I live in Balrothery - a village about 2km from Balbriggan, so I know a little bit about Balbriggan. I don't know much about Donabate.
I've ended up living here as my boyfriend is from Balbriggan and he wants to be here to be close to family and friends. I am from outside Dublin, so was happy to go with living here. Overall Balbriggan is not a bad place to live. Here's some of the positives of living here:
- Good train links to Dublin - it takes approx. 45 mins to get to the city centre stations. There are alot of trains in rush hour.
- Good selection of houses and apts. There was a huge amt. of building done here during the Celtic Tiger years, so there are alot of houses and apts. to choose from.
- There's decent shopping in the town. The new shopping centre Millfield opened about two years ago.
- There are a good choice of schools in the town; Gaelscoils, Mixed, Single Sex, Multi-demon. etc.
- The beach is really nice and sandy.
- Good selection of sports clubs and gyms eg Golf, Soccer, GAA, Rugby, Tennis etc.
And now the downsides.
- The train. While it takes approx. 45 mins. the train from Donabate would take approx. 30 mins. Assuming you are working in town that would save you 30 mins per day.
- There are a lot of huge housing estates that were built in the last 10 years. Some of them have/will have a lot of social issues. Be careful where you choose - if you do decide to move here.
- While there are a lot of schools, it can be hard to get school places. Lots of people moved to Balbriggan in the last 10 years to start families, this has put a lot of pressure on schools.
- The town centre has been badly affected by the new shopping centre. There are alot of empty units on the main st.
- There are very few nice cafes, bars and restaurants to go to. When we go out to eat we always go to Skerries, Swords or Malahide.
Overall it's not a bad town to live in. Certainly the crime is no worse (nor better) than anywhere else. There are nicer places to live than Donabate or Balbriggan in North Co. Dulbin - but I am sure you are being driven by budget? What is your budget and what do you hope to get for that money?