If the popularity of commuter towns is measured by how easy it is to get to the city, then Arklow, in Co Wicklow, should be ahead of the posse. There is a commuter rail link, public and private bus services and a good road network - but with the inevitable traffic jams. Arklow people love their town, others may take time to appreciate what it has to offer. The bypass diverts most of the juggernauts from the main street, but so far there are few outward signs of this duckling turning into a swan. No smart streetscapes or flower tubs. Not a single cafe with tables outside.
What a stranger won't see right away is the underlying vibrancy, derived mostly from its young population and the huge contribution of voluntary groups. There are more than 100 clubs and organisations, from sea scouts to brass bands, and no excuse for newcomers not to get involved. It's still a rural town, slow to change and too preoccupied with day-to-day business to worry much about the externals. The local urban council leisure centre on the North Quay has a swimming-pool, gymnasium, sauna and sports facilities. Another pool, at the Arklow Bay Hotel, has leisure facilities and there is a third, privately-run, pool at Moneylands. Arklow also has a sailing club, canoeing, golf, a cinema, nightclub and several good pubs and restaurants.
Not before time, the neglected waterfront area on both quays is beginning to blossom. Like many Irish port towns, Arklow presents its back to the water - realising the potential of this area should bring back the visitors who came in busloads to buy china at the now-closed Arklow Pottery shop. The marina, which opened a year ago on North Quay, promises to attract smart restaurants. The apartments rising up nearby will be put on the market at the end of the year.
The sea and seafaring are second-nature to Arklow - the lower town is still called the fishery. The name Arklow comes from Arnkell Low, a Viking raider who took the town as his booty. Richard II, Oliver Cromwell, the Earl of Essex and James II all passed through here. Daniel O'Connell and Charles Parnell knew the town well and former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain holidayed at Ferrybank when he was a boy. The much depleted Arklow fleet now fishes mainly for whelks. Arklow is a Port of Registry and shipping and shipbuilding company, Tyrrells, is one of the few which both build and register in their home port. Eamonn and Peter Kavanagh, leading lights of the rowing club, came fourth in an international Atlantic rowing competition a couple of years ago.
Heroes of a different kind are three local men, John O'Loughlan, John Byrne and Tom Byrne. Made redundant when Armitage Shanks closed in the late 1980s, the three men set up a sanitaryware company, Qualceram, which this year bought out UK multinational Vitra Tiles and acquired a 50 per cent interest in Shanks. The original town plan has been somewhat overtaken by Arklow's meteoric expansion. There is talk in council chambers of employing consultants to draw up a design for the town to ensure balanced growth in the interests of the residents. An exciting £10 million town centre scheme, to be located behind the Ormonde hall, will have offices, shops, apartments and an open-air amphitheatre. There are no plans for a civic theatre - surprising considering the large number of music and drama groups in the town.
Masquerade, Avonmore Musical Society, Avoca Singers, the Mixed Voice Choir, the Past Pupils Choir, Arklow Silver Band, Arklow Pipe Band, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri and several madrigal groups provide the music and there are three active drama groups in Arklow. An impressive total for a town of around 10,000 (8,500 at the 1996 census). The annual music festival in March attracts huge numbers of entries from all over the country. The arts centre in Main Street holds regular exhibitions and poetry readings.
Hundreds of new jobs in the pipeline for Arklow should raise the temperature in the housing market and increase rental potential. Euroconex, a credit card clearing centre jointly owned by Bank of Ireland and Nova, a US company, is due to open within two months. An application is about to be lodged by Mercury Engineering for another business park in the same area.
Town Clerk Sean Quirke is also involved in a petition to establish an outreach facility of an Institute of Technology. Former Bord na Mona boss Eddie O'Connor's new power supply company, Eirtricity, has applied to construct a £400 million windmill farm on the Arklow Sandbank off the coast. One hoped-for development on the wish-list of local independent councillor Nicky Kelly is a ro-ro port facility based at a deep-water jetty currently owned by Roadstone. With all this promise, it is no wonder house prices are rising rapidly in the town. The average brand new three-bedroom semi will set you back around £138,000.
Traditionally, the Dublin Road has been one of the best addresses, with the Wexford Road and near the golf links a close second. Waterside properties - especially period houses - are choice buys for the future and already highly sought-after. A modern three-bedroom house overlooking the river on South Quay is asking around £170,000 with Sherry FitzGerald Myles Doyle. This agency is also selling one of the very cute St Michael's Terrace houses with two bedrooms for over £98,000. Close to the harbour and South Beach, a four-bedroom period house is expecting to fetch £175,000 with the same agent. Peter Mills is selling a three-bedroom 19th-century house on St Mary's Terrace for £265,000.
THERE are some older council estates near the rail station where first-time buyers could get a foothold. Houses for sale in Connolly Street or Rory O'Connor Place are like gold dust however and are usually snapped up by locals. Four miles west of the town, Richard Bentley is selling a two-bedroom period cottage for £95,000. High Dublin prices persuaded first-time buyer Sarah Clarke to pay £134,000 for a four-bedroom semi in the Summerfield estate eight months ago. The development was advertised on the Internet and she bought the last one. "Years ago, if you'd told me I'd be buying here I'd say you were mad," says Sarah. Now her parents are house-hunting in the area.
Sarah doesn't find the daily journey to Dublin a problem, but admits she still drives to the city for social outings. Driving to work in the morning, she turns off at Delgany to avoid the Glen of the Downs bottlekneck and goes via the outskirts of Greystones and Bray. The journey takes 35 minutes as far as Bray and then "a good hour" to get to work in Blackrock. Bray resident Mark Duffy bought a three-bedroom terraced house in Arklow off plans for £107,000. Purely an investment purchase, the price of the houses had increased to £120,000 before he collected the keys. With an eye to the future, Mark intends setting up a crash repair centre in the town as soon as he finds suitable premises.
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