Where would you buy a family home in Dublin for €550k?

Molina

Hi,

We're a family of four moving to Dublin for work reasons. My husband and I have both lived in Dublin during college & in our twenties, but we're not very familiar with suburban neighbourhoods.

Our budget is €550,000 max. For that we'd need a new build or a house that was of a decent enough standard that you could move in and live in it for a few years before needing to invest in improving it. Realistically, we're probably looking at a second hand house for €500k.

Our wish list:
* A safe area with no anti-social behaviour issues.
* A minimum of three bedrooms, four would be brilliant, but we'd sacrifice a bedroom for a better location.
* Near good primary and secondary schools. Educate Together or mixed primary ideally. A good co-ed secondary would be great, but not essential.
* Decent garden (Enough space for the children to play and for us to sit out.)
* Within walking distance of a park/ playground/ the sea
* Within walking distance of good, reliable transport links. Would love to be 45 minutes or less (total journey) from the city.
* Within walking distance of a shop for essentials & a coffee shop. We'll drive to the supermarket etc.

We're working in Citywest and North City Centre, but we both drive and won't have to go in every day, so that's not a huge consideration for us. Somewhere that was commutable from the City Centre, Citywest and Sandyford would be a bonus, but not essential.

There's very little available at the minute and I don't know Dublin well enough to distinguish somewhere that is too far out from somewhere further out but with decent transport links. I've been checking commute times, but don't think I can trust the times I'm getting at the moment, as I'm sure they'll change once more people are back on the road. I'm familiar with the luas lines and dart, but that's it for public transport. I've used the luas red line a bit (near the city) and have seen a few things that would make me want to avoid it, if possible, but maybe it's not so bad further out?

We've two young boys, so want somewhere that they would be safe walking home as teenagers. This is the most important issue for us - somewhere that they'll enjoy growing up, will make good friends and be safe.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated as we're a bit lost: so, where would you buy a family home in Dublin for €550,000?

Nigzcurran

Molina wrote: »

Hi,

We're a family of four moving to Dublin for work reasons. My husband and I have both lived in Dublin during college & in our twenties, but we're not very familiar with suburban neighbourhoods.

Our budget is €550,000 max. For that we'd need a new build or a house that was of a decent enough standard that you could move in and live in it for a few years before needing to invest in improving it. Realistically, we're probably looking at a second hand house for €500k.

Our wish list:
* A safe area with no anti-social behaviour issues.
* A minimum of three bedrooms, four would be brilliant, but we'd sacrifice a bedroom for a better location.
* Near good primary and secondary schools. Educate Together or mixed primary ideally. A good co-ed secondary would be great, but not essential.
* Decent garden (Enough space for the children to play and for us to sit out.)
* Within walking distance of a park/ playground/ the sea
* Within walking distance of good, reliable transport links. Would love to be 45 minutes or less (total journey) from the city.
* Within walking distance of a shop for essentials & a coffee shop. We'll drive to the supermarket etc.

We're working in Citywest and North City Centre, but we both drive and won't have to go in every day, so that's not a huge consideration for us. Somewhere that was commutable from the City Centre, Citywest and Sandyford would be a bonus, but not essential.

There's very little available at the minute and I don't know Dublin well enough to distinguish somewhere that is too far out from somewhere further out but with decent transport links. I've been checking commute times, but don't think I can trust the times I'm getting at the moment, as I'm sure they'll change once more people are back on the road. I'm familiar with the luas lines and dart, but that's it for public transport. I've used the luas red line a bit (near the city) and have seen a few things that would make me want to avoid it, if possible, but maybe it's not so bad further out?

We've two young boys, so want somewhere that they would be safe walking home as teenagers. This is the most important issue for us - somewhere that they'll enjoy growing up, will make good friends and be safe.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated as we're a bit lost: so, where would you buy a family home in Dublin for €550,000?

