Can Swords have nice things?

billyhead · 26-05-2025 07:06PM

Transport infrastructure is on its knees all across NCD. It's the same for people living in Rush and Lusk. Traffic backed up. More and more houses been build.

The Davestator · 26-05-2025 09:26PM

There is a lot of work going on with Ushers woods up to Knocksedan bridge. Although, I have mixed feelings about it it will be a fantastic amenity. Pity all the non native trees had to be removed, but probably correct in the long term.

the_amazing_raisin · 26-05-2025 10:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123488056#Comment_123488056

Absolutely true, we need the Metro North as well as rail or light rail out west to Blanch and Lucan or even further

One of my biggest frustrations is that the greatest ambitions of the government and councils would largely be out of date if delivered tomorrow

I can't imagine what they'll be like in 10-20 years or even longer when they get delivered. Assuming they get delivered at all

In the meantime the best answer anyone can come up with is more buses, and while the intention is good they're just shoving more traffic into a city that can't handle it

Ironically I think one way you could dramatically improve public transport would be to encourage remote work to reduce the load at peak times

I don't see that being successful though, companies seem obsessed with dragging people into the office so satisfy the over-inflated ego of middle management

the_amazing_raisin · 26-05-2025 10:52PM

Since this is turning into the general public transport complaints thread, I'll try to get back on topic

I was walking down main street yesterday evening and it vexes me

Not exactly the most serious issue, but the clashing styles of paving slabs really annoys me

Most of the street is those standard square slabs but there's patches of different slabs everywhere and loads of bits that are just tarmac

It one of those looks that screams "budget repair" all over

The pavement also has more lumps than a mountain range, but for some bizarre reason the road is much smoother.

Odd that the 2 tonne chelsea tractors can't tolerate a few bumps but the people with legs are expected to suffer

I wonder if something can be done without destroying the tree roots, since they're the cause of most of the bumps.

Can you build a sort of pedastal/planter box around the trunk and smooth it out elsewhere?

Just a curiosity of mine, I won't be grabbing the pickaxe and shovel to do some pavment repair by night 😂

Or will I....

Rocket_GD · 27-05-2025 11:22AM

Recently bought a house in Swords and we love the area. Don't spend too much time on main st though, apart from the odd weekend when we've gone out for some dinner and a drink and there's pretty much endless choice.

Having Newbridge House and gardens within a 10 min drive is ideal. The new playground, 5 a side pitches in place down the back of Miller's Glen is lovely and never really busy (so far, I'm sure that'll change when the estate is finished).

We have pretty much everything we want and need all under 10 min drive around us.

I'd love if there was a better Dublin Bus to the city centre as the Swords express is pretty much my only option unless I want to tour the Northside for an hour and a half, but in 6 months that's been my only complaint of the area.

T-Maxx · 27-05-2025 01:52PM

The correct thing to do is to rip out those awful trees and replace them with proper engineered tree pits and suitable new trees. The tarmac is really a cheap quick fix as you've said.

SVI40 · 28-05-2025 06:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123490414#Comment_123490414

You need to plant trees were the roots grow down, not across.

magicbastarder · 28-05-2025 07:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489764#Comment_123489764

I wouldn't say newbridge house is 'local' to swords - it's 5km from main Street and is not somewhere you'd walk to, or cycle to, unless you're an experienced cyclist.

Rocket_GD · 28-05-2025 09:17AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123492327#Comment_123492327

It's a 6 min drive from my house in Swords, I'd consider that local considering my closest local secondary school when I was younger was 15km from the village I lived in.

Swords isn't just the main street, there's a lot more to the place.

the_amazing_raisin · 28-05-2025 09:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489764#Comment_123489764

I love it here too, I like having a lot of amenities close by

I do feel the town got skipped over for a bunch of stuff like the new greenway, which is a bit silly considering how populous the town is

I'm also not a great fan of the restaurants on main street. A lot of them are fairly middle of the road quality wise, which would be fine if the price reflected that. However they seem to be aiming for high street prices and Nando's level of quality

It's a great place to live overall, it could just be improved a lot in some easy enough ways

the_amazing_raisin · 28-05-2025 09:42AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123492518#Comment_123492518

It is more than main street, but at the same time a bit more effort into main street would really give the town a nice center to it instead of a traffic jam

As I said a few fairly simple things like closing it off to traffic at weekends would go a long way IMO. The town already has a built in bypass with the R132

There's other stuff like resurfacing a lot of the pavements that would make life a lot better for pedestrians and cyclists and make it a town that you don't feel the need to drive everywhere

In the scheme of things those would be relatively cheap

plodder · 28-05-2025 10:51PM

Not certain of this, but I think the apartment development currently going into the Lord Mayor's site includes public access to the River Valley park. If that works out it will really open up the park to the town centre. It's actually a really lovely park and the nicest part of it is so close to the town centre. It could also be a great cycling/pedestrian link from the Manor and River Valley to the town.

the_amazing_raisin · 29-05-2025 09:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495066#Comment_123495066

That would be great

I took a look at the planning application and there was a chunk of land to be taken over by the council which seems to have a path on it

It would certainly make getting to main street a bit easier from River Valley by foot or bike. The paths on Brackenstown road aren't great and there's no cycle paths

pinkypinky · 31-05-2025 06:16PM

Fixing the paths has been badly needed for well over a decade. I gather it is in the plan for when they finish the new cultural building behind the courthouse.

