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Child Item

Where is nice to live in Kildare??

Fi_J

Hi Everyone

Looking to relocate from South Co Dublin to Kildare but dont know what areas are nice, and which arent.

Can anyone recommend where is good to live for a family with young children, stay at home Mum (so I would need Mum & Baby group etc), safe, good facilities etc etc?

Sallins looks nice? Monasterevin houses are so reasonably priced, is there a reason?? If it looks too good, it is???

Thanks a mil.

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leinsterdude

Kilcullen wins ......great town.....very quite.....near Nass/Newbridge.

airmax87

Italia wrote: »

Bad ones?
Hopefully a tongue in cheek comment, otherwise based on what?

dog rough in comparison to the other ones, athy is lovely, dont know what yous are talking about.

maxer68

Whispered wrote: »

Athy - I have posted on the area before. I find it rough. Very rough actually - I used to go out with someone from there and even he would say how bad it is. I've had a few bad experiences in the town, which I have never had anywhere else. Not to mention the fact that it's a total bottle neck with regards to traffic and the shop fronts could do with a bit of a clean up.

If this comment was written 10 years ago, I'd agree, but Athy has changed a lot. It does have a large working class population, but that doesn't mean roughness.

A lot of the kids that used to cause anti social behaviour have grown up and copped on - of course there's still the odd bit of hassle in the streets on Froday and Saturday nights, mainly because all the pubs are within a 200m stretch and a large number of people with drink spilling out at 1am can cause a little hassle anywhere (Maynooth is far far worse fo this behaviour)

You don't see grafitti in Athy, you don't see broken car windows, you don't see broken shop windows and most estates including the council estates are relatively clean and well kept - a sign of a decent community.

And finally the building of the new distributor road is about to commence - because there is one thing that is really really bad about Athy, its the bloody traffic! - and the moron politicians who have used traffic as a political football for 35 years!!! - Yes in 1976, the Athy bypass was meant to open!

leinsterdude

Athy is rough, sorry, always was.....always will be....have you ever been out in the pubs at the weekends ? or near Supermacs after midnight ?

maxer68

leinsterdude wrote: »

have you ever been out in the pubs at the weekends ? or near Supermacs after midnight ?

same can be said for virtually every other town in the country and the UK.

Carlow used to be dreadful - until CCTV. Maynooth after midnight is a no go area for many, same for any town with youngish population.

Exclude this and Athy is not the worst place to live. Very good value housing, good schools, but very few local jobs. And once the bypass is built (contracts signed and money ringfenced), it will see further improvement.

But for the OP - its probably a bit too far out of Dublin and I still say Naas / Newbridge is the better option for their circumstances.

Whispered

Maxer - I'm not talking about Friday or Saturday nights. I'm sorry if you find it insulting, or if you don't believe me, but the OP asked for recommendations, and I recommend staying well away from Athy. In the last 3 years I've had 3 horrible experiences in the town, just passing through and stopping for a takeaway or similar. It may not be as bad as it was, but definitely not an area I'd consider bringing kids up in.

(BTW My husband is related to a Maxer from Naas. You're not from Naas are you?)

COYW

maxer68 wrote: »

Maynooth after midnight is a no go area for many, same for any town with youngish population.

Grew up in Maynooth and have plenty of family and friends that are still in the area. Why is it a no-go area? I consider Istanbul city centre at midnight as a 'no-go' area, not Maynooth.

POKERKING

Clane, nicest of all those mentioned!

no1beemerfan

I work in Newbridge but don't think I could live there. I'm from down the country and got married recently and since she works in Tallaght we decided to move up here and ended up in Ballymore Eustace. Loving it as its so near Dublin but out in the country and also very near Newbridge.

But as has been said everyone is different and someones recommandation might not suit you at all.

Clare Bear

Clane and Straffan are lovely places to live. Not great for public transport to Dublin though if that's important.

Novella

I think the public transport from Clane/Straffan to Dublin is fine, tbh. I mean, there is a bus every hour and on the half hour at rush-hour.

Moonbeam

maxer68 wrote: »

same can be said for virtually every other town in the country and the UK.

Carlow used to be dreadful - until CCTV. Maynooth after midnight is a no go area for many, same for any town with youngish population.

Exclude this and Athy is not the worst place to live. Very good value housing, good schools, but very few local jobs. And once the bypass is built (contracts signed and money ringfenced), it will see further improvement.

But for the OP - its probably a bit too far out of Dublin and I still say Naas / Newbridge is the better option for their circumstances.

Have to disagree here I lived in Carlow town for college ,worked late nights in pubs and chippers and never felt in anyway nervous walking anywhere.
Live in Maynooth now and also fell safe walking around at night although I do it alot less then I did in Carlow!

