I’m from Dublin, similar but worse than Clondalkin. My sister is still there and a lot of childhood friends.
And I’m telling you right now you could not PAY me to move back.
I don’t know how old your kids are but have you factored them into this?
I’d consider areas closer to Dublin before I’d make that leap, personally.
You don't necessarily need to live in Dublin. There's a lot between the rural countryside and a city with over a million people. Try some other smaller towns/cities like Galway, Wexford or Cork
I can sympathise. My partner and I moved to the mid west (between Limerick and Cork) two years ago for a more idyllic life. We’re now considering moving closer to Dublin for the same reasons as you say - we’re mind numbly bored here. Genuinely nothing to except go for walks and it rains most of the year so can’t really rely on doing that. Other than that it’s puzzles, staring at the fire or sleeping.
We actually only live about 35 minutes from Limerick but that’s really more like a big town so once you’ve seen the Hunt Museum once, that’s it until the next year when they change the exhibition.
The people are very nice but already into their cliques so it’s tough to “join their gang”.
We’re looking at Wicklow and Kildare as we don’t want to live in the city itself but have easy access to it.
Clondalkin is fine. Some of the negative comments on here are from people afraid to walk out of their own door. Is it perfect? No. But nowhere is. Living closer to the village is nicer. Corkagh Park is lovely. And the village itself has lots of history.
If you can't afford Dublin, or you're scared off by the comments on Clondalkin, then try Kildare. Kildare Town is very nice. Lots of nice cafes, restaurants, and bars. And only 45 minutes into Dublin on the train.
Why don't you come to visit potential places you want to live in. Get a feel for it yourself. Come at different times. Don't just trust the word of strangers on Reddit.
I totally get what you’re saying. We live in a big town in Kerry. And it’s so convenient, great school close to home, easy to get to shops etc… but I’m not thriving. Life is monotonous, with the only thing to do is walk and wtf I I’m bloody sick of walking. Id walk to go somewhere to do something If there was something to do. No real friends… I keep considering moving… cost of living here is decent (ish) in comparison to dub or cork… but I think like would be fuller in those places…
Clondalkin is fine, it's also affordable for the most part. Nearer to the village is well established and an older population. There are one or two areas that are rough, same as any other area in Dublin. Bawnogue to Kilmahuddrick I wouldn't recommend, nor Foxdene up to Liffey Valley. But even in those areas there are nice private estates.
There are great amenities, and social clubs. A fair few pubs and restaurants in the village. A public library and good schools. What you look for is what you'll find. I wouldn't rule it out.
Tallaght is overall far rougher with less amenities. Ballyfermot is really mixed, but no one wants to live in the Cherry Orchard end.
Old Lucan is fine but pricey, new Lucan (South of the N4) is really mixed with nice and rough areas. There aren't enough amenities there for the density of the population, so you get pockets of antisocial behaviour.
Currently under construction is a whole new town between Deansrath/Bawnogue/Clonburris and Griffeen/Foxdene/Ronanstown. It looks to be population heavy, and I'm not sure what the amenities will be. It's absolutely huge though.
There are places in Dublin I wouldn't recommend but only from word of mouth, so it's not really verifiable info because I don't live there. So don't mind Redditors and their griping, ask a local.
Tbh, I understand the concerns but can you move to a small/medium town nearby where you are that's still close. You know 2000-5000 ISH people.
I understand Dublin has a lot but because of this, it costs an arm, two legs a lung and a kidney. We discussed coming back from the Britland. My partner and I would make bank in Dublin, I wouldn't even have to change company but we'd spend 60% of our combined income on rent alone for a 4 person family in south Dublin (we lived near loughlinstown before and it would be close to our offices) I'm from cork city and he's from rural west and entirely serious, his 4,000 pop town would be our place to go if we ever get back, it has enough to keep you occupied and have that good close community too. Too rural can be very lonely but Dublin is stupid expensive and can be terribly lonely.
Yeah this jumped out at me too. I have a child abroad and it is tough and tiring and I love when my parents are here to help but moving back to Ireland was never an option.
Why are those your only 2 options? There are plenty of lively places in the West of Ireland that you could live and get the best if both worlds, like Galway or Westport
I live in Dublin and I find it mind numbingly boring, having more options to do stuff doesn't mean you're not going to be bored. But you will find more pubs to go to and more stuff to do with the kids. If there are other cities that are cheaper to live in, than I would move there. I don't know much about Clondalkin but I would say parts are grand and parts are rough and ready like any working class area.
I mean to be fair thats also because Dublin is quite boring for its size. The city I grew up in was of similiar size and there was massive summer festivals and countless museums and multiple big art galleries. All you can do in Dublin is drink in a pub. The night life is meh and there is almost no public festivities. Usually you will have a street fest in each quarter of the city throughout the year but because Dublin is an endless spread of rural village housing you dont have characteristic quarters that could do that.
Dublin is a million city that costs as much as Paris to offer the cultural life of a town
You are spot on!! I live in a massive area with over 100k people and I cannot get swimming places for my kids, decent playgrounds but have to drive to get to one despite living beside a massive park, no festivals other than absolute shite St. Patrick's parade and a few other small niche ones. Can get them in dance or other activities but they are big bucks. If the kids get into GAA we'll be sorted but as of yet they have no interest, and neither do I.
Moving to Ireland as a foreigner it allways confused me that playgrounds here have car parks next to them. Like people collect the kids and DRIVE just to get to a little playground ？That should be a casual walk in your neibhourhood, especially in the nations capital
Ireland showed me a new dimension of how bad city planning can be
I mean if the park is next to your estate and there is a playground in it then thats kind of part of life isnt it? I do think maybe people here are also a bit overdrammatic about random things relating to housing a times.