I know someone who bought a 4 bed new built in Hollywood Rath for under your budget and I reckon it ticks all your boxes, not too sure about public transport up there though to be honest but it’s a great area

Molina

Thanks for suggesting it. I've just done a quick google search of it and it looks very far out. What are the local schools like, do you know? Would that be Blanchardstown?

Orchids

Hiya

Have a look at Ballinteer, Dundrum, Churchtown & Balally areas
luas goes close by
close to m50
Lots of schools, parks, shopping
Have a look at the property price register for those areas to get an idea of prices
I moved to Dundrum - Barton Road side over 20 years ago & thankfully never experienced any anti social behaviour.
Good luck

site_owner

i think the first wave of bay view in baldoyle was 400-500k depending on size and people are moving in now.
they are building next phases now

https://www.bay-view.ie/

eviltwin

Molina wrote: »

Thanks for suggesting it. I've just done a quick google search of it and it looks very far out. What are the local schools like, do you know? Would that be Blanchardstown?

There is a local Catholic and ET primary within walking distance and a Catholic coed secondary school across the road.

The rest of the schools would be a bus/car ride.

Orchids

Orchids wrote: »

Hiya

Have a look at Ballinteer, Dundrum, Churchtown & Balally areas
luas goes close by
close to m50
Lots of schools, parks, shopping
Have a look at the property price register for those areas to get an idea of prices
I moved to Dundrum - Barton Road side over 20 years ago & thankfully never experienced any anti social behaviour.
Good luck

E.g
This sold recently for €500k, good description of the area. Lots of scope to extend too

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/34-beech-lawn-dundrum-dublin-16/4451871

Molina

Thanks Orchids. We really like those areas but think they might be a bit outside our budget. Houses we've seen around there seem to be closer to 600k, or need a lot of work.

Edited: That house in Beech lawn is exactly what we're after. We'll definitely keep an eye on the area.

Malahide?

https://www.daft.ie/property-for-sale/malahide-dublin?salePrice_to=550000

Dublin 7, around the Navan road/Phoenix park areas. Good houses, big gardens, some of them are a little bit older. Some parts of Castleknock also.
I'm not familiar with schools, but there are lots in the area, also town is not far away, and you're right on the M50.

Obviously prices in Dublin atm are a bit mad, but I would expect that to calm down after the summer when supply is better.

Molina

eviltwin wrote: »

There is a local Catholic and ET primary within walking distance and a Catholic coed secondary school across the road.

The rest of the schools would be a bus/car ride.

Thanks eviltwin. What is the general area like? Parks, traffic, shops etc. I've never been to that part of Dublin.

Orchids

Molina wrote: »

Thanks. We really like those areas but think they might be a bit outside our budget. Houses around there seem to be closer to 600k, or need a lot of work. We'll definitely keep an eye on the area though.

Some go for around €500-550k, if I see any, I'll add to this thread!
A lot of elderly residents who bought these houses in the 50s & 60's when they were built are sadly passing on now so more houses are coming on to the market than 20 years ago so I'd definitely contact the local estate agents, you might be lucky!

catrionanic

You could fit almost all of those requirements in some parts of Malahide eg Seabury.

It is right by the sea and Castle, tons to see and do. Great restaurants and pubs. Dart and bus into town within 20-30 mins. Fantastic schools. Generally an affluent area. Really friendly and welcoming place.

Molina

Dana Fierce Ham wrote: »

Malahide?

Malahide is gorgeous. What's the commute to town like?
I took the train there once and it felt like quite a long journey, but I was used to living in the city center at the time, so might not have had a decent perspective.

Any information on some of the estates: Seabury? the Warren? etc...

Molina

Orchids wrote: »

Some go for around €500-550k, if I see any, I'll add to this thread!
A lot of elderly residents who bought these houses in the 50s & 60's when they were built are sadly passing on now so more houses are coming on to the market than 20 years ago so I'd definitely contact the local estate agents, you might be lucky!

