Inchicore or Maynooth with kids?

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Re: Inchicore with kids?

sueellen said:
One major issue is schooling. Have you checked out availability in both areas? The smaller classes the better. As soon as baby is born add the name to the register where ever you move to. Some people register based on the results of scans!
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I was in Maynooth last week, and there is a huge new school (secondary I think) being built on a site that backs on to the University grounds.

For my money, this would be a no contest call -- Maynooth would be miles ahead of Inchicore for quality of life. The latter location used to be the pits in property terms too, with loads of places impossible to sell and boarded up, esp up round the old railway works. In any downturn, I would much rather be holding a property in a solid place like Maynooth than in what could quickly revert to being an urban wasteland in a worst case scenario.

Also, Maynooth has improving public transport links to the city, and if we ever get a public transport policy in Ireland, at least the basics are there to build on.
 
I'm generally in favour of keeping a commute to the minimum but when you have kids participation in a community is very important. You need to be able to meet and communicate with other parents and the place you live needs to have facilities for kids. From what other people have posted about Inchicore it sound like you may need to live in splendid isolation and supervise you children closely for a long time. I don't know anything about inchicore but before you make your decision you should take a day off work and visit both places, call into the schools and walk around to see how the place feels. I have experience of maynooth which has 3 primary schools, the Gaelscoil has a waiting list but the other 2 have taken all-comers so far. They are not expecting to be under pressure for about another 5 years and don't keep waiting lists. The new school mentioned earlier is a secondary school, getting a large extension, It has a good reputation. There are also a lot of local employers so one of you may be able to work locally in the future. The train service to connolly takes 35 minutes and is very frequent at rush hour.
 
Maynooth without a doubt. I have colleagues who work there and are thrilled with it - schooling especially. This university town is full of life. There is a double decker to/from Dublin AND the train. Without a doubt Maynooth wins.
 
I totally agree with kids participating in the community which is why I have no intention of packing them off to a private school. Thanks for the info on the school situation in Maynooth, looks like they could go the three levels there.I've heard Maynooth has a good community and I like the feel of the place. My only negative is the commute really, which I guess isn't too bad. We'll see, we have a while yet to decide. The future of property prices may open more middling to average options in Dublin, though with our banks new interest rate in the post and more hikes to come that could be a far off dream.
 
ramble said:
The train service to connolly takes 35 minutes and is very frequent at rush hour.
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It's actually nearer 40+ (speaking from experience!) and certain trains may no longer stop in Connolly when the new (temporary) station opens at Spencer Dock in 2007.

But I do the commute every day and think it's fine-trains are fairly infrequent after 7 pm (once an hour), but aside from that, the service is good. You are pretty much guaranteed a seat if you get on in Maynooth.
 
forget about class sizes. i taught in inchicore and there is absolutely no way in hell that you should send your kids to school there unless you want them mixing with kids where normal means parents are in the joy , brothers on smack etc.
 
These are surprising comment for a trained teacher to make.

You will find children of parents such as you describe in any city school. Are you suggesting that this was the norm? How did you find the behaviour/learning ability of such children and what techniques, if any, did you use to help them? Or did your school just give up the ghost?

The parents of suburban children may also suffer from other problems specific to suburban life. Drug or alcohol abuse, for example, is by no means limited to the inner city, and relative affluence can bring its own problems.
 
Re: Inchicore with kids?

I think as most people suggest, the common and best advice is to research the areas yourself and go down and see them. Maynooth as mentioned is a university town. That could really appeal to you or do quite the opposite. The fact the town is buzzing with students might annoy you or it may annoy you when they are all gone for the holidays and you may find it too dead for your liking.

Having a train commute is great if you have that option however having to travel by car on the N4 is a nightmare and most public transport routes go straight into the city centre so that may not suit you at all.


auto320 said:
In any downturn, I would much rather be holding a property in a solid place like Maynooth than in what could quickly revert to being an urban wasteland in a worst case scenario.
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In terms of this quote, I'd be careful in that regards. Some of the best areas in Dublin to have bought in have been these types of areas as they have changed and provide locations that new residential developments struggled to offer. And if they did, they came at a price.

I live in an old council area where when we bought 5 years ago, we actually couldn't afford a new or newish 3 bed house in the west of Dublin. The same houses are going for £380k now and the house I have is worth around £550k. All to do with buying in an area that was slowly becoming more desirable. There just happens to be little affordable locations in the area and people want to live there so that's reflected in the price.

Don't know enough about Inchicore to say whether that's the case but it is close to the city so demand for property will always be strong and it's an established area so keeping an eye on prices could tell a lot. It's not the old established areas I'd be worried about reverting to slums, it's the new locations with loads of estates and houses that have nothing around them and no amenities.

Something worth mentioning too is that your one bed might be a good investment and might be worth holding on to. You're already on the property ladder and considering the baby is only due, you have time yet before considering the whole settling down and schools scenario. So renting a property if you can rent out yours easily might be a good alternative for the moment. You could rent in Maynooth for a while and see if it suits you and the way you want to live. You get first hand experience of the commute and what the town is like as well as getting that extra space you'll badly need without being cornered into a concrete decision that you are unsure of.
 
