Hi there!
I grew up on Donabate, well we have a mobile home in Corballis for over 20 years now. I really enjoyed spending the lazy summer days on the beach, bunking on to the golf course in the evening to play a few rounds or taking walks in NewGrange Park.
Drink:
The Dunes Hotel beside the beach not sure what its called now but there was always a good atmosphere!
Keeling Pub in the village they are currently renovating the pub and turning the old barn out the back into an extension. This pub was always my favourte especially over the Donabate festival weekends. Spending most of my evenings in the beer garden enjoying a really good pint of guinness!
Smiths Pub beside the train station. Never really spent much time there but I believe they have done the pub up in recent times. The crowd is young so may not be my cup of tea.
As for the bad element.....nonsense..... kids hanging around beside the field in the village playing football and having a laugh. Everyone was a kid once. And the last thing I wanted to do when I was a child was to sit in doors and watch TV especially in Donabate. I've never seen much trouble in Donabate and the trouble I did see came from people not living in the area, down there for the weekend.
Gym, Supermarket, shops, restaurants, pubs, hotel, take aways, video shops, ATMs, Parks, beaches, caves, cliff walks tell you one thing!! I wish the area I live in now had all these activities!!!! I agree with you about not finding a seat on the train in the mornings, hey I live around Glasnevin, I get the bus every morning, never really get a seat and always end up standing!
Its a nice area a much slower pace of life yet your still practically in Dublin!
Well they were my thoughts!