Living in Clontarf

Shellie

Hi all, my husband and I have started looking at Clontarf as a place to buy (for the long term). We're both from Dublin (south and west), and while we've been to Clontarf or passed through it a lot over the years, we don't know anyone from the area and would love some insider info on what it's like living there.
We've done our research on local amenities, transport etc, and have walked around a good bit, and so far it seems like a great area.
I'd love to hear from anyone who lives/lived in the area about what living there is like - things like traffic, quality of schools, crime, things you do/don't like about the area etc.
Thanks!

Bigmac1euro

Shellie wrote: »

Hi all, my husband and I have started looking at Clontarf as a place to buy (for the long term). We're both from Dublin (south and west), and while we've been to Clontarf or passed through it a lot over the years, we don't know anyone from the area and would love some insider info on what it's like living there.
We've done our research on local amenities, transport etc, and have walked around a good bit, and so far it seems like a great area.
I'd love to hear from anyone who lives/lived in the area about what living there is like - things like traffic, quality of schools, crime, things you do/don't like about the area etc.
Thanks!

Not much bad you can say about clontarf, lovely area and schools etc would be considered quite posh. A little over priced imo.

Traffic is a bit of a nightmare that’s the only thing. All up the seafront and they also cut the lanes down to expand path for bicycles.

o1s1n

Live there for 3 years, absolutely loved it. Has a great safe suburban feel while still being incredibly close to the city.

Would buy there in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

whiskeyman

Clontarf demands high prices for a reason.
If you've the budget, go ahead!
You won't get much bang for your buck there that's for sure.

Shellie

Thanks for the info! Yep, it's definitely on the pricier side, but we're aiming to optimise for short commute (among other things) so it's a hit we're willing to take.

Sleepy

Rented there for 6 years and loved the place. It's a lovely location on the coast, has lots of amenities (St Annes and Dollymount being highlights), great schools, lots of established sports clubs and good public transport links. A lot of the properties are older and can require some serious renovations if you want to bring them up to modern standards but a good proportion of them will have been done already. Being home to a large police station, crime isn't much of an issue though I did have some stuff stolen out of the car one night when I forgot to lock it.

Depending on your personality you may have to get used to some of the "new money" types that live around there, there's quite a few of the Land Rover for the school run, ladies of leisure who refer to themselves as "girlos" while in their forties with the notion that their husbands "important" jobs entitle them to a higher level of respect than the average person. Funnily, the truly wealthy ones who've lived in the area for decades or generations are a lot more down to earth and haven't forgotten their manners. (It didn't bother me much, but Mrs Sleepy found this type very hard work at the school gates and our next door neighbour was an absolute dose in this regard).

If budget allowed, I'd happily live there again but I think Mrs Sleepy would take some convincing as she prefers the more down to earth nature of our current neighbours.