What's it like living in Drogheda with a young family?

M2023

Considering a move to Drogheda. Will need to relocate primary school kids to school. Is it a nice place to live? Is the town rough? Currently in Letterkenny and it is quite a dive really.

Lord TSC

Some areas of town are nice. Some areas are disasters. I'd imagine, like most towns, it would depend heavily on where you're looking at and what budget you have. There's a spectrum of schools, of hangouts, of people, really.

whatawaster

On the whole, it’s a nice town to live in.

There are rough elements which day to day most people will never encounter.

Traffic is a nightmare, and there are definitely areas to avoid (Moneymore and Rathmullen probably have the worst reputations). There are nice houses and estates on the Dublin Rd, North Rd, Termonfeckin Rd and Ballymakenny Rd. I’d start there. The Dublin Rd probably the most expensive of them all but arguably the nicest area.

There is never a shortage of things to do with kids:

Clogherhead/Termonfeckin/Bettystown beaches

Oldbridge House

Newgrange Farm

Townley Hall Woods

Playgrounds

etc

And lots of shops, restaurants, coffee shops etc

IMO proximity to the M1, airport and Dublin are major plusses. Excellent transport links to Dublin also

biggest negatives for me are the traffic as previously mentioned and the derelict buildings in the town, none of which are unique to Drogheda unfortunately

gipi

School places can be at a premium, in most schools in the town.

Finding a GP to take you and the family on is difficult too.

Traffic, as another poster mentioned, can be dire at times - crossing town (about 2 miles or so from one side to the other) can take up to 30 minutes at busy times.

Generally,like most towns, most areas are fine to live in, there are just a few that have a bad name due to a few bad eggs.

M2023

That's really helpful. Thank you all so much for taking the time to answer.

M2023

I was looking around the Grangerath area. They seem like nice houses and near a new looking gael scoil. Looks like they are building more new houses nearby.

gipi

There's an entire new "village" being built in that area (between Grange Rath, Mornington and Donacarney). Grange Rath itself looks like a nice estate (I've visited many times). Check the management fees and management company details if you're considering a move there.

delly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084973#Comment_120084973

I'm in Grange Rath and also had a kid go through the Gael Scoil. It's a good place to live and there are even more school options if you need it. Prices within the estate tend to be slightly cheaper than other Dublin Road estates due to the higher supply resulting in some competitive pricing.

I think everyone else covered what Drogheda is like, but the ease of getting to Dublin and the M50 is also another big draw, I can be at the airport in 20 minutes.

Feel free to ask anything more specific. 

positron

Louth/Meath is no match the beauty of Donegal/Inishowen general area. But you are closer to Spain etc (20-25 mins to airport).

Derry nicer and closer to Letterkenny than Newry is to Drogheda. But you have Dublin and Belfast near Drogheda.

Drogheda town centre unfortunately isn't all that great. Playground facilities especially are poor. There are couple of (really) nice beaches. There's Oldbridge estate and Townley Hall forest. Cinema, shopping, restaurants are all decent for the size of the town. Largest hospital in the region is right in here town - even if it's really overcrowded.

whippet

the outlying areas of Drogheda can be really nice. I moved out to the termonfeckin area about 10 years ago from Dublin and am forever grateful that we took the chance.

Drogheda is just another large town - has all the essentials but lacks a little bit of charm and has a bit too much dereliction where there shouldn't be.

Padre_Pio

Drogheda town isn't great.

There's not a lot for such a big population. It's a dormitory town for people to commute to Dublin. The main street is pound shops and Penneys the last time I was there. The shopping centres were half empty.

Pick somewhere that suits you for work/schools rather than trying to get near the town centre. The retail parks have plenty in them. Pavillions is only 20 mins up the road. Beaches are nice. There's plenty of nice places for walks, like Oldbridge, Mellifont, Townley Hall. The villages north of Drogheda are lovely, Termonfeckon and Clogherhead especially. Places on the south like Bettystown and Laytown are very busy. A lot of estates were built during the boom.

I'd find somewhere close to the M1 and out of the town. Then you can go anywhere in a matter of minutes.

positron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120156244#Comment_120156244

I agree in general - Laytown, Bettystown, Morningtown, Clogherhead, Annagassan etc are all rather nice. But I would still say they are not a patch on the dozens of pristine beaches of Donegal / Innishowen area. Entirely different vibe too.

whippet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120161506#Comment_120161506

I'd agree but getting to the office in Dublin a couple of times a week is a little tricker if you are living in Donegal

personally I'd prefer the coast in west cork / Kerry to Louth myself but not an option

M2023

Thank you all so much for taking the time to post. After lots of consideration and a visit to Drogheda I've decided to stay put in Donegal. Drogheda has lots of positives and better job opportunities but the quiet Donegal lifestyle trumped the dollar. Thanks again all.