I have not been in Athy for a lot of years so can not comment on what it is like now but last time I was there it was an awful place.

Moonbeam

Novella wrote: »

I think the public transport from Clane/Straffan to Dublin is fine, tbh. I mean, there is a bus every hour and on the half hour at rush-hour.

The effects of living in "the country" thinking a bus every hour is good public transport:)

Straffan and Clane are beautiful places though but we had to rule them out due to the lack of trains to Connolly.

Shreddingblood

Steer clear of Sallins man. Try Celbridge or Maynooth.

maxer68

Moonbeam wrote: »

Have to disagree here I lived in Carlow town for college ,worked late nights in pubs and chippers and never felt in anyway nervous walking anywhere.
Live in Maynooth now and also fell safe walking around at night although I do it alot less then I did in Carlow!

I have not been in Athy for a lot of years so can not comment on what it is like now but last time I was there it was an awful place.

You feel safe and I'd feel safe (i've seen someone being shot dead in New York), but the perception of trouble by some people is a few rowdy / drunk people being stupid.

In nearly all cases, in all areas, if you walk away and don't get involved, you have nothing to fear whatsoever.

Daidy2011

I would strongly recommend that you consider Maynooth. Although I agree that it is slightly more expensive than the surrounding towns (Celbridge, Leixlip and particularly Kilcock) given the current economic climate there are bargains to be had.

Maynooth has everything that you are looking for, mother and child groups, fabulous public transport links to Dublin (both bus and trains), excellent schools (for when that is a consideration), a bustling town centre with good shops (Manor Mills etc), good pubs, good restaurants etc. The canal is a good leisure feature as is the playground. Good sports teams, an excellent tidy towns committee, good socieities ranging from arts darama and music, historical society, Toastmasters............

The college is a major asset, the grounds are open to the public and there is nowhere nicer for a walk on a summer's evening that through the grounds on the old campus. During the school year it brings an extra vibrancy to the town. Despite a large student population there is very little trouble and when there is the Garda do a wonderful job in limiting it.

There are numerous housing estates to suit all tastes and budgets.

And before anyone says it - no I am not a member of the Community Council, I am not even a resident of Maynooth.

Good luck with your search.

Whispered

maxer68 wrote: »

In nearly all cases, in all areas, if you walk away and don't get involved, you have nothing to fear whatsoever.

If that's the case I'd ask you to explain to the elderly person I was travelling with a few weeks ago that she was in the wrong while having abuse hurled at her walking through Supermacs on a weekday afternoon. Or maybe the 2 young men who thought it funny to try open my car doors while I was stopped at lights, on a wednesday 9pm ish (terrifying for a girl on her own btw, I was forced to drive through the red light).

As I already said - my opinion on Athy is not based on having ever gone out drinking in the town or stopping there late at night. You seem to suggest that bad things don't happen to people unless they are looking for it.....?

Whispered

Moonbeam wrote: »

The effects of living in "the country" thinking a bus every hour is good public transport:)

.

I said Kilcullen had a good bus service to Dublin and it's not even hourly. OP when I said good I meant good for the countryside. haha.

maxer68

Whispered wrote: »

If that's the case I'd ask you to explain to the elderly person I was travelling with a few weeks ago that she was in the wrong while having abuse hurled at her walking through Supermacs on a weekday afternoon. Or maybe the 2 young men who thought it funny to try open my car doors while I was stopped at lights, on a wednesday 9pm ish (terrifying for a girl on her own btw, I was forced to drive through the red light).

As I already said - my opinion on Athy is not based on having ever gone out drinking in the town or stopping there late at night. You seem to suggest that bad things don't happen to people unless they are looking for it.....?

I hope you called the gardai and made a statement about it so that these people who are in atiny minority ruin the image of many towns in Ireland.

If you didn't report it to the gardai, then shame on you for allowing these thugs think they can get away with such behavior.

Every town in the country has its group of thugs / eejits who make fools of themselves. Mostly they are unemployed, poorly educated and will never have anything to look forward to in life. I pity them and ignore them and if they do try to do anything of a criminal nature, I call the local garda station. - Once these types know they are being watched, they tend to wake up to themselves.

Whispered

maxer68 wrote: »

I hope you called the gardai and made a statement about it so that these people who are in atiny minority ruin the image of many towns in Ireland.

If you didn't report it to the gardai, then shame on you for allowing these thugs think they can get away with such behavior.

Every town in the country has its group of thugs / eejits who make fools of themselves. Mostly they are unemployed, poorly educated and will never have anything to look forward to in life. I pity them and ignore them and if they do try to do anything of a criminal nature, I call the local garda station. - Once these types know they are being watched, they tend to wake up to themselves.

