Hotspot: Kimmage

Why now?
With house prices on the rise, Kimmage represents good value for those priced out of neighbouring Terenure, Rathmines and Ranelagh, says Ciaran Cassidy, manager of Lisney's Terenure office, who covers the area. "There are great houses for first-time buyers. The closer to the village the property is, the more attractive it is."

As a result, the area is attracting young families, says Johnnie Mullan of local estate agents Murphy Mullan. “Kimmage’s proximity to town is another big selling point.” The area has two main types of housing stock; 1900s-built properties and smaller ex-corporation houses of 700 and 800sq ft, many of which have already been extended.

What residents say
Graphic designer and mother-of-three Emma Carty moved into the area about four years ago, buying a three-bedroom semi, a former council house, on Derravaragh Road, just off Kimmage Road West.

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22 Derravaragh Road

Originally from Co Offaly, she wanted an area that had a village feel but wasn’t in Dublin’s outer suburbs. “Town is just a 40-minute walk,” she explains. The area is also a good school catchment area and there are lots of activities for her children. They go to scouts and guides in Terenure village Memorial Hall.

Her daughter, Althea, aged six, goes to Presentation College in Terenure, a girls’ primary school that also has a secondary school and is a 15-minute walk away. Her son, Riley, aged three, attends nearby Manor Montessori School and Nursery on Ashdale Road.

Carl McHugh, aged 24, grew up in Kimmage and moved back into the area six months ago to rent a house with friends. He pays €1,500 per month for a three-bedroom house that has a large, open- plan kitchen and a 60-foot back garden with a deck.

He describes the location as being “within touching distance of town” and, crucially for a boy about town, “just a €7 taxi ride home”. In his job as supervisor at Assador, a restaurant on Haddington Road, Carl keeps late hours. He loves the area’s sense of community.

“It’s not like any of the other apartments or house-shares I’ve had in my 20s,” he says. His next door neighbours, a couple in their 70s, are kind enough to put out his bin on a Sunday night if he isn’t home to do so.

Kimmage’s report card should also reflect that the mixed area straddles two post codes, D6W and D12, and borders Drimnagh, Walkinstown and Crumlin, and, as with any large city area, some pockets might not always be as cordial as Carl McHugh’s grade A experience so far.

One local, who didn’t want to be named, advises house-hunters to investigate first-hand what the road they want to live on is like before they consider buying into the area.

He goes as far as suggesting that they "stake it out" on a Friday night at two or three in the morning, by sitting on location in their car and observing what does and doesn't go on there before making any commitments.

Amenities
Eamonn Ceannt Park, on Sundrive Road, has a Crumlin address but is Kimmage's best green space. Its amenities include a track-and-field athletics area, and grass and all-weather football pitches. The park is home to Ireland's only cycle track, a velodrome that is used by Cycling Ireland and Sundrive Track Team for competitions. The park has two tennis courts and a basketball court where bicycle polo matches take place. It has a playground and when it freezes the kids go sledding on what's known locally as The Hill.

Larkview Boys FC is the local soccer club, where Brian Kerr, former Republic of Ireland football manager, once played at junior level. Nowadays they have just one youth team while nearby Harold’s Cross Youth Club on Harold’s Cross Road boasts eight or nine teams but they are full to capacity at the moment.

There is a swimming pool in Ben Dunne’s Carlisle Gym at 54 Kimmage Road West where membership costs €225 a year. The swimming pools in nearby Templeogue College (tcsp.ie) and Terenure College (terenurecollege.ie) are both open to the public at certain times on a pay-as-you-go basis. They also run classes for children.

At its heart, Kimmage has the village shopping centre where the anchor tenant, the Superquinn supermarket will change its name to Supervalu in February. The centre includes Rea’s Cafe; Rosebud newsagents and a chemist.

The village has a Garda station on Sundrive Road.

Where can you go out ?
For a big full Irish breakfast at the weekend there's Matt The Rashers and, during the week, Pickles, a deli-cum-sandwich bar, is a firm favourite. Both are on Sundrive Road.

Carl McHugh likes the sushi in newly opened Sakura, which is mainly a take-away although there are a couple of tables that you can sit at. The Capri, the local chipper, does a “stellar fish and chips”, Carl says, and the Jade House is the place to go for a Chinese take-away.

But the place needs more restaurants, he says. For now this is Kimmage’s biggest drawback. Unlike nearby Terenure, Harold’s Cross and Rathmines there are no neighbourhood restaurants to visit at night. For a bite to eat and a bottle of wine Emma leaves the area to go to Beckett and Bull on Rathgar Avenue. For brunch with the kids she likes Union Square on Terenure Road north.

The Stone Boat, a local on Sundrive, is owned by Paul and Liam Mangan who also own Doheny and Nesbitt's. For her local pint Emma likes the Two Sisters on Wainsfort Drive in Terenure.

Transport
Kimmage's allure lies in its proximity to the city centre. With bus corridors, you can be in town in five minutes. The numbers 77, 151, 56a, 27, 83 and 18 all serve the area. There are no plans for a rail link to the area. The closest Luas is Drimnagh on the red line.

Schools
There are several well-regarded primary schools nearby, including St Pius X National School and, in Terenure, St Joseph's; and Terenure College and Our Lady's School on Templeogue Road both have junior schools. The choices in Harold's Cross include a gaelscoil, Scoil Mologa. Secondary schools in the area include Terenure College, Templeogue College, Our Lady's School, and St Paul's, as well as St Mac Dara's co-ed, community college in Templeogue .

Where to buy?
St Martin's Park, off Lower Kimmage Road; the townhouses in St Anne's, D 12, close to the KCR ; and Kimmage Grove, a 1970s redbrick terrace.

Three to buy
78 Lwr Kimmage Road is a double- fronted four-bedroom redbrick of 166sq m (1,786sq ft) with a self-contained, two- bedroom granny flat to the side that is 73sq m (785sq ft). The rear garden is
south-east facing. The property is asking €675,000 through Lisney Terenure.
201 Lwr Kimmage Road is an end-of- terrace property of 115 sq m (1,200sqft) currently laid out in two self-contained units, a two-bedroom unit on the ground floor and a one-bedroom flat on the first floor. The house is asking €295,000 through agents SherryFitzgerald Terenure.
22 Derravaragh Road is a two-bedroom mid-terrace house of 72sq m (780 sq ft) asking €329,950 through Castle Estate Agents. There is a small converted attic that might fit a single bed.