I think Caherdavin is a decent area. You're getting a lot of house and garden for your money. They're mostly 70's houses, so some of the first phase of kids are already grown up and gone, so fairly quiet. Lots of green areas, GAA (Na Piarsaigh) and soccer teams, primary boys and girls schools, RC Church, credit union, two v. large new shopping centres nearby, Jetland and Coonagh, smaller local shops too, in woodview, ivans cross, old cratloe road, and beside the Bank of Ireland in caherdavin heights.
For work, it is an easy journey to northside locations, but like most suburbs, if you're heading to city centre, or crossing the city to get to work, it is going to take a good while, there is a bus service, but like most of the city, no QBCs.
If you post roughly where you'd be heading to I can estimate, or suggest a route or alt location.
When I lived in Limerick, I travelled from this side of town to both Castletroy (UL /Dublin side) and Raheen (Dell etc), and traffic can be heavy at peak times. Hopefully the arrival of the tunnel project extension in a few years to the south ring road will help with this...
A down side for some may be the consideration that part of Caherdavin (eg Glenmore) too close to council housing, but this was a later extension to the area. 80's I'd guess and not near the majority of Caherdavin, Caherdavin Lawn being the furthest point from there. Note: I hear this adjoining council housing is earmarked for removal soon.
There are newer houses in the area, like Clonile and Shannonvale if that's what you like, where you'll get the usual extra bathrooms and en-suites.
On the slightly pricier end, you could look at ferndale etc.