# Malahide/Portmarnock Dart Station - Parking Availability



## River (5 Sep 2007)

Hi, 

Anyone know how early you would have to be at either of these dart stations to get a parking space? (Monday to Friday)

Is there any other dart stations closer to town that would be better for parking? 

thanks, 
R


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## Trish2006 (5 Sep 2007)

Things are still a little quiet as the schools are only just back but probably from next week you'd have to be in Malahide for about 6.50 and Portmarnock for about 7.15 to be sure of a spot. We live in Malahide and have a child in a creche in Portmarnock and last year these were the times. My husband would leave the house at 6.40 to get a spot for the train at 6.55 (about a 3 minute drive) and I used to get a spot after dropping the baby to the creche at 7.30 but that's gone now. There is a lot of on street parking (not spaces, just a lot of people do it) on the road up to Portmarnock station but just be aware we were hit with a parking fine there before, the muddy section just outside the station is not legal parking, and cars that park on the path opposite had a day last year where their tyres were slashed. Other than those 2, the rest of the northside stations on teh way in don't have car parks, except for Clontarf but the drive that far wouldn't be great. Sutton and Howth both have carparks but I don't know much about them. I've heard the Sutton one is better since they've opened an overflow, but the problem approaching it from teh Portmarnock side is that you can easily get caught with the crossing gates down and miss a train.

I now get the 32x from Portmarnock at about 7.35 in the morning and usually get off at Trinity at around 8.10 if that's any help.


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## Guest120 (5 Sep 2007)

Trish2006 said:


> My husband would leave the house at 6.40 to get a spot for the train at 6.55 (about a 3 minute drive)



I've heard it all now. Why couldn't he walk to the station?

This post will be deleted if not edited immediately wept.


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## Trish2006 (5 Sep 2007)

well it's a 20 - 25 minute walk (and often raining) and that would add 20 - 25 mins to the time he gets home in the evening and he usually has to drive to the creche on the way home, which would be closed by the time he got there if he added 20 mins to the journey.  In fairness, when you're already spending an hour commuting each way, who'd want to add another 20 mins to it when you could spend that extra time with your kids??  It's only a short drive cos it's a straight road.


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## carpedeum (5 Sep 2007)

Parking at Portmarnock is a disaster unless you are on early shift work and arrive for the first DART. The problem is that new houses and apartments in the general area, including quasi-Malahide (e.g. Gainsborough, Waterside, Swords Road), Swords, Balgriffin, Kinsealy, Drynam were marketed as being near the DART and this has caused the problems with parking!

I walk 20-25minutes to Malahide DART every day. The walk is pretty painless. By the time I would drive and park it's only an extra 10minutes. This means that I can take later DART's eg. 07:30 or 08:00. I usually get a seat on the DART at Malahide too. 20mins to Connolly or 27mins to Pearse Station. Then a ten minute walk to the office. 

You can park in the beach car part just beyond the Grand Hotel at the end of Malahide Village, opposite Oscar Taylor's. Street parking is being eliminated along the coast by the installation of meters, though the daily rate when I last looked was only €3.

You can also take local buses e.g. 230. I have seen people who live ten minutes away and less do this!

Every car I have had had has been dented when I parked in Malahide Station carpark by people banging their doors off my car getting out of their cars!


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## River (5 Sep 2007)

Trish2006 said:


> Things are still a little quiet as the schools are only just back but probably from next week you'd have to be in Malahide for about 6.50 and Portmarnock for about 7.15 to be sure of a spot. We live in Malahide and have a child in a creche in Portmarnock and last year these were the times. My husband would leave the house at 6.40 to get a spot for the train at 6.55 (about a 3 minute drive) and I used to get a spot after dropping the baby to the creche at 7.30 but that's gone now. There is a lot of on street parking (not spaces, just a lot of people do it) on the road up to Portmarnock station but just be aware we were hit with a parking fine there before, the muddy section just outside the station is not legal parking, and cars that park on the path opposite had a day last year where their tyres were slashed. Other than those 2, the rest of the northside stations on teh way in don't have car parks, except for Clontarf but the drive that far wouldn't be great. Sutton and Howth both have carparks but I don't know much about them. I've heard the Sutton one is better since they've opened an overflow, but the problem approaching it from teh Portmarnock side is that you can easily get caught with the crossing gates down and miss a train.
> 
> I now get the 32x from Portmarnock at about 7.35 in the morning and usually get off at Trinity at around 8.10 if that's any help.




Thanks Trish, thats very helpful.


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