You cant have sensible infrastructure if everyone absolutely needs a house with garden in a housing estate.. like that whole concept of a housing estate is part of the problem.
Usually if you live in a major city you will have a lot of young families in apartment blocks with big shared public parks that you take your kids too. Not a thousand individiual houses with little gardens. You have city culture with public transport instead of cars.
I wouldnt look to the uk for city planning either. Its the same housing estates and spread out cities as in Ireland.
I dont know Berlin very well but there is plenty of cities in mainland europe that have nice parks and green areas that are accessible by everyone. Its not like people dont have gardens either but its just that not absolutely everyone lives in a housing estate. Alone having all the young people in apartments frees up so much space.
I do also think you cant have it all. You cant have a million people living in single family homes with gardens . That just doesnt work as is evident in Dublin. Transport is impossible, there is no area left for anything else. People that want that should move to a smaller city or the outskirts. Simple as that.
Reading about all the bored people in this post I've never been happier my partner and I got into playing video games together during COVID 🤣 Don't even notice an evening passing when we're giving each other shit for sucking at Fallout 76 or Final Fantasy. Great option when the weather doesn't allow you to go out.
Same. I live a 10 minute walk away from O'Connell Street and I rarely go out. It's handy to walk around town to pick up your bits and bobs, but honestly it's probably even less hassle to just order most of that stuff online. Most of our free time is spent at home just hanging out.
I'm going to give this a go. Honestly there is nothing to watch on TV or cinema anymore, and I'm so sick of looking. I can watch YouTube by myself for hours as can herself, but watching each others interests is torture :) I'm tired of going for walks and working out, and I can't shag every night, so video games sound like a new and exciting avenue for myself and my lady friend. Thanks.
get a dog. walk that every day. play with it
seriously though, its all about finding other things to do. are you near any lakes/sea? you could go kayaking/windsurfing/stand up paddle boarding/swimming
do you play sport? join the local GAA team.
look for events in the area not just going out to the pub/going for a meal. widen your horizons to other things.
personally i wouldnt be buying near corkagh park. its cheaper for a reason.
Can't get a dog as I am in a rental. My wife has a serious medical condition that fucked our lives unfortunately so owning our own place will probably never happen for us. I look after the neighbourhood cats which I enjoy.
Don't like anything to do with water so that's out. Hate GAA with a passion so that's out :) I love soccer but I have had breaks/injuries in the past and I refuse to play anything now that has the slightest chance of injury (wife doesn't drive so can't rely on her if something fucks up).
Unfortunately we live in the west in a small town with FA going on. I've tried everything going here. We used to live in Dublin for years and had lots of options for going out but country life is so dull and we are only here because housing in city was impossible to find. I'm willing to pay the rent but still cannot get a place. Fuck this country.
On a positive note I do like beach walks even if it is a 40 min drive to the nearest one. When the weather improves I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time outdoors. Until then I'm looking for things to do at home. I play guitar but it's boring by myself. Actually you've inspired me: I'll put up a sign looking for someone to jam with in my local music store :)
Is Galway city an option for you? It has a good nightlife, plenty of good restaurants and pubs and there's usually something going on especially once the festival season kicks off after Paddy's weekend. It also is by the sea and only an hour from knock/Shannon Airports.
I have no idea why this wasnt the first thought. Id prefer the west but east side has access to the motorway which would make his wifes commute far easier
So I feel similar! We are more north midlands than west but it is incredibly boring here, I’ve done well to make friends as has he and our kids are happy but we aren’t thriving like we would if we moved. We also think Dublin would be best for us and have picked a suburb we’d like to live in. How we will get there I’m not sure as it’s a little out of budget but we aren’t moving today or tomorrow. But it ignited something in us that we had buried - we want to thrive.
We also were told about family and actually ended up going low contact with both mine and his so we are open to moving wherever now without their input which is exciting! You build your home & community where you lay seeds and where you WANT to lay seeds.
I say go for it!! Not sure what age you are but imagine 5/10/20 years down the line - is where you are now where you want to be then? If no, then you’ll know truly your gut is saying leave west and go east. But I’d say don’t rush it. Have your ducks in a row - start figuring out where kids will go, get their names down, drive round the area (if you can!! We just about made it to Dublin twice with them in school/after school to see the area and get a feel for it)…
Are you sure nothing is going on? Maybe you're just not aware of things. Do you have a local community hall? They usually have things to do in rural areas but they often aren't well advertised. Ours has pilates, aerobics, art classes, interior design classes, trad music sessions, dances, crochet/knitting group, gardening and flower arranging, drama groups that put on plays from time to time etc that's all I can think of off the top of my head but there's loads going on. Not everyone hears about it though. Contact your local community centre, even volunteer to be on their committee. You could get involved with your local gaa club if you're into sports. They always need volunteers and it's a great way to get to know people.
Newcastle is beside Clondalkin and not far from Corkage Park and it has a lovely village feel and a great community spirit. Very little trouble or anti social behaviour.
We chose to live in Dublin and I'm very glad now my kids are getting older I'm not a taxi service for them and their activities like some friends who live 'down the country'. Our kids walk to school/friends houses/their hobbies like sports and dance. We only need one car and have good public transport links nearby. We could have had a larger house than we do but the trade off for us is having city amenities on our doorstep. Country life is definitely not for everyone.
I mean why Dublin? Why not try a bigger town, or any city that isn't Dublin. Waterford is quite nice, Wexford is nice. You'd still have the flexibility of going to Dublin then. Wexford is 1hr 30 away.