Thanks so much! Really appreciate your advice.

eviltwin

Molina wrote: »

Thanks eviltwin. What is the general area like? Parks, traffic, shops etc. I've never been to that part of Dublin.

Traffic is ok, busy in the mornings and evenings because of the schools and nearby industrial estates. The main road is a back road to the motorway so its always busy.

There aren't many shops nearby apart from a Lidl and small Supervalu. There's an Aldi 5 mins away. The Blanchardstown centre is about 15 mins drive away and that has everything.

There is a lovely park beside the secondary school with playgrounds, walks etc.

Beach wise you can get to Dollymount in about half an hour or so, Portmarnock a bit longer.

Molina

catrionanic wrote: »

You could fit almost all of those requirements in some parts of Malahide eg Seabury.

It is right by the sea and Castle, tons to see and do. Great restaurants and pubs. Dart and bus into town within 20-30 mins. Fantastic schools. Generally an affluent area. Really friendly and welcoming place.

That's brilliant. For some reason I had the idea that it was too far out, but we'll definitely look into it.

athlone573

Tempelogue, Terenure, Firhouse are very liveable areas if Ballinteer/Dundrum are out of your budget. Public transport to the city centre might be a bit slow but you'll have that problem most places unless you're on the Dart line. You'll get used to the Red Line shenanigans quick enough!

Peintre Celebre

Would you go out as far as Donabate? It would be one of the few areas I'd live in Dublin. Would get plenty for your money too out there

Molina

site_owner wrote: »

i think the first wave of bay view in baldoyle was 400-500k depending on size and people are moving in now.
they are building next phases now

Thanks for that. What would be the nearest schools?

Molina

athlone573 wrote: »

Tempelogue, Terenure, Firhouse are very liveable areas if Ballinteer/Dundrum are out of your budget. Public transport to the city centre might be a bit slow but you'll have that problem most places unless you're on the Dart line. You'll get used to the Red Line shenanigans quick enough!

:-) I probably would! I had ruled out Tempelogue because i knew a girl living there (near the Spawell) and she was always complaining about how long the bus took. The are itself looks nice.

Terenure is so large I'm not sure where to look and would have the same concerns about transport. Any areas you'd recommend?

Firhouse is too far out, I'd say. I knew a guy from there in college and he was always crashing on someone's couch. Maybe it's improved?

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/22-roselawn-walk-castleknock-dublin-15/4497584

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/7-villa-park-drive-dublin-7-d07-v1y9/4497773

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/1-brompton-lawn-castleknock-dublin-15/4484862

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/17-brompton-lawn-castleknock-dublin-15/4495984

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/14-glendhu-park-navan-road-dublin-7/4494108

It here are well settled areas with lots of services nearby. Some may need a bit of work.

brookers

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/14-brookdene-killiney-co-dublin/4495471

Shankill/Killiney fantastic area, the best in Dublin, near the sea, you can walk to it from Bayview estate. You are near Shankill, Dalkey, the quarry, Killiney Hill, Cabinteely Park, Shanganagh Park, M50, N11, in Wicklow in 30 minutes. Woodbrook College Shankill, secondary that is co ed and no fees, Loreto Dalkey about 4k a year, Newpark, free church of Ireland school but everybody welcome, Rathdown, 8k a year, local primary St. Annes, Wyvern, Dalkey School Project, St Patricks, Rathmichael, Scoil Mhuire, Johnstown primary. Lidls, Aldis, Tesco and Dunnes, great gardening centre called Windyridge, you cant beat the area....https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/65-bayview-drive-killiney-county-dublin/4495356

athlone573

Molina wrote: »

:-) I probably would! I had ruled out Tempelogue because i knew a girl living there (near the Spawell) and she was always complaining about how long the bus took. The are itself looks nice.

Terenure is so large I'm not sure where to look and would have the same concerns about transport. Any areas you'd recommend?

Firhouse is too far out, I'd say. I knew a guy from there in college and he was always crashing on someone's couch. Maybe it's improved?

