Where to live? (Dublin Commute)

lilymc · 09-02-2012 06:08AM #1

Hi, need advice on the best place to live that is no more than an 30/40 min commute into Dublin city. My partner works is on St Stephen's Green so ideally a commute to Connolly via train or Pearse via dart. Options so far are all over.. North, South and West.

They are as follows:
1) Balbriggin
2) Shankhill/Killiney/Dalkey
3) Leixlip

(Also maybe Sallins/Naas but that is a Heuston commute.. still if the above are bad/too expensive then we might have to look into it)

Atm, we live in a 2 bed apt in the inner city, rent is €900pm the place is tiny and i'm just not keen on the city (no offence intended, just not a city person) we have a 5 month old so wherever we move to will have to cater for families, be fairly safe, good creches/schools etc. We are also a young family (21) if that is of any use in recommending a place to live.

We are looking for a 2/3 bedroom house for no more than €900pm. I am trying to to do the best research I can on the places I listed and we will visit them but if anyone knows anything about any of these places it would be great if you could let me know!

Also, If you have any other suggestions of places that fit our criteria that would be great too.

Cheers, Ger

Boulevardier · 09-02-2012 10:20AM

I would suggest Bray.

Larianne · 09-02-2012 10:57AM

How about Skerries on the north side? I'd avoid Balbriggan. Its not pretty!!

seamus · 09-02-2012 11:18AM

Somewhere on the Luas red line.

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1161876&s[mnp]=1&s[mxp]=900&s[pt_id]=2

Not the biggest houses in the world, but you get a 3-bed house with gardens. The area is relatively good, right on the Luas line, which should work out miles cheaper than the train.

There are 4 properties for rent in Kingswood at your price range.

brownbinman · 09-02-2012 11:23AM

somewhere on the Maynooth line?

Coolmine / Ashtown??

ProudDUB · 09-02-2012 10:54PM

OP, if your partner is commuting to Connolly Station, don't forget to factor in the time it will take him to get to Stephens Green. They are not exactly beside each other. I live beside Connolly. I walk over to Stephens Green several times a week. It is at least a 20 minute walk at a brisk pace, probably closer to 30 mins if you stroll it. If I am going to the Grafton St side of Stephens Green, I'll walk up the quays to O'Connell Bridge and follow Westmoreland St, College Green & Grafton St up to Stephens Green. (You can probably save a few minutes by cutting thru the side streets behind Tara St station, Hawkins House and Pearse St, but that is junkie central so I choose not to.)

If I am going to the Lesson St/Baggot St end of the Green, I'll take the pedestrian bridge across the river at the CHQ building, and head up Lombard St to Westland Row, Lincoln Place, Merrion Sq and then Baggot St to Stephens Green. That takes me about 25 mins. The no 14 bus stops near Connolly and goes to Stephens Green. However, it travels the very heavily congested quays, O'Connell St, College Green, Nassau St route. Traffic is a bitch, especially at rush hour. He'd really be quicker walking. Or take the DART.

I doubt if you will find a house in Dalkey or Killiney for 900 euros. That is the most expensive part of the city to live in. If you do decide to go northside, I'd choose Malahide over Balbriggan and Skerries. You and your partners transport options would increase hugely if you can get the DART as opposed to relying on the intercity Dundalk train that services Skerries/Balbriggan. Plus, the DART takes you all the way to Pearse St which would cut the walk time to Stephens Green in half.

John_Rambo · 10-02-2012 12:09AM

lilymc wrote: »

Atm, we live in a 2 bed apt in the inner city, rent is €900pm the place is tiny and i'm just not keen on the city (no offence intended, just not a city person) we have a 5 month old so wherever we move to will have to cater for families, be fairly safe, good creches/schools etc. We are also a young family (21) if that is of any use in recommending a place to live

No offense taken at all, five month old baby and all, city centre is not suitable for everyone!

Would you consider a slight price hike in Killester or Raheny? Dart line is there, some nice places. As always, check the area out properly before committing.

markpb · 10-02-2012 01:11AM

ProudDUB wrote: »

OP, if your partner is commuting to Connolly Station, don't forget to factor in the time it will take him to get to Stephens Green.

Worth saying this twice

Even Pearse Stn is a bit of a walk from St. Stephens Green, especially in the rain and after a commute. I'd go for somewhere on the Luas line without a moments hesitation: more frequent trams than the Dart, more reliable (in my experience), runs later at night (if he doesn't work 9-5 or wants to go for a drink) and ultimately, is closer to the Green.

Miss Fluff · 10-02-2012 04:33PM

I think try around Monkstown or Seapoint. If your OH works in St. Stephen's Green then ideally you should be looking at somewhere on the South DART line so he can get off at Pearse St - then it's only a few minutes to Stephens Green.

ProudDUB · 10-02-2012 11:23PM

Would definitely agree that somewhere on the Green Luas would be perfect for the OP's partner getting to work, as it goes directly to St Stephens Green. However the Luas Green Line also goes thru some of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Dublin. The OP wants a 2/3 bedroom house for no more than 900 euros per month. That is not a lot of money for that part of the world.

I plugged those criteria into a Daft search for rentals in Milltown, Stillorgan, Dundrum and Sandyford (all on the Luas Green Line) and got no results. The closer you are to the Luas line, the more expensive the property will be. There may be cheaper properties that are further out & would require a 20/30 minute walk to the Luas. That ties in with the whole commute time thing again. If the OP's partner has a car but they choose not to use it, they could avail of the Park'n'Ride facilities that some of the larger stations have. That may cut down on overall commute time.

I think that being on or near the Dart line may be their best bet. It serves Pearce Station which is only a 10/15 min walk from Stephens Green. It goes thru its fair share of expensive suburbs too, but it also offers up a more mixed variety of middle class suburbs such as Bray, Greystones, Raheny, Dun Laoghaire etc etc. They may offer up something that is within their budget that will be harder to find in the more chi chi suburbs that the Luas Green Line goes thru.

The Dart also serves up up the entire city on a platter transport wise. Northern coastal suburbs, southern coastal suburbs, (great during the summer) city center north of the river, city center south of the river, easy access to Intercity rail & the LUAS Red Line to Heuston Station. The Luas Green line goes from Sandyford to Stephens Green, and that is pretty much it. It is perfect for the OP getting to work, but not much else. There are no interconnecting commuter train lines, tram lines, intercity trains, buses, airport shuttles etc etc at either end of the 2 terminus stops. If you are on the Dart, you have all that pretty much on your door step at Connolly Station. If you are car less, it makes getting around the entire city as a whole so much easier.

kylith · 12-02-2012 09:20AM

If I were the OP I'd forget about Dart and Luas because any houses in close proximity to them are relatively expensive. There are plenty of buses that run near Stephen's Green. I think that looking into bus routes would lead to finding more affordable housing.

snickerpuss · 12-02-2012 11:40AM

How about North Dublin? Suburbs off the Malahide Road might be handy. I commute to Stephens Green on the 15 (used to be the 128). Takes no time, bus lanes all into town. Would Killester, Harmonstown, Raheny, Ayrfield or Clongriffin or Belmayne be any use? Clongriffin is the terminus for the 15 and has a DART station and is near lots of shops, schools, and the M50. Obviously it's not finished though so aesthetics may be a factor!

Where to live? (Dublin Commute)

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