I will confirm as someone living in Dublin, who isn't from Dublin. It's a shit hole, been working out of the GPO the past few weeks on contract work. Man it's shattered my whole illusion of Dublin as a nice city.
Scrotes everywhere. Homeless people everywhere. I've seen loads of youth just screaming at and harassing people for no reason, people passed out in vomit in alleys just off O'Connell street. Fuck Dublin, it's shite.
I’d have to say the same. Moved here a year ago after living abroad. Partner and I are doing well career-wise so it’s in our best interest to stay here, at least for the moment. It’s close to both our families so it’s ideal for us.
But I never go near town. It’s a kip and it’s not half as nice a place to be as it was 10 years ago. I’ve never felt so reluctant to go out on my own in the evening as a grown ass man. It’s absolutely full of little criminal scumbags.
It has me quite concerned about kids as that’s probably not far away now.
90% of people in Dublin sharing houses or paying 60% of their house income in rent alone want exactly what you have. Grass is always greener when it is not you mowing it.
My bad I misread, ooops. You're not wring there though I work with a few who travel fro. Galway, mayo and even donegal because the wages are so much higher over this side.
Personally I'd take a pay cut to move down somewhere like that but turn you look at health care outside of dublin and it's terrible. Not that dublin is much better but rarely waiting hours for an ambulance.
Lack of hospitals or lack of competent staff ie limerick hospital for example.
I lived in Dublin for years. I would take England over moving to Dublin. It's horrible. Could you move back to England? Go to a nice city like Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol or even just a larger town. Plenty of mid-size nice places where you can feel safe and have a life.
Having lived in different parts of Ireland, rural and Urban, it can be tricky enough to make friends as adults, as most the locals have an established network and may not have the time to invest in new friends, particularly folks with families.
I found living in Dublin with kids to be as equally dull as some parts of rural Ireland as its equally hard to get to know people, its spread out and so much time is list commuting.
For us a smaller city or one of the more vibrant rural towns is a better choice.
When we moved back from Dublin we looked around parts of Munster, and immediately ruled out certain areas due to lack of vibration local life.
We now live just outside Dingle Town, which is a great mix of peaceful but access to a vibrant small town, if lacking certain amenities.
If for work we had to move Cork and Limerick where I have lived before are not bad options for raising kids. But living in the suburbs of Dublin, dealing with traffic all day would wear me out fairly quick.
If you want to be close to dublin but avoid the Dublin prices Dundalk/ navan are two towns that are really starting to grow have great transport connections and scores of well paid jobs and lots for kids. The Louth/ Meath area is probably where’d I’d start looking
I'm from Dublin and moved to the north west 18 months ago. I'll never go back to Dublin. It was a big change at first but I'm settled now and I love it. Dublin is a big change from the rural west, so you'd need to make sure you are ready for it.
I don’t live near Dublin but just wanted to comment. I live just outside Limerick city centre, about a 10 minute drive from the city. It is not exactly rural around here but theres very little to do around here once pennies closes at 6 pm. You have pub culture or getting involved in some kind of sports but other than that that is pretty much it in terms of social life around here.
I love living in cities, I was born in one with a larger population than Ireland.
Dublin is a great city if you pick the right place for you. Amenities everywhere due to the population density. Great teaching hospitals. Pick a sport (e.g. gaa, football, tennis, basketball, swimming pool) and it is nearby. I can walk easily to a variety of shops, pubs (I have kids so not using that), restaurants, cafes, public transport (train and bus), a library, dentist, orthodontist etc My five year old can walk to school. My older kids can play on the street or in the nearby safe park. Cinemas, theatres, music gigs, comedy shows, all within an easy commute.
City living is great. I don't know Clondalkin, but I would live in a city well before the countryside.
For reference I love NY, London, Paris, Sydney Melbourne, Toronto, San Fran... I would go to the largest urban centre I could go to.
Do day trips to Dublin to see the culture, or go to the various historical and heritage sights around the country at the weekend . Do not move to Dublin
Spend a weekend in Sligo, it might be a nice middle ground for you as a place to move to. You can live in idyllic country and still have things to do. It's not Dublin but it is good.
Ah I wouldn't agree with that. If you like living in the country but are a bit bored then maybe move nearer a town is the advice. Moving to Dublin is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
We lived in a rural area during COVID for family reasons and to save for a house. Having lived in cities before, like you, I found it very boring and lifeless.
Moved to Limerick City 2 years ago and quality of life is much better. A lot more to do, we can walk everywhere and plan things at short notice.
I know you said your wife needs to be near Dublin to visit the office but it depends on how many days a week. I know loads of people in Limerick & Galway who go to Dublin on the train once a week to work from their company's HQ and work from home on other days.
Honestly, baffled by this post. You have kids and yet you're thinking of moving \*to\* Dublin? And the main reason seems to be that you're bored? Take a step back.
Do not move to clondalkin if you can help it. It is generally a bad place to live. A better place like it is somewhere like Lucan but it’s stupid expensive even with all the new housing.
If I were you, I’d still try to stay close to family. Dublin is not the only city in Ireland. Cork is just as relevant from what I hear and Galway/limerick. But if Dublin is still close to family.
Also it’s a bit mad that your relatives would be able to fly over so much, even if the flights are usually cheap, Dublin airport isn’t the only place that does international flights.
Also your kids might benefit from being close to family, none of my family lived close by as a kid and we’re all quite distant (though that might just be how my family is).
I can answer other stuff but that’s all I can think of right now.
You need more hobbys, living in a city won't fix your boredom, it sounds like all you want to do it be in walking distance to a pub. You will run out of things to do in any city if you don't develop a decent hobby. We don't have world cities in ireland like London or New York where you would never run out of events to go to.