Not really I don't know the areas well at all

Bayside used to have a bad name but it seems grand now

Greystones has got expensive I think but it's lovely and has a good Dart service

Bayview and brookdene are mad over priced for what they are.
There isn't even a shop within walking distance to get a litre of.milk.
Brookdene is straight across the road from traveller.accommodation, how could ya pay nearly half a million for that!

Molina

bubblypop wrote: »

It here are well settled areas with lots of services nearby. Some may need a bit of work.

I know the Navan Road area a little.
Castleknock is an area that confuses me. It seems to be huge and it's difficult to tell what each part is like, so thanks for adding those. Any parts of Castleknock to avoid or concentrate on?

Some of these areas are very nice but somewhere like Malahide or Donabate would be some trek to Citywest and would involve tolls twice a day if using the car park that is the M50.

I'd look for somewhere a bit more convenient to both work locations, and minimise the tolls to only one user, at least.

Knocklyn, Templeogue, Firhouse or Old Bawn came to my mind - very easy access to Citywest and to the M50 for North City Centre.

On the Tallaght thread, someone mentioned their nephew recently going sale agreed on a 4 bed / 3 bath with converted garage in Old Bawn for €445k.

Molina

Deleted User wrote: »

Some of these areas are very nice but somewhere like Malahide or Donabate would be some trek to Citywest and would involve tolls twice a day if using the car park that is the M50.

I'd look for somewhere a bit more convenient to both work locations, and minimise the tolls to only one user, at least.

Knocklyn, Templeogue, Firhouse or Old Bawn came to my mind - very easy access to Citywest and to the M50 for North City Centre.

On the Tallaght thread, someone mentioned their nephew recently going sale agreed on a 4 bed / 3 bath with converted garage in Old Bawn for €445k.

Thanks Loueze.
Luckily, once he's back in the office, my husband will only have to go in twice a week, so the commute to Citywest isn't as important a consideration for us as the area we live in and the amenities it offers for the other five days and for our children.

I've seen nice houses in Knocklyn, but am not familiar with it as an area. What is transport like to town? Schools? Amenities? Thanks!

Molina

Molina wrote: »

I know the Navan Road area a little.
Castleknock is an area that confuses me. It seems to be huge and it's difficult to tell what each part is like, so thanks for adding those. Any parts of Castleknock to avoid or concentrate on?

I wouldn't say there's any areas to avoid, some are older houses but you get bigger house and garden in that case.
Anything east of the m50, is more expensive anything to the West of the m50 would be cheaper, probably less 'exclusive '
Someone else might help out about schools but I would imagine there's lots of choice.

Molina

brookers wrote: »

Shankill/Killiney fantastic area, the best in Dublin, near the sea, you can walk to it from Bayview estate. You are near Shankill, Dalkey, the quarry, Killiney Hill, Cabinteely Park, Shanganagh Park, M50, N11, in Wicklow in 30 minutes. Woodbrook College Shankill, secondary that is co ed and no fees, Loreto Dalkey about 4k a year, Newpark, free church of Ireland school but everybody welcome, Rathdown, 8k a year, local primary St. Annes, Wyvern, Dalkey School Project, St Patricks, Rathmichael, Scoil Mhuire, Johnstown primary. Lidls, Aldis, Tesco and Dunnes, great gardening centre called Windyridge, you cant beat the area....

Thanks for adding all that. We've seen a house on Churchview Road in Killiney, although it'll probably be over budget (afraid I can't add links). What's the area like for traffic, do you know? Also is Kilbogget Park safe to walk through at night?

Molina

Peintre Celebre wrote: »

Would you go out as far as Donabate? It would be one of the few areas I'd live in Dublin. Would get plenty for your money too out there

I've heard that Donabate will be a nightmare traffic wise in a few years due to overdevelopment and that there's only one road. Do you know anything about that? There are a lot of new builds there within budget.

brookers

bubblypop wrote: »

Bayview and brookdene are mad over priced for what they are.
There isn't even a shop within walking distance to get a litre of.milk.
Brookdene is straight across the road from traveller.accommodation, how could ya pay nearly half a million for that!

