A Move from Swords Village to Ballyboughal Village

BrentonS

Hi, We are a family with 3 young kids and mulling over a move from Swords Village (right in to the middle of the village on Oaklands Avenue) out to Ballyboughal. We will keep the 2 boys in primary school in Swords for the moment (1st class and Jnr infants). What are the pros and cons I should be weighing up? Particularly interested in hearing from similar people who might have moved out to Ballyboughal in the recent past and Ballyboughal residents in particular in regards to the village life, transport, things to do, things to watch out for, broadband, future plans for the village, airport noise etc etc

Any comments much appreciated.

Regards

B

the_amazing_raisin

I don't live there but I've driven through it a few times, so here's my take

Pros

Country living while still close to Swords

Possibly a good deal on housing, could upgrade to a bigger house

Petrol station and shop in town

Reasonably close to M1, I think you can go directly to it without going through Swords

Excellent play centre for kids (bounce and beyond)

Cons

Country living, not much around you

There seems to be a lot of traffic going through the town, I've seen traffic jams going both ways through the main street

Some of the roads out that way aren't fun in the dark

Aircraft noise from overflying planes

The Davestator

I have a friend who lives just outside of Swords and his biggest issue is the amount of driving he has to do. Everything the kids do requires a lift there and back. If he was in Swords, his kids would be able to walk themselves / get a bus / car pool but none of that is an option. Was ok when kids were small, but now that they are seeing their friends, going to cinema, sports etc, its a disaster

shesty

Sibling lives in Ballyboughal.

Biggest challenge is actually communting.They have kids, both work, although not 5 days a week in town.It's tricky.She used to drive to Airside, catch the Swords Express, but then parking round Swords got harder.She changed to driving to Lusk, catching the 33X or the train then.Not much better.Still has to leave the house 25 mins ahead of the time that the bus/train leaves.She has small kids and I suspect the commuting struggle is the hardest part of living there.

It's a nice village, it has been over-developed lately (not unusual for the area).The school seems fine, but every single thing has to be driven to.The kids do GAA but that is all they can do in the village.Everything else is Swords-based or elsewhere.Broadband seems fine, but she has found there are also more power cuts than the norm there too.

It's not a bad place to live but if you are commuting, I'd think twice about moving there.

mrslancaster

Niece and her husband grew up in swords, bought a fine new house in ballyboughal but can't wait to move back to swords, hopefully before their baby and toddler are school age. As others said, driving everywhere is a big issue and it's a village so limited in terms of public transport, restaurants, shops etc. Rural doesn't suit everyone.

shoegirl

One of the physiotherapists on the Main St moved there years ago when she got married. Everything is great except transport - its driving everywhere. Became difficult once the kids grew into young adults, but now they are able to buy their own cars & drive themselves. Quality of life good otherwise, but you would be very, very car dependent, and double hit every time increased restrictions come into place on private cars as you don't have other options.

SharkMX

I do some work there the odd day. Aircraft noise is LOUD for the last year or so.

You would definitely need a car if you lived there.

But it is a lovely village and seems to be growing.

easygoing39

Friend of mine lives there,moved from Baldoyle.Its nice,but as other's have said ,you have to drive everywhere.It has no pub or resturant,no supermarket,but it has a petrol station that's always 3 cent per litre dearer than the nearest stations in Swords,and inside the station is a Mace,which as we all know are handy but more expensive that a supermarket.Only sports club is the GAA club,so again you have to drive if you partake in other sports.But it's a great place if you like to cycle,the roads are full of cyclist out getting fit.You'll spend alot of time driving to either Swords or Balbriggan for everything.

bettyboo72

Hi all,late to this thread but also thinking of moving there from Swords which is a bit too busy for me. Wondering if anyone lives in the Cnoc Dubh area in the village and has any feedback on what its like. I wfh so commute is not a issue.