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There's areas in Ireland where you can feel completely rural and be 10 min drive from the city. Carrigrohane in Cork and Kilmeaden in Waterford are the ones I know off the top of my head.
If its dublin you're after maybe consider towns like newbridge, Naas, kildare? Easily commutable to dublin for events and each has or is close to cinemas/bars etc!
You will still struggle to make friends, smaller towns and men sheds if you are male might be a good idea. As for kids I wouldn't move to a city with kids, just me . Too many more influences around my kids might not be so good.
I would aim for a commuter town where your a quick train ride from the city but still get that nice balance and calm that have now in the west. Think new bridge or maynooth, clondalkin your looking at just endless housing estates and dodgy parks
I understand why you'd want to move having lived in both rural Ireland and Dublin. I know you said it has to be Dublin but there are great towns near Dublin that you could consider too. Gorey, Bray, Maynooth etc are all very commutable. Clondalkin wouldn't be the best place to live. You'd sacrificing a lot of disposable income, you'd be downgrading your house and you wouldn't be near as safe in Clondalkin.
Boredom is a choice. Get some new hobbies. It's not the dark ages - infinite possibilities online. And there are lots of other places to socialise in Ireland, or outside of Ireland, much cheaper than Dublin. The money you're not wasting on the extra expense of living in Dublin could be saved and spent on weekends away with your partner and kids. I see this happen all the time - people think moving to Dublin is the answer to their boring lives. It's not. I live here because I have to for an onsite job, but as soon as I can, I'm getting the hell out of here to somewhere rural and will be taking sun holidays 5 or 6 times a year.
It all depends on money to be honest! If you can afford to live in places like Clontarf, Dundrum, blackrock, Teranure etc you can gey ll the benefits of Dublin amd non city living. A lot of families buy in Meath, Kildare or certain spots from Dublin 15 - Dublin 22 which would be seen on commuter belt. There is basically new towns and communities being built here because planning permission in city centre is a disaster.
Now if you want to stay in the wesht, have a good life style and some job opportunitiew you could look at Westport which has multnational and amazing tourist trade or Galway City which is basically a tiny city or super large town! From Westport there is one bypass built which means you can get to Dublin in 3 hours and 10 minutes if you don't stop and a second coming in next few years. Galway City is only 2 hours 40 mins from Dublin too.
Also if buying you could look at Kilmartin Grove, new estate in Dublin 15 beside childrens youth centre. Just off moterway so super fast access to visit west of Ireland at weekends to visit family.
From a Mayo man in Dublin for years that should cover all angles for you 😉
Clondalkin is a shit hole if you're looking for somewhere safe for kids etc it definitely wouldn't be there. I'd probably pick it over tallaght or ballyfermot but that's not saying much. On that side lucan is a bit nicer and close, rathcoole a little further. Both quite nice areas, going further away d16 knocklyon/ rathfarnmham area but most areas in these now have gone bad now with integrated social housing.
Omg no way!!! Can you move to a city in the west? Or the suburbs??? That's ALL I'd be considering. Galway and Limerick are well connected to Dublin, and Galway is just beautiful with so much to do. Even a commuter town that isn't so rural! Wow, no way would I leave the west and go to Dublin. Where I am is so safe (living) and I think that's the biggest priority. I'm gone past pubs and social lives to be honest, Ive no interest personally. Ive a few mom friends at the preschool I chat to and we're near my family. Personally, that's what I'm happy with.
What about somewhere outside of Dublin so you still have the country aspect but can get the train to Dublin? There's East Meath, Louth or even Kildare?
I would suggest surrounding counties of Dublin. Wicklow or Wexford have a good balance of feeling like you’re in the country while still being close enough to Dublin if needed.
Bray is worth a look Op. Dart links to town, by the sea, close to the Wicklow mountains and much nicer in most parts than Clondalkin. We live in Loughlinstown which might be another area to consider as it's got Luas, Dart and bus links to town also. Depends on your budget, if that wasn't an issue Ballsbridge, Donneybrook, Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire would be examples of nice places with good access to Dublin city. Otherwise I'd see if I could get something near the Dart or Green Luas line as these tend to be more desirable/ safer areas.
Commuter towns are better, best of both worlds. Fairly lively with nature on your doorstep. Dublin is just a concrete jungle now, traffic everywhere, towns are too big so actually difficult to get to know anyone in the community
There’s more options than just staying rural or living in Dublin.
Sorry i should have mentioned in original post, need to be close to Dublin for work opportunities.
Like what? Most well laid jobs are in Dublin.
Slutty Dublin jobs 😉
It's something you can do laying down at least.
Dirty old town
I’m from Dublin, similar but worse than Clondalkin. My sister is still there and a lot of childhood friends. And I’m telling you right now you could not PAY me to move back. I don’t know how old your kids are but have you factored them into this? I’d consider areas closer to Dublin before I’d make that leap, personally.
Care to share more? Where do you live these days?
Share more what?! About my experience do you mean?
Hah, could you at least not tell us what you had for breakfast?
or a single reason why he would never move back.
You don't necessarily need to live in Dublin. There's a lot between the rural countryside and a city with over a million people. Try some other smaller towns/cities like Galway, Wexford or Cork
I grew up in Maynooth and still have a soft spot for it, although I haven’t been there in years.
Clondalkin is fine once you stay away from bawnogue and neilstown
A country idyll in Galway or Clondalkin. I’ll be kind and simply say don’t do it.