I say I had been involved in a incident in Athy. I then further clarify and shame on me? I called about the incident at the traffic lights after I had gotten home, to be honest I was too shaken to stop and call on the way. Unfortunately I had left it too long and anybody involved would not be in the area any longer according to the woman I spoke to. She did say that they would keep an eye out in the area for people acting the maggot (not her exact words obviously). The incident in Supermacs was NOT the only one I've seen there - the place seems to be an attraction for the worse element of the town. And no I did not call the gardai, I spoke to "management" who asked what we expected them to do.

The thread is about where the OP might move to. I said I would avoid Athy and you've tried to call me out on that, now I've given 2 of the incidents and clarified that there was no drink involved on my part and that it was not somehow my fault. I hope you can see where I developed the opinion I have and that you were incorrect to think that drink was involved or that somehow I "got involved". Although by your shame on me comment you still seem intent on somehow making things a reflection on me rather than on the area.

As I said earlier in the thread, the efforts of a town should not be ruined by a few. However it is the thuggish few that give the town its reputation. Management of certain establishments need to be told by residents that they are tired of them allowing thuggish behaviour in and around their premises. If they stopped serving these people, then things would likely drastically improve. Trouble makers should not be welcome anywhere.

Apologies OP for so far off topic. People are obviously very passionate about their home towns

leonidas83

Had to travel through Kildare before for work.

Found Newbridge to be the nicest town of all, there seemed to be lots of amenities and facilities in the area, place was well kept too and traffic was reasonable considering the time I was travelling through it. The other towns I passed through seemed to be very rural and quiet. Just my two cents worth anyway.

maxer68

Whispered wrote: »

I say I had been involved in a incident in Athy. I then further clarify and shame on me?

I said if you DIDN'T report it, then shame. Its only by reporting incidents that allows for the gardai to do things about it such as licence objections, tradign objections etc.

I don't live in Athy, but I do go there as they have decent Chinese restaurant with Ngai and great Indian food in Ashouka and a great pub in Clancys.
The town tries very hard despite huge job losses over the years and for that the various interested bodies have to be commended not ostracised for a few small incidents that happen in most towns (2 months ago there was a mega gang fight in Maynooth and about 6 innocent bystanders got hurt, 2 very seriously - but the gardai have dealt with it.) Incidents like what you had simply happen everywhere and thankfully are no where near the rate that they happen in many UK towns.

Still I say Newbridge for newbie south dublin person, due to facilites, shopping, leisure and ease of transport links.

Whispered

Seeing as how I have no contact with maynooth at all I didn't comment on maynooth. I commented on the towns which I know, them being Kilcullen, Naas, Newbridge and Athy. However I don't think maynooth is generally known as a rough area. (Correct me if I'm wrong, as I said I know very little about the place)

maxer68 wrote: »

various interested bodies have to be commended not ostracised for a few small incidents that happen in most towns

As I said in my last post, you seem to be taking my opinion on Athy as a reflection of me as opposed to a reflection of the area. I have said twice now

the efforts of a town should not be ruined by a few

How is that ostracising anybody beyond the thugs involved?

Fortunately the OP simply asked for opinions. Which I gave, and following a few posts detailing why I feel no need to further justify my opinion on Athy and the fact that in my experience it's not a pleasant place to be. At all.

Rothmans

I'd advise Newbridge OP. Its a big town with no shortage of amenities, its relatively close to Dublin, and aesthetically its a nice town.
I wouldn't really recommend any of the North Kildare commuter towns like Leixlip, Cellbridge etc (even tbh). They're really just sattelite towns, and not really towns in their own right (apart from Naas of course).
In Newbridge you get the best of both worlds. Its a nice big, busy town, close to Dublin, yet at the same time, more autonomous of Dublin than the commuter towns.
I would recommend Athy and Kildare too.They are both nice towns, despite what some other posters may say, but as your coming from the capital you might find these a bit quite for your liking as they're both relatively small towns( Athy: 10,000, Kildare; 7,500, compared to Newbridge which has almost 20,000). However, both of them (esp Kildare) have very good transport links.

lynski

Fi_J wrote: »

Hi Everyone

Looking to relocate from South Co Dublin to Kildare but dont know what areas are nice, and which arent.

Can anyone recommend where is good to live for a family with young children, stay at home Mum (so I would need Mum & Baby group etc), safe, good facilities etc etc?

Sallins looks nice? Monasterevin houses are so reasonably priced, is there a reason?? If it looks too good, it is???

Thanks a mil.