If I was the council, my Swords plan would also include:

Take the car park on Forster Way in charge again

Reopen Seatown Road - the builders are barely doing any cross road usage and the knock-on effect to traffic is immense

Express Dublin Bus from Swords Main St to the DART in Malahide

Try to encourage an off-licence to open on Main St - there's nothing dedicated except in Applewood.

Signage to highlight ways into the valley and routes to walk in there

Lighting in Balheary Park & some benches

Salvation Tambourine · 04-06-2025 09:12AM

The 41x is a great bus service. I'm near Swords Manor and it gets me to the convention centre in about 30 minutes in the morning. More 41x services throughout the day would be great.

For such a big town there are a lot of services missing. Although it feels like most things you need are 15-20 minutes drive away so it's not too bad.

magicbastarder · 05-06-2025 05:36AM

https://www.irishtimes.com/food/restaurants/review/2025/06/05/the-brooklyn-swords-review-one-star-for-the-worst-chicken-burger-ive-ever-tasted/

A one star review.

Rocket_GD · 05-06-2025 09:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516180#Comment_123516180

Read that this morning, madness that they spent 2.5m on the place. The OH wanted to go around some evening, hopefully this review will get me out of that.

Jasper79 · 05-06-2025 09:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516493#Comment_123516493

I ate there last weekend, can't read the article but didnt' think it was too bad. The makeover inside is a good improvement. Wasn't mad on the menu , but wife had Steak which was lovely. I had the pasta which was nice but not a whole lot of chicken in it. Place was pretty much full when we got there at 9 .

Sleepy · 05-06-2025 10:04AM

It's not just Swords, out on the Donabate/Portrane peninsula we're facing what is, IMO, the same issue: far too many new homes being built without the corresponding infrastructure. With a population approaching 20k we're still relying on Swords Garda station for policing, utilities outages are practically a weekly event, schoolkids are having to commute to Balbriggan because the local schools are over capacity, the Doctor's clinic aren't accepting any more new patients, Public Transport cannot be relied upon to commute to work and the traffic situation seems to deteriorate by the week (no doubt in no small part due to the privatisation of the 33b).

It's a planning failure and not entirely one of Fingal County Council's making some of these huge housing estates are bypassing their planning department and are being approved by An Bord Pleanala (often in contravention of the counci's Local Development Plan).

We need much stronger local representation across Fingal imo: local services and amenities need to be put in place in advance of, or at the very least in tandem with, new housing development.

(As if to prove my earlier point, the power has just cut out and I'm now trying to WFH on laptop battery and mobile hotspot. 🤬)

Tombo2001 · 05-06-2025 10:18AM

On the metro North - what the hell is going on there. Its nearly 10 years since we saw a big kerfuffle over plans for stops in Glasnevin and so on, community feedback events being set up in DCU - what have they been doing since. Honestly, its a 50 year project at the rate we are going.

On cycling, Swords is actually not that far from the city, but the cycle in to town is horrendous - one of the worst routes to take in the city. Especially the stretch between Swords and the airport.

the_amazing_raisin · 05-06-2025 10:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516180#Comment_123516180

Paywalled, any chance you could copy the article? Although I think the 1 star and headline probably tells us everything we need to know

This is kind of my point, there's plenty of okay to good restaurants in Swords but not any really good ones. K67 and the Arch are both pretty good and I think the Old Schoolhouse gets some good reviews, not much else though

However if I was headed out for dinner with the missus we'd probably go to Malahide for a better meal at similar prices

On the other hand, one thing I really like about Swords is that there's a bunch of multi-cultural restaurants around. It's nice to have more than the typical menu of burger and chips or steak and chips or chicken and pasta

Rocket_GD · 05-06-2025 10:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516699#Comment_123516699

Article below;

Walk into The Brooklyn and the vibe hits immediately – all thump, gloss and security detail. Three suited bouncers check bookings – because nothing says “gastro bar” like nightclub security at 6.15pm on a Friday evening.

This is the latest dinner booking we can get at the new 160-seater in Swords, Co Dublin, and the place is already operating at full volume.