I lived in Inchicore for four years. Yes it is as rough in parts as some posters are suggesting and some areas are fine. I experienced a rough area first hand and I would never raise a child there, ever. To get a good feel for the people in the area just have a pint in a few pubs. The Black Lion is a lovely pub with decent people. The Black Horse Inn on the other hand can get very rough. Have a pint there on a Sunday evening, then take a stroll around the surrounding streets and flats. Then decide if you'd like your child growing up there and mixing at school with the kids you meet.
 
hi there
cannot believe some of the comments here about inchicore. As someone who is living there over 5 years and (as previously mentioned) never had any trouble I am wondering where these people are coming from?
Also as Nosferatu said - if the propert market tanks then surely you are better off living in a period house close to the city rather then a knocked up new house out in commuter-ville?? And as for boarded up houses in Inchicore - I have never seen one, I live in the CIE works and most of the houses there go for at least 500k+
Also, if maynooth is such a better area then why does a 2-bed in inchicore cost the same as a 3-bed in maynooth? Surely if maynooth was such a fantastic place to live and inchicore is so dire then you would be able to buy a 4 bed in inchicore for the price of a 1 bed in maynooth??
.. Obviously it is a personal decision for everyone but as Moody Too suggests you should make your own mind up - I would also suggest you have a drink in the new enoteca, a wine bar which got a great review in the irish times only a week ago.. have a nice glass of wine there and think about how nice it would be to walk home as opposed to driving everywhere...
 
I can understand you getting annoyed about people slating where you live. Like everywhere theres good and bad areas, no where is perfect.

Prices are always going to more expensive in areas near the city centre than areas in commuting towns therefore a 2 bed would be more expensive in Inchicore than a 3 bed in Maynooth or surrounding areas.
 
kerbs said:
hi there
cannot believe some of the comments here about inchicore. As someone who is living there over 5 years and (as previously mentioned) never had any trouble I am wondering where these people are coming from?

.. Obviously it is a personal decision for everyone but as Moody Too suggests you should make your own mind up - I would also suggest you have a drink in the new enoteca, a wine bar which got a great review in the irish times only a week ago.. have a nice glass of wine there and think about how nice it would be to walk home as opposed to driving everywhere...
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Just because you haven't had any trouble doesnt mean that there isnt a lot of trouble going on in Inchicore. Would you honestly say its a nice and a safe area? Even relative to other areas is it more or less safe\nice?

Also, Inchicore is about 3.5 miles from city centre, you'll hardly walk that every day.
 
I have been to both Inchicore and Maynooth I was just looking for more opinions. The Italian in Inchicore is one of it's finest assests! I found Maynooth very pleasant, as I've said it's the commute I'm thinking of.
I live in a rough area of the city centre and no I would not feel comfortable with my kids hanging out with a lot of the local kids. Maybe this sounds like mere snobbery but it's a lot more to do with the level of issues these poor kids have to deal with growing up. Sure every area and every family has issues but it is daft to pretend that a group of people with a life span 30 years less than average have average problems.
 
I cannot believe some of the comments about Inchicore! I've lived there for 7 years and have never experienced an iota of trouble. I had no knowledge of the area before I moved in but am so glad I bought there now given my house has quadrupled in value in that time. My wife is currently expecting our first child and I would have no problem staying in the area and raising our child. We live close to the Bulfin Estate and I have a 15 minute commute to work and the Phoenix Park and the Royal Hospital on our doorstep.

I'd be interested in hearing where all the detractors of the area are living. Souless estates in Ongar or Clonee? Commuting from Rochfortbridge or Portlaoise? I'd choose Inchicore over these miserable options every time. Seriously, some people need to wise up!
 
Hey all,

I grew up in Inchicore and i have a lot of good and bad to say about the place.

There definitely is a old dublin feel about most of it. Helpful neighbours, looking out for your house, cars etc. The people on a one to one basis are second to none.
That being said there are a lot of gurriers around there too. Anybody that says there is not is lying through their teeth. One of the main reasons for this was that there was a chemist who had a lenient methadone in place and this in turn attracted a lot of the junkies from around dublin. To witness this for yourself you would have just had to have been on the 78a from town or into town, truly digusting.
That problem from what i have seen is now hugely improved. Not a huge amount of junkies around anymore on the streets from what i can see.

There is a huge amount of redevelopment going on at the moment and lots of young couples moving in to get their first step on the property ladder.

As far as ammenities, you could not be better placed for the obvious reasons. lots of shops,takeaways,doctors,pubs,supermarkets,luas, numerous bus routes etc.

One thing i will say about inchicore though is that if you have kids there is no where really from them to safely play. I will never forget being pushed from place to place. It is a built up area and they need a place for kids to play football etc

anyway just my 2 cents.
 
There are gurriers everywhere. Fact. As for the "nowhere for kids to play" line, you are right beside the largest park in Europe and there is a small park next to the Medical Centre. The grounds of the Royal Hospital are also beautiful for a walk and for kids to run around.
 
yep, you can't lock up your kid inside the house or either barricate those bad kids from yours..fair enough comments from the Inchicore people.
 
true bet lets be careful here not to tar everyone with the same brush.. in my area I have noticed an increase of young children - mainly from couples who settled in the area a few years ago and really like it. The kids on my road (though there aren't tons) are grand and I would have no problem with a child of mine playing with them. As some one who grew up in a middle class estate in dublin I think there is something to be said for your kids playing with kids on the street but not excessively. I know kids who were reared on the estate and I dont intend for that to happen to my child - the peer pressure can be something else.... Since these postings have started I have taken more of an interest in the couples with kids in my area and none of them seem to be living in isolation.. (or shooting heroin!) Areas do change - and the reality is Inchicore offers some nice old rebrick houses close to the city centre which is where a lot of people enjoy living..
 
Did they demolish St Michaels Estate yet. There isn't a hope in hell of the area improving as long as that place is there?


Murt
 
Still there, but not may residents, awaiting "urban renewal", and a total eyesore, I wonder what the hold up is.
 
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