Having re-located from Dublin to Kilcullen 5yrs ago I can't find a bad thing to say about it. I was not a stay-at-home mom then but I am now.
We have a carer and toddler group (kilcullentoddlergroup.com), community playgroup, (kilcullencommunityplaygroup.com), community action (flowers, christmas lights etc) kilcullencommunityaction.ie, playground (kilcullenplayground.com), plenty of creches, a good primary - and a nearby educate together and gealscoil, good secondary. Lots of sports facilities, good shops and near to newbridge and naas for the bigs ones, beside the curragh. some more info on guide.kilcullentoddlergroup.com but it is not complete.

Friendly too ;-)
There is a festival on sunday, the river festival - see the other thread - and it is worth checking out.

MaceFace

Being a resident of North Kildare, let me share a few anecdotes about the various towns in North Kildare.

I am sorry if I offend anyone, but Athy and Kildare town are commonly believed to be the two of the worst towns in the county. It is mainly because of the high level of unemployment which inevitably leads to anti-social behaviour and crime. I don't think it is the crime that is as much a worry as the anti-social behaviour that is the thing that grates most people.

See this thread for an example of the views of people of Athy.

Maynooth is generally cheaper than many similar sized towns in the area because it is still somewhat of a student town. You can get more bang for your buck because of this.

Clane appears to be nice. I know people who live there and I have never really heard anything bad about the place.

Newbridge. Well, it depends where in Newbridge you are talking about. I remember the first time I thought Newbridge was not the nice place I always thought it was. I was on the train, getting off in Naas and there were two lads talking. One had cuts and bruises and was boasting about how he was in a fight at the weekend in a pub and thats what caused his injuries. Looking at the pair of them, they "looked the sort". I mentioned this to someone I knew from Newbridge and they said that happens often and it can be a very rough town at times, depending on where you go. This was about 5 years ago. I do know others who live there and from my visits to the town, it does seem decent enough. Decent amenities.

Naas - I do like this town. Pretty quiet and getting quieter in comparison to what it was. Shops closing down and the mainstreet is struggling. Not rough, and some older estates with decent sized houses and long time residents. Very rare to hear anything bad about it (apart from it struggling economically).

EDIT: I should just also add that I expect a number of replies from people disagreeing with my opinion because everyone is naturally defensive about where they live and don't want to hear people say bad things about it.

smurfet2

Whispered, im sorry to hear about your experiences in Athy but i think the point maxer was making (correct me if im mistaken) was that every town has their fair share of thuggish behaviour. For example a few months ago remember the news story about the man in newbridge made to eat his own ear?

I live equal distance to Kilcullen as I do to athy, but i choose to shop, go out and socialise in Athy (before anyone comments on this, i like Kilcullen too, i have nothing against Kilcullen

). I have never had the misfortune of being a victim to the incidents you described, or similiar, in Athy.

the reason i originally posted on this topic, and it wasnt directed at you solely, was because i have seen the amount of effort people have put into restoring the town's image. In no way do i mean to discredit your awful experiences, they are unforgivable and it is 100% understandable why you do not like the town. However as i stated above, all towns have such incidents. Whether you agree or not, the point is Athy gets an unfair representation in the media. it is very easy to tarnish a town's reputation but it is extremely difficult to restore its good reputation. Whispered this is not aimed at you, this is my observation. I was trying to give the OP a balanced view of Athy.

And of course im passionate about my hometown. Everyone should be.. Otherwise nobody would be bothered to tidy up after themselves, organise or take part in community activities..
No passion = no pride = no community spirit = no nice town!

Hopefully we can call quits on this subtopic of the thread, by agreeing that every town has its fair share of good and bad. Although some will say more bad than good in athy's case, but im going to stick with more good than bad :rolleyes:

UP ATHY! :cool:

OP apologies for going so far off topic

Rothmans

MaceFace wrote: »

See this thread for an example of the views of people of Athy.

Views of people of Athy?
That a bit disingenuous Mace Face. You linked a thread whos specific purpose it is to disparage the town. The thread is callled 'Athy. The biggest kip in Kildare' FFS.
Hardly providing a balanced view is it?
In any case, the majority of posters strongly disagree with the sentiments of the OP.

kildare9

airmax87 wrote: »

The three bad ones..

Are you for real? I dont know much about Celbridge, but Maynooth and Leixlip are fine places. Absolutely nothing wrong with these towns. In fact, if I were to recommend a place in Kildare to live it would be Leixlip. Its a stones throw from Dublin, so shopping etc isn't a problem whatsoever. If your a college student, you are close to NUIM and all colleges in Dublin. Traffic isn't a problem in the town, everything moves smoothly. From being in the area quite a bit, the only problem is parking in the village.
As hard as it is to say, I would put it ahead of Naas!
I lol'd at an Athy person saying these were bad towns. The only good thing about Athy is their GAA team, and they're not even that good!

Shreddingblood

airmax87 wrote: »

dog rough in comparison to the other ones

I could not stop laughing at this.