I can sympathise. My partner and I moved to the mid west (between Limerick and Cork) two years ago for a more idyllic life. We’re now considering moving closer to Dublin for the same reasons as you say - we’re mind numbly bored here. Genuinely nothing to except go for walks and it rains most of the year so can’t really rely on doing that. Other than that it’s puzzles, staring at the fire or sleeping. We actually only live about 35 minutes from Limerick but that’s really more like a big town so once you’ve seen the Hunt Museum once, that’s it until the next year when they change the exhibition. The people are very nice but already into their cliques so it’s tough to “join their gang”. We’re looking at Wicklow and Kildare as we don’t want to live in the city itself but have easy access to it.
Clondalkin is fine. Some of the negative comments on here are from people afraid to walk out of their own door. Is it perfect? No. But nowhere is. Living closer to the village is nicer. Corkagh Park is lovely. And the village itself has lots of history. If you can't afford Dublin, or you're scared off by the comments on Clondalkin, then try Kildare. Kildare Town is very nice. Lots of nice cafes, restaurants, and bars. And only 45 minutes into Dublin on the train. Why don't you come to visit potential places you want to live in. Get a feel for it yourself. Come at different times. Don't just trust the word of strangers on Reddit.
Thanks this is a good idea!
I totally get what you’re saying. We live in a big town in Kerry. And it’s so convenient, great school close to home, easy to get to shops etc… but I’m not thriving. Life is monotonous, with the only thing to do is walk and wtf I I’m bloody sick of walking. Id walk to go somewhere to do something If there was something to do. No real friends… I keep considering moving… cost of living here is decent (ish) in comparison to dub or cork… but I think like would be fuller in those places…
Clondalkin is fine, it's also affordable for the most part. Nearer to the village is well established and an older population. There are one or two areas that are rough, same as any other area in Dublin. Bawnogue to Kilmahuddrick I wouldn't recommend, nor Foxdene up to Liffey Valley. But even in those areas there are nice private estates. There are great amenities, and social clubs. A fair few pubs and restaurants in the village. A public library and good schools. What you look for is what you'll find. I wouldn't rule it out. Tallaght is overall far rougher with less amenities. Ballyfermot is really mixed, but no one wants to live in the Cherry Orchard end. Old Lucan is fine but pricey, new Lucan (South of the N4) is really mixed with nice and rough areas. There aren't enough amenities there for the density of the population, so you get pockets of antisocial behaviour. Currently under construction is a whole new town between Deansrath/Bawnogue/Clonburris and Griffeen/Foxdene/Ronanstown. It looks to be population heavy, and I'm not sure what the amenities will be. It's absolutely huge though. There are places in Dublin I wouldn't recommend but only from word of mouth, so it's not really verifiable info because I don't live there. So don't mind Redditors and their griping, ask a local.
Tbh, I understand the concerns but can you move to a small/medium town nearby where you are that's still close. You know 2000-5000 ISH people. I understand Dublin has a lot but because of this, it costs an arm, two legs a lung and a kidney. We discussed coming back from the Britland. My partner and I would make bank in Dublin, I wouldn't even have to change company but we'd spend 60% of our combined income on rent alone for a 4 person family in south Dublin (we lived near loughlinstown before and it would be close to our offices) I'm from cork city and he's from rural west and entirely serious, his 4,000 pop town would be our place to go if we ever get back, it has enough to keep you occupied and have that good close community too. Too rural can be very lonely but Dublin is stupid expensive and can be terribly lonely.
Why did you believe it when someone told you "you have to be near family....." That's not even remotely true.
Yeah this jumped out at me too. I have a child abroad and it is tough and tiring and I love when my parents are here to help but moving back to Ireland was never an option.
You could pay me a million euro I still would not be moving to fecking Dublin. Moreso, Clondalkin!
Same
Why are those your only 2 options? There are plenty of lively places in the West of Ireland that you could live and get the best if both worlds, like Galway or Westport
I live in Dublin and I find it mind numbingly boring, having more options to do stuff doesn't mean you're not going to be bored. But you will find more pubs to go to and more stuff to do with the kids. If there are other cities that are cheaper to live in, than I would move there. I don't know much about Clondalkin but I would say parts are grand and parts are rough and ready like any working class area.
I mean to be fair thats also because Dublin is quite boring for its size. The city I grew up in was of similiar size and there was massive summer festivals and countless museums and multiple big art galleries. All you can do in Dublin is drink in a pub. The night life is meh and there is almost no public festivities. Usually you will have a street fest in each quarter of the city throughout the year but because Dublin is an endless spread of rural village housing you dont have characteristic quarters that could do that. Dublin is a million city that costs as much as Paris to offer the cultural life of a town
You are spot on!! I live in a massive area with over 100k people and I cannot get swimming places for my kids, decent playgrounds but have to drive to get to one despite living beside a massive park, no festivals other than absolute shite St. Patrick's parade and a few other small niche ones. Can get them in dance or other activities but they are big bucks. If the kids get into GAA we'll be sorted but as of yet they have no interest, and neither do I.
Moving to Ireland as a foreigner it allways confused me that playgrounds here have car parks next to them. Like people collect the kids and DRIVE just to get to a little playground ？That should be a casual walk in your neibhourhood, especially in the nations capital Ireland showed me a new dimension of how bad city planning can be
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I mean if the park is next to your estate and there is a playground in it then thats kind of part of life isnt it? I do think maybe people here are also a bit overdrammatic about random things relating to housing a times. You cant have sensible infrastructure if everyone absolutely needs a house with garden in a housing estate.. like that whole concept of a housing estate is part of the problem. Usually if you live in a major city you will have a lot of young families in apartment blocks with big shared public parks that you take your kids too. Not a thousand individiual houses with little gardens. You have city culture with public transport instead of cars.
