Here's my tuppence.
East Cork wins hands down:
Glounthane / Carrigtwohill / Midleton / Cobh
You've got the Harbour right on your doorstep (why dont you all use the Harbour folks!)
You could stay in Midleton and never have to leave! (farmer's markets, good eateries...good pubs)
Lots of things to do on Sunday's (family stuff, Fota, Titanic Trails etc)
Great infrastructure, rail link coming, traffic isnt too much of a problem
People are great, as is the social structure you get back what you put into the Community ten fold, schools are top notch
With regard to new Housing Developments, there's thousands of new units planned for Carrigtwohill, keep an eye on the Property of the Examiner....
Shame Amgen went belly up, I'm sure the true extent of it all will be revealed after the Election.
In short, come East!!
BM