Need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

M

mamadaal

Guest
Hi,
I will start working in the East Point Business Park (Clontarf) by 2 weeks. We lived in the West last year, we are not Irish and don't know almost anything about Dublin areas.
We are looking for
1) a family-friendly area where to stay and grow our children, possibly close to DART line (north or south doesn't matter)
2) a not too expensive house/apt to rent - my wife is still looking after our 2 children and my salary would allow us to (possibly) spend no more than 1100 p/m.

We would prefer a smaller community - we were thinking about Malahide (it seems a bit expensive), Balbriggan (it would take more than 1 hour door to door - I should change at Connolly station, and according to the web some of the estates are not so family-friendly) in the north, and about Bray, Shankill, Killiney in the south - but rental prices seem higher than I had expected, and it's not so simple just using the web to understand if there are other kids and families and good schools/playgroups and parks and so on.

Can you please help us in suggesting quiet and nice areas where we could live without wasting all my salary in the rent?

Thanks a lot, we are quite desperate!
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Hi Sueellen, thanks for your reply, I had already checked (and still I check) daft.ie, let.ie, propertynews.ie and others (even if daft.ie is really the most comprehensive), and I also wrote to 5/6 rental agencies but:
1) there are usually no info about quality of neighborhood, kids, schools in the area
2) there are really few houses/apts suitable (2 bdrs less than 1100 p/m and close to Dart stations)
3) the name of the area is sometimes misleading (ex. Waterside in Malahide)
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Hi,

I can understand your concerns.

I'm not too familiar with northside but Malahide would probably be expensive alright for accommodation. Places like Bray etc. would appear to be too far away from your work and would therefore probably cost you a lot in travel.

Are there any other areas that you have looked at nearer to your place of employment that others here might be able to advise you about.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

I've just had a look at the location for the and as its not too far away from town I'm wondering would you be able to check out other areas possibly on the [broken link removed].

You would not need to go all the way out to the terminus in Tallaght but if you did there are quite a few estates with good schools.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

would you not look at clontarf or Fairview - they are right beside east point, (walking or cycling distance - save you on transport) have a Dart station and are 3/4 miles to town. Both would be good residential areas - daft throws up a few results. You could look at drumcondra as well
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

I know that many people who work in East Pt live in Fairview/Clontarf.
You could also consider along the Dart line - Raheny, Killester.
Further out, there is Howth (Northside) or Dun Laoire (Southside, a bit more expensive, though)
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Bayside would be another option, though the rent is a little higher than 1100, however don't take the rent sought on Daft as the final price there is room to negotiate, so start looking at places that are seeking 1200 and you may get lucky.
Killester/Kilbarrack also would be good options. Best of luck.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

if you're working in East Point - you're better off cycling if you can - the Dart station is over a mile from the Busines park - which you either have to walk or use the bus service which can be very busy - this will add on to your commute time - anywhere around Glasnevin, Drumcondra, Fairview, Donneycarney will be within 3-4 miles cycle and will be cheaper than houses on the Dart line.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Hi,
Marino is another area beside Fairview and Clontarf.
Very quiet arwa, really family-friendly, shops, excellent schools, churches all close by. Great community feel. It is very close to East Point too and as others have said you would be much faster to cycle there than to be arriving on the DART and having to wait on a commuter bus to get to East Point.
Hope this helps.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Would second Marino or look at Killester - very near east point but still a nice distance away, near the city centre yet they are very much residential areas.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Hi,
I work in eastpoint and live in Inchicore, it takes me 25 - 30 minutes to cycle to work, so you could look at that distance on a map and plot a circle around eastpoint if you want to cycle. Check that your new workplace has showers though ...

The dart station is only a 5 - 7 minute walk to eastpoint so not sure that it could really be a mile - as previously suggested! (Maybe Connolly station is a mile)

Inchicore is ok ... but it depends on what you term family friendly. I am about to move my family (sell the house and then rent while we figure out where we want to live) and the areas of Marino, parts of Fairview, definitely clontarf (could be pricey) and places near the coast road could all be good for you.

Many people that I work with live north in Malahide, Portmarnock and even Rush, though it means at lest a 45 minute commute depending on your work hours.

Good luck in your search ! And I think that Myhome also have rental properties.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Thanks to everybody, you have been very kind and your suggestions very useful. I would like to focus on Marino - but unfortunately on the daft I can see only 2 apts to rent in Marino - over my budget. What do you think about Fairview?
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

Fairview is nice. Also have a look at Drumcondra, Whitehall, parts of Phibsborough and Glasnevin as suggested above. Should be possible to get a 2 bed house in one of those areas for around 1100 euro.
 
Sometimes it is not possible to have everything you want so I'd suggest you prioritise.I live in Skerries and work in Dublin 2 - it takes 60mins door to door but we have a fantastic lifestyle for the kids with the beach and green areas/parks etc.I'd suggest Donabate or Balbriggan should be within your price range and you will soon get used to the travelling otherwise your kids will be stuck in a concrete jungle and you'll be payinghalf your salary in order to get to work 20 mins faster.....??
Good luck.
 
I wouldn't call clontarf a concrete jungle. The areas suggested are near the coast - near parks and more importantly the OP does not have a major commute... More time with family...
 
I'm looking to rent a 2 bed apt in Swords (beside airport) with great access to east point bus pk.

1000 per mth fully furnished
 
pinkyBear said:
I wouldn't call clontarf a concrete jungle. The areas suggested are near the coast - near parks and more importantly the OP does not have a major commute... More time with family...
Click to expand...

So true. Sorry Bren1916 but it doesn't sound like you know the areas in question. Places like Clontarf, Drumcondra, Marino and Glasnevin are leafy, low-rise areas that have been established as family-friendly locations for several generations. They have a great selection of amenities and good public transport links, hence the high property prices in these areas compared to some other parts of the city. They're nothing remotely like a concrete jungle.

I've often heard that same argument made by people who chose to buy a larger house in a less-established commuter area. As PinkyBear says less commuting time means more time with family and friends, and that's going to be a priority for many people.
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

nai said:
if you're working in East Point - you're better off cycling if you can - the Dart station is over a mile from the Busines park -
Click to expand...

A mile?
You obviously don't know the shortcut! Sure you walk from the Dart Station in Fairview to Alfie Byrne Rd (mind yourself, narrow one-way road) in less then two minutes and East Point Business Park is basically across the road. 7-8 minutes walk max

Maybe you are referring to Connolly Station
There is a shuttle bus too

noel_c said:
. Places like Clontarf, Drumcondra, Marino and Glasnevin
Click to expand...

All nice areas but pricy. Check out Killester too
 
Re: Help! need to find family-friendly areas in Dublin County

micmclo said:
All nice areas but pricy. Check out Killester too
Click to expand...

Expensive areas to buy certainly but not so expensive to rent. Looking at daft there is very little price difference in renting a 3 bed semi-d in Killester as opposed to Marino or Drumcondra. In all cases it's about €1500pm. At €500 per room per month, that's about the going rate for rooms in decent parts of Dublin.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top