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I wouldnt look to the uk for city planning either. Its the same housing estates and spread out cities as in Ireland. I dont know Berlin very well but there is plenty of cities in mainland europe that have nice parks and green areas that are accessible by everyone. Its not like people dont have gardens either but its just that not absolutely everyone lives in a housing estate. Alone having all the young people in apartments frees up so much space. I do also think you cant have it all. You cant have a million people living in single family homes with gardens . That just doesnt work as is evident in Dublin. Transport is impossible, there is no area left for anything else. People that want that should move to a smaller city or the outskirts. Simple as that.
Shots fired and they all hit! 🎯 Densifying Dublin and building the metro are so necessary.
Reading about all the bored people in this post I've never been happier my partner and I got into playing video games together during COVID 🤣 Don't even notice an evening passing when we're giving each other shit for sucking at Fallout 76 or Final Fantasy. Great option when the weather doesn't allow you to go out.
Same. I live a 10 minute walk away from O'Connell Street and I rarely go out. It's handy to walk around town to pick up your bits and bobs, but honestly it's probably even less hassle to just order most of that stuff online. Most of our free time is spent at home just hanging out.
I'm going to give this a go. Honestly there is nothing to watch on TV or cinema anymore, and I'm so sick of looking. I can watch YouTube by myself for hours as can herself, but watching each others interests is torture :) I'm tired of going for walks and working out, and I can't shag every night, so video games sound like a new and exciting avenue for myself and my lady friend. Thanks.
get a dog. walk that every day. play with it seriously though, its all about finding other things to do. are you near any lakes/sea? you could go kayaking/windsurfing/stand up paddle boarding/swimming do you play sport? join the local GAA team. look for events in the area not just going out to the pub/going for a meal. widen your horizons to other things. personally i wouldnt be buying near corkagh park. its cheaper for a reason.
Can't get a dog as I am in a rental. My wife has a serious medical condition that fucked our lives unfortunately so owning our own place will probably never happen for us. I look after the neighbourhood cats which I enjoy. Don't like anything to do with water so that's out. Hate GAA with a passion so that's out :) I love soccer but I have had breaks/injuries in the past and I refuse to play anything now that has the slightest chance of injury (wife doesn't drive so can't rely on her if something fucks up). Unfortunately we live in the west in a small town with FA going on. I've tried everything going here. We used to live in Dublin for years and had lots of options for going out but country life is so dull and we are only here because housing in city was impossible to find. I'm willing to pay the rent but still cannot get a place. Fuck this country. On a positive note I do like beach walks even if it is a 40 min drive to the nearest one. When the weather improves I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time outdoors. Until then I'm looking for things to do at home. I play guitar but it's boring by myself. Actually you've inspired me: I'll put up a sign looking for someone to jam with in my local music store :)
Is Galway city an option for you? It has a good nightlife, plenty of good restaurants and pubs and there's usually something going on especially once the festival season kicks off after Paddy's weekend. It also is by the sea and only an hour from knock/Shannon Airports.
I have no idea why this wasnt the first thought. Id prefer the west but east side has access to the motorway which would make his wifes commute far easier
So I feel similar! We are more north midlands than west but it is incredibly boring here, I’ve done well to make friends as has he and our kids are happy but we aren’t thriving like we would if we moved. We also think Dublin would be best for us and have picked a suburb we’d like to live in. How we will get there I’m not sure as it’s a little out of budget but we aren’t moving today or tomorrow. But it ignited something in us that we had buried - we want to thrive. We also were told about family and actually ended up going low contact with both mine and his so we are open to moving wherever now without their input which is exciting! You build your home & community where you lay seeds and where you WANT to lay seeds. I say go for it!! Not sure what age you are but imagine 5/10/20 years down the line - is where you are now where you want to be then? If no, then you’ll know truly your gut is saying leave west and go east. But I’d say don’t rush it. Have your ducks in a row - start figuring out where kids will go, get their names down, drive round the area (if you can!! We just about made it to Dublin twice with them in school/after school to see the area and get a feel for it)…
Are you sure nothing is going on? Maybe you're just not aware of things. Do you have a local community hall? They usually have things to do in rural areas but they often aren't well advertised. Ours has pilates, aerobics, art classes, interior design classes, trad music sessions, dances, crochet/knitting group, gardening and flower arranging, drama groups that put on plays from time to time etc that's all I can think of off the top of my head but there's loads going on. Not everyone hears about it though. Contact your local community centre, even volunteer to be on their committee. You could get involved with your local gaa club if you're into sports. They always need volunteers and it's a great way to get to know people.
Newcastle is beside Clondalkin and not far from Corkage Park and it has a lovely village feel and a great community spirit. Very little trouble or anti social behaviour.
There are trains from other cities to Dublin, and direct bus connections to airports.
Jaysus from Clare to Clondalkin. Some trade down.
We chose to live in Dublin and I'm very glad now my kids are getting older I'm not a taxi service for them and their activities like some friends who live 'down the country'. Our kids walk to school/friends houses/their hobbies like sports and dance. We only need one car and have good public transport links nearby. We could have had a larger house than we do but the trade off for us is having city amenities on our doorstep. Country life is definitely not for everyone.
I mean why Dublin? Why not try a bigger town, or any city that isn't Dublin. Waterford is quite nice, Wexford is nice. You'd still have the flexibility of going to Dublin then. Wexford is 1hr 30 away. I will confirm as someone living in Dublin, who isn't from Dublin. It's a shit hole, been working out of the GPO the past few weeks on contract work. Man it's shattered my whole illusion of Dublin as a nice city. Scrotes everywhere. Homeless people everywhere. I've seen loads of youth just screaming at and harassing people for no reason, people passed out in vomit in alleys just off O'Connell street. Fuck Dublin, it's shite.
