Ratoath

Movinghousenow

Hi,

I'm actively looking at moving to Ratoath and just wondering what is it like to live in.

I noticed lots of cameras at the entrance to Brownstown estate, if someone could shed some light on that please?

Also any comments on traffic, water (I've seen that appears to be an issue on fb) antisocial behaviour etc would be much appreciated.

Also the good and positives too please. Any thoughts on the schools

Thanks so much

beetlebailey

I've been living in Ratoath since 2004 and haven't seen any positive improvements since then. I hope to move closer to Dublin in a fews years when the kids are grown and sorted.

There is an issue with water, atleast once a month there's a burst pipe or some sort of maintenance being done and with more and more housing estates being built it can only put a further strain on supply. Also you will need to install some sort of water softening equipment.

I believe public transport is a disaster with buses continuously running late or not showing up at all.

Plenty of anti social behaviour, unusual stuff poor teenagers with nothing to do etc... Notice board always has some story . The fact that we have no Garda station ,Ashbourne being the nearest probably has something to do with it.

Only two pubs to choose from, one I wouldn't set foot in and the other is small so always packed. Plenty of hairdressers. Chippers and pharmacies, not sure what that says about the place.

No public park, heavy congestion morning and evening, no external ATMs so can't access them once shops close. This is because they kept getting ripped out of the wall.

Can't think of any real positives, would imagine Ashbourne or dunshauglin would have more to offer.

Plus theres a good proportion of locals seem to think ratoath has a D4 postcode.

This is it

I moved away 3 years ago but grew up in Ratoath and spent 30 odd years there.

There are definitely issues. Water is a big one but they're currently laying a new line so you'd hope that'll go some way to fixing the constant interruptions in supply. I'm not on Facebook now but it seemed to be a weekly occurrence at one stage.

I still have a lot of family and friends living in Ratoath, some mention antisocial behaviour but I don't think it's any worse than the likes of Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, etc.

Brownstown is a small estate with large houses, the cameras could be private security? I've not seen them to be honest but I'll be in the area tomorrow I'll take a look.

Traffic in the morning and evening, especially going out and coming in the Ashbourne side is an absolute nightmare. There can be queues 30-45 minutes going back as far as the garden centre on the Raystown Rd. Badly need to open that bypass to Fairyhouse Rd to alleviate some of it.

I can't comment on public transport these days but it was always a nightmare when I used it, and when they joined the Ratoath - Dublin City bus with Ashbourne it made it much worse. Getting a bus from Dublin City to Ratoath can be a lottery with the amount of people trying to get it, and the amount of no show buses.

As above, no real choice for a few pints. The Ratoath Inn is awful, really awful. The Auld Stand is decent but small. Lack of choice for decent food too. No pub grub.

One positive is all the clubs they have like Tennis, football, GAA, Rugby, Scouts, Basketball, Taekwondo, etc, hopefully someone else will be along to point out some others!

I love Ratoath, but it's because I'm from there. I was happy to move away and if I had a choice between Ratoath or Ashbourne, it'd be Ashbourne all day long. It can be a mess traffic wise but has so much more to offer. Cinema, play centre and other bits at the retail park. Hotels. A few decent dining options. The new main street with more shops. Decent Tesco, Dunne's, SuperValu, Aldi, Lidl, etc. Decent playground

Movinghousenow

Thanks for that feedback really appreciate it

Movinghousenow

Thanks for the feedback