Raise a child in Bray or Skerries? (Picking the right primary school)

ted1

grassylawn wrote: »

American people are more religious as a group than the Irish, but they have much better separation of church and state, including the absence of religion in state schools.

That’s a very sweeping statement and not very true. I think you are living in a bubble

shesty

Mod Note:
Let's not go down the for/against religion route please. The OP is querying the towns where the schools are located, rather than the religious ethos of the schools in question.
Thanks.

Bray is rough? lol. I think if you go into any place and go to a council estate, you may think it's rough (no offence). Unfortunately, anywhere in Ireland today, you can end up in a spot of bother if you want to or if you're unlucky. That's just the way it is.

Killiney is right beside Ballybrack - to think that Killiney is free from the working class is laughable and not real life. Same with Shankill, Blackrock and pretty much any other area. Much like Bray, it has some working class areas but it's predominantly middle class. Ireland doesn't have an upper class in my opinion, maybe a few roads but that's it so that's where I'm coming from. Cabinteely is right beside Ballybrack (and Ballyogan, you're literally talking minutes drive) too basically, a stones throw and in all areas mentioned, there is social housing so don't fall for the hype ! Do your research.

I would say look at the cost of houses etc but don't think that's a good example considering how mental the prices are all over right now. But if this were the 1980's and you said Bray is rough - I'd probably agree with you because that's what I would have heard but not these days, it's a completely different world. But like any town, if you go looking for trouble, you can find it (I'm sure).

To answer your question re: Bray or Skerries, I'd pick Bray as it's far more accessible to Dublin, has the best golf courses close by (Powerscourt) has a range of schools from public to private to suit all budgets, many amenities both in Bray, Greystones and South Dublin, the dart line which is crucial and access to the N11. If you can find a nice house in a nice part of Bray (pricey), you'll actually find you have far more amenities on your doorstep compared to most houses in South Dublin in the 600K-900K bracket. Also, Bray is massive (relatively speaking) so don't forget that. Greystones gets a lot of hype too but to be honest, it's basically a concrete jungle these days that's practically isolated; some lovely houses there but only for the lucky few! Most new builds and houses are just your standard semi D's on top of each other like 90% of Dublin suburbs I'm afraid except you're near the sea, dart and mountains...the choice is yours!

catrionanic

I live in Malahide but have family in Bray and used to live in South Dublin, so I've spent quite a bit of time in both Bray and Skerries.

For me, I would prefer to raise my children I Skerries. It is smaller and quieter, the beach is better, and has a nicer feel/pace to it. It is also more affluent and you can tell that from walking around. Bray is really quite a large town now, and one thing that drives me insane about Bray is the traffic. It is ridiculous! My family there try not to drive anywhere on the weekends as it is like a car park. Parking is similarly difficult- I recently spent 45 mins driving around trying to find somewhere to park within a short walk of the seafront. My cousin got stuck for 2 hours recently when he was only about a kilometre away from his home.

You can't go wrong with north County Dublin either. It is a brilliant place to raise kids. So many beautiful beaches, lovely countryside, lots of small towns and villages with lovely pubs and restaurants and boutique shops. The schools are usually less oversubscribed too.

duplicate

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117629141#Comment_117629141

Skerries has a population of what, 10,000 people? vs Bray of what, 40,000 people? When you say more affluent, what do you mean? Considering average house prices (not that it means a whole lot) are similar yet stats for assaults and burglaries are higher in Skerries than Bray (per head) & rose 30% last year in Skerries , I'm curious how you came to this conclusion...

TefalBrain

I don't live in either Bray or Skerries but i know both fairly well. If it was me i'd be picking Bray as it's just a nicer vibe about it and a lovely mix of people from all class backgrounds. Neither area is what i'd call rough or anywhere near it.

Supercell

For me Bray for the reasons other have mentioned, also a big factor personally would be having access to the Wicklow Mountains on your doorstep especially if you have kids.

I live a few miles from Bray, up the road in Loughlinstown and i'd say we go for walks and picnics with the kids somewhere there at least once a month year round, more in the summer. Our kids will be going to the Irish secondary school, when they reach that age, in Bray which has a brand new building and grounds just completed recently.

The main negative for me about Bray is the traffic, as others have mentioned can be a nightmare, but if you are living in it and dont need to drive then maybe thats not such a big issue. If we were to move from here we would be looking in Bray ourselves. Another thing to think of is if your kids are going to be attending third level eventually how are they going to get into UCD or Trinity etc if they want to go there?, transport from Skerries may not be so easy (or cheap).

Suckit

I have lived in both Bray and Skerries. Bray for 8 years, Skerries for 5. (11 near bray all included and 7 around Skerries)

I would pick Skerries over Bray. Bray is nice, but it's fairly built up and has a lot of traffic. Skerries is quieter, but still a busy town.

Skerries has imho a much more community feel. Bray at night can be unpleasant, especially in the summer and towards the end of the summer.

Skerries can get fairly busy during the summer weekends, but not overcrowded unless you are heading down to the harbour, but that is easily predicted when you are there a while. The town has everything, and is on the Rail and Bus lines.

Bray also has everything. I can visualise Bray getting worse, not better, and vice versa for Skerries. I like both places but Bray is definitely heading in the wrong direction.