Nice on a summers morning, not so nice on a winters morning.Cycling is not too bad.Less than 10 mins
The bus is still a mystery to me, on my walk to or from the station it has never passed me!
Driving is the best option €9 for 7 days car park. Aim for the trains that terminate at Hazelhatch and you're golden. Seat all the way in, try get the 16:37 home, seat all the way home.

mloc123

n97 mini wrote: »

It's a half an hour walk from The Village pub, but a lot of Celbridge has been built in the opposite direction... It's almost an hour from Aldi...

You are very slow

Obviously it is best suited to housing on the same side of the river but, it is walkable. Folding bike IMO is the best option.

Idioteque

I think they're both fairly close - we were considering both (as well as Lucan and Maynooth) and in the end Celbridge edged it for us over Leixlip. Probably easier as we both had a warmer feel toward Celbridge than Leixlip unlike your situation where you're split

Maybe do up a quick pro's/cons of each to whatever your priorities are and that'll help you decide (Amenities, commute, general vibe etc.)

I guess also you'll be influenced by what is actually on the market, as both have differences in terms of estates within them where some are nicer than others (again depending on what you are looking for...e.g. 'mature' estates vs new-ish with lots of young families etc.)

In terms of roughness, I don't know leixlip that well for that but as others have said, Celbridge is no different than any similar sized town. There does seem to be a lot of teenagers hanging around the main street and the road to Patrick Park at times but I haven't seen them bother anyone to date.

My take on it was when I compared it to Dublin (Where I'm from), Dublin has some suburbs where you could you could find contrasts in anti-social behaviour and as such pick somewhere with less problems than another area say, but as you move to a town it's kinda a melting pot where everyone is mixing - something which attracted us as a more rounded place to bring up kids.

ASearcher

Hi All,
I am planning to buy house in Celbridge near OldTown Woods and thinking of pros/cons of travel either through 67/67x or 120 or may be through Hazelhatch train station.

I would be going to city center for work and want to know the commute times. Google says it approx 1 hours 10 mins either using 67 or 120 if I leave between 7:30-8:30

Want to know the bus board experience, is it full and are there any seats available.

Also would be good to know which are the good schools near Old Town, the closest one is Scoil na Mainistreach and looking to get admission for my kid.

Please can you provide some feedback and suggestions on the above points.

Regards

Stealthirl

Cant say much about the bus or train capacity but the train station is about a 30-40min walk and 10-15min cycle. Driving could take as long as walking depending when you leave.
67X morning times that go that way would be 06:40, 07:00, 07:10, and 07:40 and home are 16:20, 17:10 and 18:00
The 67 would require a walk to the main st or the stop's on Maynooth road both of which are about 15min
On the Bus i'd say an hour 10 is about right for the 2nd and 3rd 67x but the 07:40 it would be longer

baegan

Hi, I'm thinking of buying a family house in the Ballymakealy, Springfield area in Celbridge.. i drove around and it looks ok, but based on your posts, you seem to know more about the area so said I'd ask..is the area safe ? Not rough? Not worried about car, house, kids safety, is it a good neighbourhood etc etc

JDigweed

Ballymakealy has a bit of a rough element in it alright, has a reputation in the town but it's by no means as bad as some people make out. Some really nice estates up the clane road, the soccer club have an all weather pitch at the back and the girls secondary school is a stones throw away. Bus Stop is right outside the estate and the Celbridge Manor Hotel is next door although that is housing Intel workers from Romania at the moment and not operating as a hotel.