Anybody living in Ballysadare (Ballisodare)?

idamac

Hi lovely people,

Need your opinions, please

I am thinking about moving to Co Sligo (I just like it there) and maybe buying there (I can work from home, keeping my Dublin salary). I prefer villages to big towns/cities. I love Strandhill but it's very hard to buy there (none of the houses I have seen there is "help-to-buy scheme" approved and it can be expensive).

Ballisodare, a wee village, has new houses. It looks nice with a lot of nature around (very important). I am from Paris but I love nature, villages and the sea. My daughter too.
Ballisodare has a gym and shops (and a nice Facebook Community page lol). It's "only" 10km away from Strandhill and Sligo. Also, I have a 3-year-old daughter (I am separated).

I will spend one month in Ballisodare this summer (to see how I feel about it), working from home etc (I'll rent something there). I just wanted to know what people think of the village (people who lived there, left, or who have recently moved there).

Why do you like it and what do you dislike about the place?

Thanks sooo much

I.

Pete M.

Hi Idamac.
I used to live there a few years ago and it was fine place to live.
It's close to lots of nice walks and there are some really gorgeous places around the village where you can enjoy nature.
It's got everything you need on a day to day basis, and is close enough to Sligo Town so the occassional trip to one of the bigger supermarkets is no hassle.
There are lots of estates, and a fairly large young population, so your daughter can make lots of friends.
It's a lot different to Strandhill, which I personally wouldn't like to live in (too busy!), but the seaside is only a short drive away too.
So overall I would recommend it as a grand place to live imho.

Trojan

We live in Strandhill but often drive to Ballysadare for weekly food shopping rather than going into town. Super Valu there is decent and probably better than Sligo's Tesco.

Ballysadare is nice and close enough to Sligo & large box shops. There seems to be a bus every couple of hours and it only takes 10-15 mins to get into town.

Je vous souhaite un bon déménagement.

SuperValu is very expensive compared to Tesco. I live in ballisodare but wouldn’t shop there in comparison to the savings made in Tesco, lidl and aldi. If I could afford to leave here I would, hate the place , if you are not into gaa or Catholic Church activities you are ignored, very cliquey place.

shanec1928

zorro2566 wrote: »

SuperValu is very expensive compared to Tesco. I live in ballisodare but wouldn’t shop there in comparison to the savings made in Tesco, lidl and aldi. If I could afford to leave here I would, hate the place , if you are not into gaa or Catholic Church activities you are ignored, very cliquey place.

And the village doesn’t even have a gaa team.

There is some gaa activity and anytime I was asked an opinion and said I had no interest it was as if I had murdered someone. They can’t grasp the concept that just because they are into it then everyone should.

Buford T Justice

zorro2566 wrote: »

If you are not into gaa or Catholic Church activities you are ignored, very cliquey place.

Sounds like rural Ireland to me. Cities and towns are all gentrified now

Mullinabreena

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Sounds like rural Ireland to me. Cities and towns are all gentrified now

Are you sure?

Ballisodare is a lovely little town, with a good community spirit. It's not far from Union wood and Culleenamore beach. Lots of young families in the area. And no, it's not a bastion of GAA and Catholic fundamentalists as suggested in previous posts you have other sports clubs like Ballisodare United and Innisfree AC there too.

Buford T Justice

Mullinabreena wrote: »

Are you sure?

Ballisodare is a lovely little town, with a good community spirit. It's not far from Union wood and Culleenamore beach. Lots of young families in the area. And no, it's not a bastion of GAA and Catholic fundamentalists as suggested in previous posts you have other sports clubs like Ballisodare United and Innisfree AC there too.

What I mean is that it's rural ireland, so you're bound to have people who value GAA and the church there more so than in the towns and cities. I didn't mean it it in a negative way.

idamac

Thanks for the reply, everyone. I really appreciate it.

redarmyblues

OP, if you are into nature I recommend Mullaghmore, it has a great Machair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machair that extends from behind Mullaghmore beach across to the rear of Trawula beach, unfortunately, the space between the two beaches the grounds of Cassiebawn Castle has no right of way. There are a multitude of wildflowers including a up to a dozen orchids to be found there and a great deal of birdlife including on rare occasions a White-Tailed Eagle on the lake on the Mullaghmore side. Mullaghmore is Sligo's prettiest village and has three surfing spots. I am not sure how often houses come up for sale there but Cliffoney village could be an option too. On the negative side, Mullaghmore can be bleak in winter. Grange is another option in North Sligo it has a decent beqch at Streedagh and there are 3 or 4 more on the Maugherow penisula.