Bayview is lovely and so is sea field, gorgeous parts of Dublin, I don't know many people who walk to the shops, we drive to our local supermarket and do a weekly shop and we have a shop around the corner. The coast at the back of Bayview is stunning, I don't know one person living in these areas who isn't delighted to be in one of the most stunning parts of Dublin. People are lovely and friendly and if you have a dog, you get to chat to all of them walking the coast or up the many beautiful vistas like the Vico, sea field road, along by the Dart.

brookers

Molina wrote: »

Thanks for adding all that. We've seen a house on Churchview Road in Killiney, although it'll probably be over budget (afraid I can't add links). What's the area like for traffic, do you know? Also is Kilbogget Park safe to walk through at night?

Churchview would be busy traffic wise but very near supermarket, schools etc, wouldn't be as nice scenic wise as the other side of Killiney, you should take a drive out, Matt Damon loved the area!!!

No wouldn't walk through Kilboget at night, Im not really a park person late at night, no matter where.

brookers

brookers wrote: »

Bayview is lovely and so is sea field, gorgeous parts of Dublin, I don't know many people who walk to the shops, we drive to our local supermarket and do a weekly shop and we have a shop around the corner. The coast at the back of Bayview is stunning, I don't know one person living in these areas who isn't delighted to be in one of the most stunning parts of Dublin. People are lovely and friendly and if you have a dog, you get to chat to all of them walking the coast or up the many beautiful vistas like the Vico, sea field road, along by the Dart.

I know the area very very well. I think Bayview is over priced, sorry that's my opinion.
Basic 3 bed semis, one bathroom and need a car to go to the shop is not worth nearly half a million, imo

Molina

brookers wrote: »

Churchview would be busy traffic wise but very near supermarket, schools etc, wouldn't be as nice scenic wise as the other side of Killiney, you should take a drive out, Matt Damon loved the area!!!

No wouldn't walk through Kilboget at night, Im not really a park person late at night, no matter where.

Thanks. I wouldn't fancy it myself, but it's the route to the bus on the N11

Madeoface

brookers wrote: »

Churchview would be busy traffic wise but very near supermarket, schools etc, wouldn't be as nice scenic wise as the other side of Killiney, you should take a drive out, Matt Damon loved the area!!!

No wouldn't walk through Kilboget at night, Im not really a park person late at night, no matter where.

Johnstown end of the park totally safe. I've been running there for years in the dark.

Can get tasty up towards Tesco end but haven't heard of much except for some dopes on scramblers last year...it's a big park.

House Hunt

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/8-the-drive-st-marnocks-bay-portmarnock-county-dublin/4496496

JustAThought

Commutable from/for Citywest, City Centre and Sandyford - that’s a wide net of traffic you’re casting. Would one of you be sharing a car into town with the other and then be prepared to catch the Luas on to their work and repeat in reverse and add a Dart trip home eg Malahide?

Or will you both be using cars and moving about at different times?

Big difference timewise pre covid between rush hour to the cit and rush hour to citywest or the black hole bottleneck of Sandyford.

Maybe post covid more people will be (not) working from home & less traffic in general? Hard to call.

JustAThought

JustAThought wrote: »

Commutable from/for Citywest, City Centre and Sandyford - that’s a wide net of traffic you’re casting. Would one of you be sharing a car into town with the other and then be prepared to catch the Luas on to their work and repeat in reverse and add a Dart trip home eg Malahide?

Or will you both be using cars and moving about at different times?

Big difference timewise pre covid between rush hour to the cit and rush hour to citywest or the black hole bottleneck of Sandyford.

Maybe post covid more people will be (not) working from home & less traffic in general? Hard to call.

PS sent you a PM.

