Claregalway or Athenry?

SilverRainbow

Hi there,

My partner and I are tring to buy a house at the moment in Galway.
Unfortunately, our first choice, Oranmore, is getting out of our price range as prices rise.
We are very flexible with what our necessities are, but have come up with Claregalway or Athenry....which should we go for and why?
We have lived in Galway city for the past 8 years, my partner works in town and apart from the notoriously bad traffic from Claregalway, any other cons?
No children yet, but in the near future, so taking into account childcare facilities, community spirit etc is important to us
I work from home, so don't want to feel further isolated by living in a town with no "life" to it
Any advice is so greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Mrs OBumble

If it was me, I'd assess places based on flooding risk ... rising sea levels and all.

ben.schlomo

SilverRainbow wrote: »

Hi there,

My partner and I are tring to buy a house at the moment in Galway.
Unfortunately, our first choice, Oranmore, is getting out of our price range as prices rise.
We are very flexible with what our necessities are, but have come up with Claregalway or Athenry....which should we go for and why?
We have lived in Galway city for the past 8 years, my partner works in town and apart from the notoriously bad traffic from Claregalway, any other cons?
No children yet, but in the near future, so taking into account childcare facilities, community spirit etc is important to us
I work from home, so don't want to feel further isolated by living in a town with no "life" to it
Any advice is so greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I'd go Athenry, just my preference of one place over the other, have never lived in either. Train, bus and motorway all make the city potentially easier to get to.

SilverRainbow

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If it was me, I'd assess places based on flooding risk ... rising sea levels and all.

That's interesting alright. I have friends in Craughwell and they experience flooding every winter. Thank you for that advice

SilverRainbow

ben.schlomo wrote: »

I'd go Athenry, just my preference of one place over the other, have never lived in either. Train, bus and motorway all make the city potentially easier to get to.

Agreed that the train is a massive advantage to getting into town, thank you

JoeA3

Athenry is a nice enough little town but I’ve heard it’s gone downhill a lot in the last few years, tunbleweed in town centre, businesses closing etc. I’m sure the events of 2020 haven’t helped. I do know that there are a couple of nice cafes and pubs though. It has the train station, 2 large brand new schools and easy access to the M6.
Claregalway village is most famed for its traffic congestion. And lots of bad planning, crap development and a history of flooding problems. But it’s a big townland and you can easily avoid the above issues if you buy something not in one of the estates. To me I would feel much closer to Galway city in the Claregalway area than I would in Athenry.

biko

City -> County

fergiesfolly

Would you consider Loughrea?
Larger town, still close enough on the motorway, plenty going on for the family and has a bit of life to it.
Have friends out there for 10-15 years and they're very happy.

km79

Much of a muchness tbh
New secondary schools in both
No real life in either town but a few more pubs in Athenry
The train is a huge plus for Athenry though imo . Claregalway might be closer by map distance to the city but there is no train access . It only takes 15 minutes from Athenry and is regular . By car the time difference is negligible too due to traffic on Tuam Road from Claregalway

One thing not mentioned and it might seem silly but for some people it matters
Are ye into football or hurling ..........
If you if your family are into one or the other it’s a great way to get to know people . On the other hand you can feel a little isolated if you end up in a place where the other is dominant
Athenry = Hurling
Claregalway = Football (also Rugby club not too far out the road )
As I said it might seem silly but it’s not . Yes there are other activities but in rural Ireland GAA is still a huge part of the community . So keep it in mind especially if you have kids and they have a preference for one over the other .

Finally, agree with the poster on flooding areas . Be very careful and do your research thoroughly . Certain areas in around both towns are prone to flooding . And it’s only getting worse . Tread carefully ........

km79

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Would you consider Loughrea?
Larger town, still close enough on the motorway, plenty going on for the family and has a bit of life to it.
Have friends out there for 10-15 years and they're very happy.

Loughrea is a much nicer town with more going on than either of the other two imo . Lovely lake and playground for the kids as well .
However , it is further out and public transport into Galway is terrible .
Has 2 schools as well. Buildings are older with new extensions .
Hurling again is king out that side . Bit of rugby as well I think
Soccer in all 3 areas but particularly strong in Athenry
Athletics in all 3 areas as well

SilverRainbow

Thank you for all of the advice
The flooding is something I hadn't considered as much as I should.
Loughrea does have a lot of facilities and ample houses for sale, but we have friends living there too and have heard mixed reviews, so not 100% on there right now, but everyone's experience is different.
We are going to view more houses in both locations, but veering towards Athenry I think.

km79

SilverRainbow wrote: »

Thank you for all of the advice
The flooding is something I hadn't considered as much as I should.
Loughrea does have a lot of facilities and ample houses for sale, but we have friends living there too and have heard mixed reviews, so not 100% on there right now, but everyone's experience is different.
We are going to view more houses in both locations, but veering towards Athenry I think.

When you decide on a house or particular area in Athenry post again and I will reply
There are some areas/estates better than others as is the case everywhere

Mr Man

I lived in Athenry for 15 years - we moved out there when starting out because we could not afford the city.
I would move there again if starting out again.
It is very quiet compared to the city but there is a night bus.
The schools are excellent.
Things are beginning to look up there - planning has gone in for a major development in the town centre (Lidl/Aldi and a load of houses and so on).
The connectivity in Athenry is really excellent - you are on two motorways and the train.
The only thing missing is a CIE bus but the local bus is very good and friendly.

ladiesman217

Mr Man wrote: »

I lived in Athenry for 15 years - we moved out there when starting out because we could not afford the city.
I would move there again if starting out again.
It is very quiet compared to the city but there is a night bus.
The schools are excellent.
Things are beginning to look up there - planning has gone in for a major development in the town centre (Lidl/Aldi and a load of houses and so on).
The connectivity in Athenry is really excellent - you are on two motorways and the train.
The only thing missing is a CIE bus but the local bus is very good and friendly.

