Donabate vs Swords

randomInternetPerson

We are a small family with a child going to daycare and two dogs, currently living in Balbriggan. We are planning to sell our house and move nearer to the city for easy commute (both are in IT - hybrid working). Right now we have creche at our doorstep and the school is also very near. There is good community feel as well. Only issue is distance. We are considering either in Donabate (Semple Woods) or in Swrods (Mooretown). Which would be the better option?

herbalplants

@DownByTheGarden could answer

T-Maxx

Surely a key factor is the commute- figure that out in both instances and take it from there.

the_amazing_raisin

Well this thread is at risk of turning into a "live here, don't live there" thread, but I'll do my best to answer

Disclaimer, I live in Sowrds but not close to Mooretown. I haven't lived in Donabate but I've been to and through it a good few times

Swords, Mooretown area:

Pros:

-New build estate, houses seem decent quality

-Millers Glen has a big Centra at the estate entrance now, I think there's a few other shops now too

-There's apparently an excellent playground in the area

-There's a school and community centre just down the road and they're both lovely modern buildings. Pretty sure there's also a digital working hub nearby if that's of any use

-Gym nearby with a swimming pool (Gym+)

-No offense to anyone in Donate but there's probably more of a nightlife in Swords

Cons:

-It's right on the edge of Swords, pretty difficult to walk home from pubs or restaurants on main street

-Public transport can be a bit spotty, I'm pretty sure none of the bus routes go out that far

-Houses in Miller's Glen were a bit small even by modern standards, Mooretown might be better

-If I remember correctly, that end of Swords is in the Oldtown medical center district, so if you need a Public Health Nurse you need to travel a bit

Donabate:

Pros:

-Near enough to the seaside, Donabate beach and cliff walk to Portrane are both very nice for walks

-Newbridge House has an excellent playground and great walks. Paths are paved so easy with a buggy

-The Fingal Coastal Greenway will be passing through there

-Train line to Dublin, although depending on where you are it could be some distance to the station

Cons:

-It's definitely a bit smaller than Swords, not as much variety of things to do

-Only one supermarket

-Town is growing rapidly and I'm not sure that public amenities are growing as fast. Things like schools and childcare could be badly oversubscribed

-The roads in and out are a bit rubbish until you get to the R132

-Slightly bizarre one, but Donabate is a lot closer to sea level and would be more vulnerable to flooding due to climate change. On the flip side, the walk to the seaside will get shorter

randomInternetPerson

Thank you for the detailed answer. Will consider all the points

randomInternetPerson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121190260#Comment_121190260

That's very important factor. If someone living/lived in those places could comment on the travel time during peak hours, that would help is a lot!!

tscul32

Have you considered other parts of swords? I live on the malahide side. Can walk to malahide in 40 mins, I'm 15 mins from malahide estuary and 10 mins from the pavilions shopping centre and main St, all walking, but it would take closer to an hour to walk to mooretown. Very close to the M1 so a commute to the city is no big deal.

Donabate is lovely too and I know a few people who love living there.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191788#Comment_121191788

How are you planning to travel? And where roughly are you going?

From Swords your options (besides driving, which sucks) are bus or bike

Cycling is probably easiest if you're up for it and you have access to changing facilities in work

As for the bus, there's the Swords Express or the 41 bus

Swords Express is generally quicker because it goes through the tunnel, but it can be very busy

The 41 is cheaper, and runs through the night. Unfortunately the ratio of drunks and crackheads to regular people isn't great

As for Donabate, the train is good, although it takes a while and when something goes wrong it tends to be a bit catastrophic

There's also the 33 bus and I think the Fingal Express bus goes through there as well

SharkMX

My girfriend lives in Donabate. So I stay there quite a lot. I live in Swords.

Its a very nice place to live. Commuting into work from Donabate is a nightmare. Swords is great for commuting almost anywhere. Donabate has the train which makes a huge difference if you are on a train line. But trains are getting more like packed sardine cans with every day that passes since people are starting to go back to the office.

They are very different towns depending on your lifestyle tbh. Both excellent places to live imho. Just depends what kind of life you lead as to which suits better.

Elessar

I've lived in both places. Lived in Swords most of my life so maybe I'm a bit biased but it's a great town, 30mins to the city and regular buses with the swords express and 41/c/x. Many areas very settled though I don't know around the Millers Glen area, nice houses though. Expect schools to be oversubscribed. But as a town it has everything, and the Pavilions is a great centre spot. Lots of pubs/clubs/restaurants etc. An excellent place for a family, not too far from the city and but not too close either. Getting busier every year as it's still a, relatively, affordable place in Dublin. The MetroLink (once it gets built) will open up even more tracts of land for housing and it will continue to thrive, but will be much busier.

Donabate is a lovely little town - very little in terms of shops/restaurants and tiny in comparison to swords, but that was part of the charm for me. Right on the coast with great beaches and walkways, and the Greenway getting built next year. Newbridge house and gardens is a lovely amenity too. I can't comment on schools but expect them to be oversubscribed too I expect. Only one road really out of the peninsula if you're heading to the city and traffic can be mental. I lived there pre-pandemic though and getting out early was best as I missed the worst of it. The train is very handy for getting to central Dublin if you're close enough to it. There is a plan to extend the dart out that way over the next few years too so that will be a big help. LOTS of housing going up, which is great, but it will get even busier as a result and don't forget you also have people in Portrane entering and exiting via Donabate which adds to traffic. Fingal CC seem to be dumping social housing en mass into Donabate too which would be a worry. Also as another poster mentioned a lot of the new building towards the coast could end up underwater due to rising sea levels - I remember seeing a projection which would have most of that area underwater in only a few decades. But overall a great little town at least when I was there.

You couldn't go wrong with either IMO but with all things equal I would choose Swords every time.

Calahonda52

Re this

We are a small family with a child going to daycare and two dogs, currently living in Balbriggan. We are planning to sell our house and move nearer to the city for easy commute

have you done the math on the time saving in the commute, door to door?

A lot depends on the travel modes, from door to door

Then look at the cost of uprooting, sales cost, increased debt I presume etc etc.

..

If you can make donabate work I would do it, as noted Moores town is boondocks, semple wood is on the right side of the railway bridge which is a nightmare at rush hour/school run etc.

also closer to newbridge house, might be less multicultural than Swords and certainly than bbriggan

billyhead

Donabate is nicer. You have golf courses, lovely walks, the beaches. The only problem is traffic.

Tropheus

Living in Donabate for the past 27 years. I really like it and it still has a village feel. As others have alluded to, there are concerns around the number of houses planned and the lack of infrastructure. There is really only one road in and out and it's getting busier. The distributor road that bypassed the village should have been continued right up to the M1 as was originally planned. However, it stops before the main entrance to Newbridge house. Busy summer weekend days with traffic heading to Newbridge House and the beach are a foretaste of what we can expect every day in a few years time. All that's needed is an accident on the Hearse Road at peak time and nobody will get in our out. There is also Turvey Avenue, but really only of use if you're heading north.

We are supposed to get the Dart in the next few years which will help with train capacity. Trains are crammed before they get to Donabate during peak times. I'll believe it when I see it as the future Dart extension was a selling point when we bought our house back in 1997.

Swords is defintely handier in terms of commute. There's only one bus from Donabate and it terminates in Swords. We did have an express bus service which ran twice in the morning and evening. However, there wan't much demand and it ceased during the pandemic. Maybe the increase in population will bring it back again.