JustAThought

OP - have you taken into consideration the massive mess that Transport For Ireland is going to make of many roads, idyllic street-scapes and former gardens, and the huge changes in Bus routes they are proposing and were pushing ahead with just prior to the covid lockdown?

Many old busroutes will be dyfumct or not exist anymore, they are taking proper existing functioning routes and will forcing people to change at ‘hubs’ like impoverished peasants and to wait and see if there is space to get on the ‘connecting’ bus when/if it arrives. Old timetables will be binned and functioning direct routes chopped into two or three ‘hub’ journeys - making bus commuting a nightmare for many. Do your research well and dig deep. Some parts of many streets ate going to be dug up to make QBC’s and mature trees felled and gardens CPO’d to become basically a busy noisy road right outside your bedroom window.

Buyer beware.

And NOtHING set yet - just a lode of plans and colour codes and unintelligibe consultations and lobbying and ideas based on some american utopian dream and perfect weather where it never rains and busses come on time and developers arn’t allowed built two thousand ‘units’ with no parking for social housing right outside your busstop - no planning consultation needed for ‘strategic’ reasons.

I’d +1 for Malahide for ALL the obvious reasons - and especially if this covid lockdown resurfaces or we have another wave of variants and lockdowns like the UK/France/Spain/Brazil/India etc. Where you are going to be restricted has shown to be really important in the oast 2 years - especially for kids/ teenagers.


I wouldn’t Ballinteer or Tallaght/Firhouse/Old Bawn etc. And large parts of Castleknock simply arn’t - like Shankhill and Killiney.

I’d also only buy a second hand house for obvious reasons - avoid like the plague new developments, and so called ‘managed estates’ with management agencies. Nightmare - as evidenced by many threads here.

Molina

Molina wrote: »

Thanks for suggesting it. I've just done a quick google search of it and it looks very far out. What are the local schools like, do you know? Would that be Blanchardstown?

HoolywoodRath is a nice estate. A friend of mine lives there. His wife and himself work close by though and it is far out.

I’d buy in some housing estate in Howth for that money. That said the houses are oldish and ex council.

JustAThought

[Deleted User] wrote: »

HoolywoodRath is a nice estate. A friend of mine lives there. His wife and himself work close by though and it is far out.

I’d buy in some housing estate in Howth for that money. That said the houses are oldish and ex council.

‘Only’ the council estates - and they’re not ex. And they’re mostly super-tiny and still occupied by the original tenants or their families.

A middle class area in Howth would cost frightening money.

JustAThought

OP where have you both been living since college and until now? Abroad entirely?

Cienciano

Something like this:

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/semi-detached-house-66-ballinteer-crescent-ballinteer-dublin-16/3205196

Slightly under budget to tidy it up. Nice big back garden, converted attic, nice location beside a big green and walking distance to shops and a pub and close to the M50.

Definitely needs decorating! But it's essentially a 4 bed and there's no photo of the converted garage, it might be a a granny flat. Which you could rent out for €10k a month at current rates if it was

willbur

Nigzcurran wrote: »

I know someone who bought a 4 bed new built in Hollywood Rath for under your budget and I reckon it ticks all your boxes, not too sure about public transport up there though to be honest but it’s a great area

Sorry for jumping in on this maybe you can put me in the right location for my opinion , which is before it get to a situation where there are no places within a 30 kilometer range of Dublin , to buy a new house , because this stupid government are letting vulture funds , pension funds , and hedge funds from outside this country to buy every house been built , can you imagine a time where instead of your kids being able to buy they will only find rental properties everywhere in Dublin

Kalimah

What about Knocklyon? Good schools and shops, transport good too. Very settled area with no social issues at all. I think it’s within your budget too!

bilbot79

Next phase of St Marnocks Bay, Portmarnock

jayjay2010

OP have a look in Harolds Cross, lovely safe residential area with a village feel, even though it's so close to the city & a bunch of amenities nearby. The park is small but really nice full of families & dog walkers. Quieter than Rathmines but that's probably a good thing for families.