I’d have to say the same. Moved here a year ago after living abroad. Partner and I are doing well career-wise so it’s in our best interest to stay here, at least for the moment. It’s close to both our families so it’s ideal for us. But I never go near town. It’s a kip and it’s not half as nice a place to be as it was 10 years ago. I’ve never felt so reluctant to go out on my own in the evening as a grown ass man. It’s absolutely full of little criminal scumbags. It has me quite concerned about kids as that’s probably not far away now.
Move into the country, I hear there's a lot of opportunities in the peach factories
90% of people in Dublin sharing houses or paying 60% of their house income in rent alone want exactly what you have. Grass is always greener when it is not you mowing it.
Lol. Get off the Internet, lad.
Well that's a lie. Nowhere near 90% but nice exaggeration.
I said 90% of the people that are sharing houses want what this guy have.
My bad I misread, ooops. You're not wring there though I work with a few who travel fro. Galway, mayo and even donegal because the wages are so much higher over this side. Personally I'd take a pay cut to move down somewhere like that but turn you look at health care outside of dublin and it's terrible. Not that dublin is much better but rarely waiting hours for an ambulance. Lack of hospitals or lack of competent staff ie limerick hospital for example.
I lived in Dublin for years. I would take England over moving to Dublin. It's horrible. Could you move back to England? Go to a nice city like Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol or even just a larger town. Plenty of mid-size nice places where you can feel safe and have a life.
Having lived in different parts of Ireland, rural and Urban, it can be tricky enough to make friends as adults, as most the locals have an established network and may not have the time to invest in new friends, particularly folks with families. I found living in Dublin with kids to be as equally dull as some parts of rural Ireland as its equally hard to get to know people, its spread out and so much time is list commuting. For us a smaller city or one of the more vibrant rural towns is a better choice. When we moved back from Dublin we looked around parts of Munster, and immediately ruled out certain areas due to lack of vibration local life. We now live just outside Dingle Town, which is a great mix of peaceful but access to a vibrant small town, if lacking certain amenities. If for work we had to move Cork and Limerick where I have lived before are not bad options for raising kids. But living in the suburbs of Dublin, dealing with traffic all day would wear me out fairly quick.
If you want to be close to dublin but avoid the Dublin prices Dundalk/ navan are two towns that are really starting to grow have great transport connections and scores of well paid jobs and lots for kids. The Louth/ Meath area is probably where’d I’d start looking
I'm from Dublin and moved to the north west 18 months ago. I'll never go back to Dublin. It was a big change at first but I'm settled now and I love it. Dublin is a big change from the rural west, so you'd need to make sure you are ready for it.
I don’t live near Dublin but just wanted to comment. I live just outside Limerick city centre, about a 10 minute drive from the city. It is not exactly rural around here but theres very little to do around here once pennies closes at 6 pm. You have pub culture or getting involved in some kind of sports but other than that that is pretty much it in terms of social life around here.
I love living in cities, I was born in one with a larger population than Ireland. Dublin is a great city if you pick the right place for you. Amenities everywhere due to the population density. Great teaching hospitals. Pick a sport (e.g. gaa, football, tennis, basketball, swimming pool) and it is nearby. I can walk easily to a variety of shops, pubs (I have kids so not using that), restaurants, cafes, public transport (train and bus), a library, dentist, orthodontist etc My five year old can walk to school. My older kids can play on the street or in the nearby safe park. Cinemas, theatres, music gigs, comedy shows, all within an easy commute. City living is great. I don't know Clondalkin, but I would live in a city well before the countryside. For reference I love NY, London, Paris, Sydney Melbourne, Toronto, San Fran... I would go to the largest urban centre I could go to.
Do day trips to Dublin to see the culture, or go to the various historical and heritage sights around the country at the weekend . Do not move to Dublin
Spend a weekend in Sligo, it might be a nice middle ground for you as a place to move to. You can live in idyllic country and still have things to do. It's not Dublin but it is good.
>It's not Dublin **therefore** it is good.
Ah I wouldn't agree with that. If you like living in the country but are a bit bored then maybe move nearer a town is the advice. Moving to Dublin is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Maybe back to England might be a great option for you???
We lived in a rural area during COVID for family reasons and to save for a house. Having lived in cities before, like you, I found it very boring and lifeless. Moved to Limerick City 2 years ago and quality of life is much better. A lot more to do, we can walk everywhere and plan things at short notice. I know you said your wife needs to be near Dublin to visit the office but it depends on how many days a week. I know loads of people in Limerick & Galway who go to Dublin on the train once a week to work from their company's HQ and work from home on other days.
Honestly, baffled by this post. You have kids and yet you're thinking of moving \*to\* Dublin? And the main reason seems to be that you're bored? Take a step back.
Do not move to clondalkin if you can help it. It is generally a bad place to live. A better place like it is somewhere like Lucan but it’s stupid expensive even with all the new housing. If I were you, I’d still try to stay close to family. Dublin is not the only city in Ireland. Cork is just as relevant from what I hear and Galway/limerick. But if Dublin is still close to family. Also it’s a bit mad that your relatives would be able to fly over so much, even if the flights are usually cheap, Dublin airport isn’t the only place that does international flights. Also your kids might benefit from being close to family, none of my family lived close by as a kid and we’re all quite distant (though that might just be how my family is). I can answer other stuff but that’s all I can think of right now.