Ballisodare is really just a satellite village of Sligo, its population has probably trebled in recent years as it does have handy access to Sligo and Strandhill, OK place but wouldn't be top of my list.

BronsonTB

idamac wrote: »

I will spend one month in Ballisodare this summer (to see how I feel about it), working from home etc (I'll rent something there).

That's the best advice, rent for a short while there (if possible). At the same time, visit all the surrounding area's to get a feel for everywhere.


Budget will greatly affect your location for both buying & renting, both are in very slow supply at the moment & huge competition pushing all prices high.


Look at daft to get an idea on rental prices & what your budget currently buys. (Can be an eye opener)

shanec1928

I think the op is going to struggle to find somewhere short term in ballisodare, right now on daft there is 0 property's up for rent and 8 houses \ apartments for sale.

tinpib

If you work from home you can't take great broadband for granted. Your neighbours might be fantastic but yours terrible for whatever reason. If you are renting or buying on Ballysadare or anywhere you really need to find out what the broadband is like in the specific property you are thinking about.

idamac

redarmyblues wrote: »

OP, if you are into nature I recommend Mullaghmore, it has a great Machair that extends from behind Mullaghmore beach across to the rear of Trawula beach, unfortunately, the space between the two beaches the grounds of Cassiebawn Castle has no right of way. There are a multitude of wildflowers including a up to a dozen orchids to be found there and a great deal of birdlife including on rare occasions a White-Tailed Eagle on the lake on the Mullaghmore side. Mullaghmore is Sligo's prettiest village and has three surfing spots. I am not sure how often houses come up for sale there but Cliffoney village could be an option too. On the negative side, Mullaghmore can be bleak in winter. Grange is another option in North Sligo it has a decent beqch at Streedagh and there are 3 or 4 more on the Maugherow penisula.

Ballisodare is really just a satellite village of Sligo, its population has probably trebled in recent years as it does have handy access to Sligo and Strandhill, OK place but wouldn't be top of my list.

Thanks. Mullaghmore looks beautiful. Difficult to find a house there, though.

Ballisodare is close to Sligo and Strandhill, which is not a bad thing (but given the housing situation, I'll surely end up in Sligo lol).

idamac

shanec1928 wrote: »

I think the op is going to struggle to find somewhere short term in ballisodare, right now on daft there is 0 property's up for rent and 8 houses \ apartments for sale.

Indeed! I didn't know Ballisodare was so popular

The DayDream

idamac wrote: »

Indeed! I didn't know Ballisodare was so popular

It's just short on supply but not necessarily because it's so desirable - it's tiny.

I would suggest living in Sligo town. Lot more options to rent, sameish prices, and you can enjoy whatever buzz is about the place in summer far handier than having to drive out after a few takeaway pints or whatever. There's Doorly Park for nature within walking distance and if you want more than that just drive out a bit. Social life/night life far better than Ballisodare. Id rather be able to walk home from the nightlife in town and drive out to any nature spots than have to taxi home from any nights out. Dunno what pubs are like in Ballisodare but I imagine it's like any rural town in Ireland.

Black Bart

Have a look at properties in Coolaney, great little village, real community spirit, great little Italian restaurant, Chinese takeaway, renowned primary school, check it out for yourself, best of luck. :-)
https://www.daft.ie/property-for-sale/coolaney-sligo/houses

Cottage living isn’t everyones cup of tea, but this is lovely

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-kilmacowen-sligo-co-sligo/3270881

topdecko

That isn't really a cottage - it is very pretty but currently at 375k with 4 interested parties. All gone a bit mental at the moment re: property. we are looking in area. Think we will check out Collaney, seems like a few properties coming on stream there.

BronsonTB

Summers here OP. Any update?

idamac

Ah, thanks! I am thinking about Sligo now. The town has everything and the county is so beautiful (very scenic). Bonus: houses are really cheap there (for now). However, someone suggested Wexford but I think I am a bit in love with Co Sligo. I will spend time in Wexford too and see how I feel there. Bye-bye Ballisodare, then, it is impossible to rent there anyway!!

And thanks everyone :)