Ah yes I would second this. I have lived in London, Galway city, Athlone and now Athenry. Yes there may be shop closures but that's the same in any rural town, more so now because of COVID-19. We're here 8 years and are very happy. Its quite, which we like. But it all comes down to what your circumstances. Family, work, budget, access to other towns and motorways for example. Best of luck with it

detoxkid

We have lived in both but settled in athenry for the last two years. Love it. Loads going on for kids. Great schools. And great transport links to Galway where we would do most of our socialising- when we socialize that is! Few nice cafés during the day. Hate the lack of proper supermarket - lidl is apparently coming but have been blocked before so who knows. And parts of athenry aren't well kept. But in balance I love it and very happy we settled here.

jkmanc1974

detoxkid wrote: »

We have lived in both but settled in athenry for the last two years. Love it. Loads going on for kids. Great schools. And great transport links to Galway where we would do most of our socialising- when we socialize that is! Few nice cafés during the day. Hate the lack of proper supermarket - lidl is apparently coming but have been blocked before so who knows. And parts of athenry aren't well kept. But in balance I love it and very happy we settled here.

Is Joyce’s still the only show in town there? Lived across from there in the apartments many years back

Saw the plans for Lidl - great location

As one of the others said - Athenry grand and a massive sporting town, rents seem expensive though

detoxkid

jkmanc1974 wrote: »

Is Joyce’s still the only show in town there? Lived across from there in the apartments many years back

Saw the plans for Lidl - great location

As one of the others said - Athenry grand and a massive sporting town, rents seem expensive though

Yep - absolutely hate Joyce's. Tbf everyone just gets Tesco delivery or goes to Dunnes to briar hill, but a bit of choice would be great

se25

Headford is a nice town not mentioned in posts. I lived 20 years in town before moving into City.
Whilst suffering form all the usual afflictions of small towns it is a vibrant town with great community spirit and well served by GAA, Rugby and soccer clubs and Joyce`s flagship supermarket. Also has 3 good primary schools in its hinterland and Lough Corrib nearby..

happyoutscan

Another thing about Headford is that there is a phenomenal music scene in it. Everything from traditional to death metal.

It seems like everyone is into their music and a large percentage of young people are taking up instruments, which is a great thing. Alot of this is facilitated by Campbells pub (just a mile or two out the Galway road) which is a fantastic music/arts/pizza pub.

Nice people in Headford and only a short spin to Galway. Not sure how bad traffic is on this though as I'm out of Galway a few years.

Lough Corrib nearby and you're close enough to Mayo, which is always a plus.

If I was going to pick between Athenry and Claregalway it would be a no-brainer for me, Athenry all the way. Do not estimate the importance of that train link into Galway (especially down the years if you have kids). Claregalway to me just seems like a soulless carpark.

Best of luck and let us know what you end up going for!

One other thing, where in Galway does your partner work?

1perriwinkle

I’d heartily recommend Athenry. I’m from Galway originally but moved to Athenry when coming home from having living abroad for a few years. Great transport being close to both motorways and the train. I commuted to work In the city pre lockdown and with up to 10 trains a day each way it was a great service.
Someone else mentioned sports and I’ll add that there are several other great sports clubs here (aside from the GAA) - an excellent judo club with its own dojo, a soccer club with an Astro turf and several pitches, a very active athletics club, the local hotel has a pool and gym etc. There’s also a huge amount of well lit footpaths for walking on - great for when your 5km restrictions are in place!
School are great, two huge new secondary buildings already, and there is planning granted for new schools for the primary and secondary Gaelscoil’s so they will be built in the next few years.
A few gripes would be the lack of good places to eat. There’s a couple of ok restaurants but would love more choice. And very little culture happening locally. Having said that, it’s nice to go into Galway for special nights out (whenever that happens again...).
Best of luck with it, exciting times

Greaney

I live in Athenry, so here are my points about the town...

1) The railway (annual commuter ticket is tax deductible & reasonably priced), it makes it possible go down to one car, or no car even. It's very goodtransport links actually, they've buses too.
2) Schools, primary has x2 choices, (either the boy or girl school) or gaelscoil, x3 secondary, the Pres, tech (Clarin) or a Coláiste.
3) Extra Curricular, there's a fair few organisations to get 'plugged into the community'
4) It's got a small, but reliable, town market (fresh food) on Fridays
5) Restaurants & cafés, they're very good, for a small town. A couple of Italians, Chinese, some Bridgestone plaques on the Barracks & Créperé, the Nook. An Authentic Chipper. Cheaper than the city
6) Pubs, fairly good. Alas, no real old pub. They're all re-furbed
7) Shopping, TBH, not great. I guess it's okay for a town it's size. Joyce has a monopoly on the supermarket. Gifts are okay, but don't reflect the local produce. Good butchers and Fruit & veg. It's missing 'something' though...

All in all, it's a good spot, but it's expensive. I think that's due to the Railway & schools primarily.

dinneenp

I live in Turloughmore (near Claregalway) and been to Athenry many times. Happy where I am.

- Athenry is a small town vs. Claregalway just along the main road. As mentioned more pubs, restaurants etc. Nice butcher there too.
- Claregalway has regular buses to & from town, last bus out is at 9pm. (Don't know what time last bus/train to Athenry is, presume later). Bus is cheaper than the train.
- Somebody mentioned Athenry for hurling; Turloughmore is next to Claregalway & has a big club.
- There's a playground in Athenry, one next to Turloughmore GAA is closest to Claregalway.

I'd advise spend some time in both places- eat in a cafe, sit in a pub, walk around, get the bus/train into town etc. to get a full feel for each.