Might be slightly out of your price range but a few bargains pop up now and then! There are new builds called Greenmount Court that are nearly finished so should be coming up for sale soon, price still showing as POA but I suspect that they might fall within the upper end of your budget.

https://www.daft.ie/new-home-for-sale/greenmount-court-hx-harolds-cross-dublin-6/3179404

Marcusm

brookers wrote: »

Churchview would be busy traffic wise but very near supermarket, schools etc, wouldn't be as nice scenic wise as the other side of Killiney, you should take a drive out, Matt Damon loved the area!!!

No wouldn't walk through Kilboget at night, Im not really a park person late at night, no matter where.

Churchview Road is not n Killiney, it’s the other side of Ballybtack shopping centre from Killiney and Matt Damon like Dalkey not Killiney. None of this should really matter in the choice of homes but let’s get the areas right.

If the OP thinks Terenure is potentially too far from town (it’s walkable) then Malahide (which would be ideal in so many ways) is at least 3 times further.

Molina

JustAThought wrote: »

Commutable from/for Citywest, City Centre and Sandyford - that’s a wide net of traffic you’re casting. Would one of you be sharing a car into town with the other and then be prepared to catch the Luas on to their work and repeat in reverse and add a Dart trip home eg Malahide?

Or will you both be using cars and moving about at different times?

Big difference timewise pre covid between rush hour to the cit and rush hour to citywest or the black hole bottleneck of Sandyford.

Maybe post covid more people will be (not) working from home & less traffic in general? Hard to call.

We’ll both be driving separately, so won’t need to travel together. I’d like the option to take public transport into the city instead of driving, husband would prefer to drive even if it took longer - he loves the car. We won’t need to travel every day. I mentioned Sandyford as many companies in his line of work are based there, so commuting there could be a necessity in the future, but not now.

Molina

JustAThought wrote: »

OP - have you taken into consideration the massive mess that Transport For Ireland is going to make of many roads, idyllic street-scapes and former gardens, and the huge changes in Bus routes they are proposing and were pushing ahead with just prior to the covid lockdown?

Many old busroutes will be dyfumct or not exist anymore, they are taking proper existing functioning routes and will forcing people to change at ‘hubs’ like impoverished peasants and to wait and see if there is space to get on the ‘connecting’ bus when/if it arrives. Old timetables will be binned and functioning direct routes chopped into two or three ‘hub’ journeys - making bus commuting a nightmare for many. Do your research well and dig deep. Some parts of many streets ate going to be dug up to make QBC’s and mature trees felled and gardens CPO’d to become basically a busy noisy road right outside your bedroom window.

Buyer beware.

And NOtHING set yet - just a lode of plans and colour codes and unintelligibe consultations and lobbying and ideas based on some american utopian dream and perfect weather where it never rains and busses come on time and developers arn’t allowed built two thousand ‘units’ with no parking for social housing right outside your busstop - no planning consultation needed for ‘strategic’ reasons.

I’d +1 for Malahide for ALL the obvious reasons - and especially if this covid lockdown resurfaces or we have another wave of variants and lockdowns like the UK/France/Spain/Brazil/India etc. Where you are going to be restricted has shown to be really important in the oast 2 years - especially for kids/ teenagers.


I wouldn’t Ballinteer or Tallaght/Firhouse/Old Bawn etc. And large parts of Castleknock simply arn’t - like Shankhill and Killiney.

I’d also only buy a second hand house for obvious reasons - avoid like the plague new developments, and so called ‘managed estates’ with management agencies. Nightmare - as evidenced by many threads here.

Lots of food for thought. We’re definitely looking at Malahide. Do you mind if I ask why you wouldn’t advise Ballinteer? It looks like a good option on paper ... Marlay Park, close to M50, reasonable distance to luas & ETNS, but I’m not overly familiar with it.