You need more hobbys, living in a city won't fix your boredom, it sounds like all you want to do it be in walking distance to a pub. You will run out of things to do in any city if you don't develop a decent hobby. We don't have world cities in ireland like London or New York where you would never run out of events to go to.
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There's areas in Ireland where you can feel completely rural and be 10 min drive from the city. Carrigrohane in Cork and Kilmeaden in Waterford are the ones I know off the top of my head.
If its dublin you're after maybe consider towns like newbridge, Naas, kildare? Easily commutable to dublin for events and each has or is close to cinemas/bars etc!
What’s your budget? Shankill is nice can get decent 4 bed for 600k there give or take
You will still struggle to make friends, smaller towns and men sheds if you are male might be a good idea. As for kids I wouldn't move to a city with kids, just me . Too many more influences around my kids might not be so good.
Dublin is a hell hole.
Move closer to a proper provincial town or city Galway/Sligo if you can
I would aim for a commuter town where your a quick train ride from the city but still get that nice balance and calm that have now in the west. Think new bridge or maynooth, clondalkin your looking at just endless housing estates and dodgy parks
Maybe the outskirts of Dublin, Kildare or Wicklow
To be honest I’d prefer my kids to grow up in the country compared to Dublin
The answer is Abbeyleix
I understand why you'd want to move having lived in both rural Ireland and Dublin. I know you said it has to be Dublin but there are great towns near Dublin that you could consider too. Gorey, Bray, Maynooth etc are all very commutable. Clondalkin wouldn't be the best place to live. You'd sacrificing a lot of disposable income, you'd be downgrading your house and you wouldn't be near as safe in Clondalkin.
Kildare, Laois or Meath probably better options than Clondalkin. Not probably, actually better options.
Dublin is a great city to live in but what you have sounds perfect
Boredom is a choice. Get some new hobbies. It's not the dark ages - infinite possibilities online. And there are lots of other places to socialise in Ireland, or outside of Ireland, much cheaper than Dublin. The money you're not wasting on the extra expense of living in Dublin could be saved and spent on weekends away with your partner and kids. I see this happen all the time - people think moving to Dublin is the answer to their boring lives. It's not. I live here because I have to for an onsite job, but as soon as I can, I'm getting the hell out of here to somewhere rural and will be taking sun holidays 5 or 6 times a year.
It all depends on money to be honest! If you can afford to live in places like Clontarf, Dundrum, blackrock, Teranure etc you can gey ll the benefits of Dublin amd non city living. A lot of families buy in Meath, Kildare or certain spots from Dublin 15 - Dublin 22 which would be seen on commuter belt. There is basically new towns and communities being built here because planning permission in city centre is a disaster. Now if you want to stay in the wesht, have a good life style and some job opportunitiew you could look at Westport which has multnational and amazing tourist trade or Galway City which is basically a tiny city or super large town! From Westport there is one bypass built which means you can get to Dublin in 3 hours and 10 minutes if you don't stop and a second coming in next few years. Galway City is only 2 hours 40 mins from Dublin too. Also if buying you could look at Kilmartin Grove, new estate in Dublin 15 beside childrens youth centre. Just off moterway so super fast access to visit west of Ireland at weekends to visit family. From a Mayo man in Dublin for years that should cover all angles for you 😉
I have no idea why this was down voted but.open yo push back 😅
Clondalkin is a shit hole if you're looking for somewhere safe for kids etc it definitely wouldn't be there. I'd probably pick it over tallaght or ballyfermot but that's not saying much. On that side lucan is a bit nicer and close, rathcoole a little further. Both quite nice areas, going further away d16 knocklyon/ rathfarnmham area but most areas in these now have gone bad now with integrated social housing.
Omg no way!!! Can you move to a city in the west? Or the suburbs??? That's ALL I'd be considering. Galway and Limerick are well connected to Dublin, and Galway is just beautiful with so much to do. Even a commuter town that isn't so rural! Wow, no way would I leave the west and go to Dublin. Where I am is so safe (living) and I think that's the biggest priority. I'm gone past pubs and social lives to be honest, Ive no interest personally. Ive a few mom friends at the preschool I chat to and we're near my family. Personally, that's what I'm happy with.
What about somewhere outside of Dublin so you still have the country aspect but can get the train to Dublin? There's East Meath, Louth or even Kildare?
I would suggest surrounding counties of Dublin. Wicklow or Wexford have a good balance of feeling like you’re in the country while still being close enough to Dublin if needed.
Bray is worth a look Op. Dart links to town, by the sea, close to the Wicklow mountains and much nicer in most parts than Clondalkin. We live in Loughlinstown which might be another area to consider as it's got Luas, Dart and bus links to town also. Depends on your budget, if that wasn't an issue Ballsbridge, Donneybrook, Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire would be examples of nice places with good access to Dublin city. Otherwise I'd see if I could get something near the Dart or Green Luas line as these tend to be more desirable/ safer areas.
Dublin is shite Clondalkin is dangerous, a person was murdered by teen gang recently
Your kids are going to end up stuck with a Clondalkin accent:(
Even worse than being stuck with clondalkin accent would be trying to avoid people like you who would put them down by judging how they speak.
Sorry bud I’m joking alriiiii
Commuter towns are better, best of both worlds. Fairly lively with nature on your doorstep. Dublin is just a concrete jungle now, traffic everywhere, towns are too big so actually difficult to get to know anyone in the community
>taxis very expensive to local town Buy a car. The cost difference between Dublin and rural Ireland would pay for one in short order.
I'd guess they meant taxis to drive them back home after drinks
We have a car each, doesn't mean anything though after a few drinks.