Commuter towns?

I get a seat every day to and from Balbriggan but I don't think there are any seats left by the time it gets to skerries. Easier to get a seat from Pearse in the evenings rather than Tara street.
I wouldn't bother with Rush & Lusk as the train station is miles away from anywhere and some of the trains don't stop there, i.e. first stop after connolly is skerries and vice versa. Also think the new houses in Lusk are way overpriced compared to those in Balbriggan.

Thanks for the suggestion Dunner, I just ran a few searches for houses in Skerries with daft.ie and myhome.ie, for under 300K, not a lot turned up - looks like prices have already gone up there? We drove around that area (Malahide to Drogheda) and Bettystown beach was very good!

Thanks for all the suggestions, just read in HOK.ie Property outlook that almost 80% of new properties (planning permission issued) are apartments, and there will be demand for bigger homes, and people trading up will end up moving to Meath, Louth etc. Keeping that in mind, buying in Drogheda/Balbriggan/Rush/Skerries sounds like an excellent idea, would you agree?

From last 20 or so posts, can I assume commuter towns south, west or south west of Dublin (Kildare, Naas, Maynooth etc) are not as popular as on the Drogheda route?

Thanks again!

Don't know if you have considered further afield, ie carlow. train service to heuston station at 6.30am, and returning at 4.30pm. journey time is 1hr 10mins. commnuter buses also run from 6am , journey time on bus approx 1hr 30mins. house prices relatively cheap. would need to look away from the commuter estates but can get a semi detached in a nice mature area for about 220k. amenities etc are good as are the schools. i did this commute myself for 3 years and found it to be ok, i didn't have any family at the time.

Hi living in Naas and love it but for the commute to Dublin its a nightmare.I had to leave my old job becaouse of this in theory all sounded great but the reality in the harsh winters made it a no go .Arrow only goes into Heuston so unless you work around there a lot of messing with buses or a long walk.To drive into Dublin can take between 1 hour to 3 hours ...make this each way and thats a lot of commuting .

However it is a great place to live but prices are steep enough.I moved job instead of moving house

Best of luck

I wouldn't have assumed that at all, South and West of Dublin are probably all popular areas for commuters to live, but it kind of depends on the input of those contributers and where they live.

Anyway, Bettystown is a nice area, there are some development plans for the centre of the town, but there a lot of construction going on, a planned hotel near the village. But dont forget that the trade up will also occur to the South and West Dublin (Kildare.Wicklow) also.

Personally I think the commute I do everyday is eroding my quality of life (with a young family) and I am moving closer to work, its doable for a few years but dont plan to do it forever.

I was thinking along these lines myself and moved to donabate. The train is a nightmare and i never get a seat in the morning. in the evenings you have a 50 50 chance of a seat getting on in pearse.
I am only renting in donabate at the moment and only living there a couple of months and already i am sick of the commute( even though its only about an hour).
For your budget however its a good option but a lot of these places are getting a lot of social affordable houses in these areas. Just something to consider. make sure before you buy to rent in the area even if its only for a couple of months, its the only real way to see if these places will work for you.
And personally if you ask me anyone living in these areas if they could afford something in a nice area of dublin within a short commute would jump at it, for the sake of convenience and amenities.

Anyway best of luck with the househunt.

Thanks for suggesting Carlow, never thought of Carlow as a commuter town, as its almost as far away as Dundalk!

I understand how commute can be a nightmare, especially if you are not working close to railway line, but I hope the LUAS with the inter-connector and/or whatever they plan to implement would solve in err, very distant future, may be? At the mo I work close to Luas line, and by moving to commuter towns, I will be restricting my options if I had to change employer.

Sully, I was under the impression that it takes only 30 mins to Donabate in arrow? I know it can be really difficult 30 mins, but it takes me between one to two hours to drive into city centre from Blanchardstown (30 to 45 mins just the north quays). I heard similar figures from Lucan etc, by road!

A nice part of Dublin short commute away from city centre would be perfect, but anything decent priced more than 300K as far away as Donabate/Skerries and Greystones/Wicklow, I don’t think there is such a think for my budget! Thanks for the suggestions though! Appreciated!!

Can't find it now but the Balbriggan area action plan proposes to increase the population from approx 5,000 to 15,000 within the next few years. Basically, take the congestion etc and multiply it x3.

Skerries/Rush/Lusk - the access onto the M1 is pretty bad at the moment but I don't know if improvements are planned.

I believe you have to go to Laytown/Bettystown (at least) before you get a pay-off in the house price/commuting distance/lifestyle equation!

Yes Sluice, the action plan does mention increasing the population, but afaik there are "only" another 3K of the houses remaining to be built!
The trains have been extended in length so most days, apart from 2 particular times, you do get a seat from Balbriggan.
The nightlife is good, loads of young people, certain local establishments have very cheap drink. Others draw you in with pitcher specials (cocktails and beer, yum).
Childcare wise, there is a shortage of childcare everywhere, but considering you don't have any children at the moment, you would have the opportunity to put any children you may have on a waiting list, this is a luxury most young families don't have when they move to B'Briggan
Restaurant wise, the pickings are a bit slim, there would be very few for the number of residents, however i think this reflects the fact that our disposable income is being invested in our homes and not on meals out
Shops in the town include a Lidl, SuperValu and a manky Tesco, which would remind you of an old Crazyprices. Transport would be by means of the diesel trains, provincial service (Bus Eireann) which goes up the old N1 into the city centre and they have the Nightrider which is more direct than the Nitelink for a night out in the big smoke, and Dublin Buss (33) which goes into Swords and on into town.
I don't think that we would move close to the city centre given the choice. The quality of life is miles better, we have made some great friends and some of our family have followed us north as well, so we're never lonely. We open our windows and hear the sea; walk for 5 mins and we're on the beach; living in an extremely safe neighbourhood & wouldn't change it for the world.
Best of luck with your decision!

Sounds brilliant, mo3art, thanks a million!

Yesterday’s Irish Examiner had a full page set aside to commuter issues, it was interesting but not very accurate – as it was based on the situation of a couple or two, than a larger group!

However, they did come up with some interesting facts, like how young couples move out of Dublin looking for more space and country living, and enjoy commuting first few years, and then how everything changes when they have children! Apparently, over a period of time, they start looking for local jobs etc, and according to a crèche owner, they don’t have any child their books with both parents commuting to work on a daily basis! Is some sort of ‘property -lead automatic decentralization of everything’ going on here?

In my case, I think we are going to focus on Drogheda and Balbriggan, in that order. Now only if someone could see the future and see if prices would appreciate or depreciate in future, ah well, fingers crossed!

Thanks again!!