It’s a €2.5 million fit-out by O’Donnell + O’Neill – known for polished interiors such as The Leinster and Sophie’s Rooftop Restaurant at The Dean, both in Dublin. This one aims for Brooklyn chic but lands somewhere between cocktail lounge and influencer backdrop: pineapple lamps, considered mismatched furnishings, salvaged brick and reclaimed timber. Dramatically lit big-brand bottles – Beefeater, Bombay – perch on glass shelves aiming for niche and premium but not quite hitting the note.

Mod - don't post the entirety of articles. This is a copyright issue.

the_amazing_raisin · 05-06-2025 10:49AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516638#Comment_123516638

I heard before that it was first proposed in the 1960s so it's already a 60 year project

An earlier post said it's with ABP so it'll sitr there for a year or two at least and then there'll be a whole bunch of court cases that'll delay it further

Just another example of why our planning system can't support large infrastructure projects. I'm generally in favour of democratic planning processes but it's possible to be a bit too permissive. Planners might be better off accepting that someone is likely to be pissed off and roll from there

In any case, it won't be happening anytime soon. My kids are in primary school at the moment and if they're able to take the Metro to college I'll be astounded at how quick it got built

the_amazing_raisin · 05-06-2025 10:59AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516595#Comment_123516595

There seems to be this idea that promised=delivered in both local and government authorities

Donabate is definitely a village that is quickly growing into a town but is outstripping the development of local services

Councils will say that there's another school planned and it'll be built at some point so problem solved

This is skipping the fact that "at some point" could be around the time the kids who need that school are filling out their CAO forms

There really needs to be some legal framework to ensure that there's enough services in an area to cater for the population

ABP will simply shrug and say it isn't their problem

Local authorities will point at their Local Area Plans (which are often pretty good) and say they could accomplish so much if only they had the money to do so

Central government will say it isn't their problem either and also there's no money forthcoming

Its just a circle of passing the buck

Qaanaaq · 05-06-2025 11:16AM

The paving damage is not only caused by trees, the materials they used were totally inadequate and not fit for purpose. They seem to be quite thin garden patio style slabs that are just not up to the job of a busy public area which also has the occasional van or street sweeper drive on them. The foundations underneath also seem very patio like grade… There are non level slabs everywhere even well away from any trees and this is a real trip hazard.

The trees are not the problem, lots of other towns have large mature trees so its crazy to talk about removing them. The real problem is that Fingal spent the minimum amount of money on cheap rubbish that didn't last more than a few years and now looks worse than what it originally replaced.

plodder · 05-06-2025 11:23AM

It's hard to understand the (lack of) cycling facilities on the main road between Swords and the airport, especially considering the amount of work (and number of plastic wands 🙄 ) put into the rework of the old N1 (R132) from Blake's Cross which would be far less trafficked. Swords has to hold the world record for numbers of those awful looking plastic wands.

On that review, which was remarkably prominent on their website this morning. No reason to doubt it, as that is a big bugbear with us too. "Gourmet" fish and chips where the batter is hard as a rock and questionable when it was first cooked. Though, you wonder about the initial impression created, based on the first paragraph of that review..

10000maniacs · 05-06-2025 11:26AM

I would never live there. The airplanes would drive me bonkers.

Tombo2001 · 05-06-2025 11:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516863#Comment_123516863

Yeah - I've noticed that cycle paths are often put in where its easy to place them, rather than where they are most needed. Wander through the industrial estates in Ballycoolin and its full of half-assed cycled paths when most of the traffic there is HGV.

& you are right, it was remarkably prominent on the website given, almost like they are trying to sabotage the place. There are thousands of places around the country selling second rate burgers for 18 euros, however only this place (which I never heard of until today) has been placed front and centre of a leading news website with a one star review…

the_amazing_raisin · 05-06-2025 11:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516833#Comment_123516833

Yeah a lot of the paving slabs seem pretty wobbly, probably done by some councillors cousin back in the day and cost a fortune 🙄

I'd definitely be opposed to removing the trees unless there was no alternative

There must be some solution where the shallow roots could be removed and a tree pit installed around the existing trunk

It all costs money though and the coucil will claim to have none

In their defense, they've got some big projects going and there's usually a lot of maintenance gets deferred to pay for them. However a lot of the pavements across the country are looking like an earthquake hit recently

In river valley, the council did up all the pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes and they're brilliant now. But they didn't resurface the pavement in between so you get to see just how bad they've gotten in comparison

This is what I mean when I talk about a lack of ambition from the council

the_amazing_raisin · 05-06-2025 11:39AM

Does anyone know if there's any plan to continue the river pathway past the Castle Shopping Center?

It just sort of goes into the bins behind the Grill House, you have to walk through the shopping centre to get to the castle park

You can kind of see where the pedestrian bridge is that there seems to have been some idea there to join the whole lot up, but that would require demolishing the Grill House and presumably the owner wouldn't be happy

Can Swords have nice things?

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