Situated in West Dublin, the sprawling suburb of Ballyfermot is almost a large town unto itself.
As well as thousands of houses across several estates, it has a wide range of leisure and sporting facilities, decent shopping and several parks.
Community spirit is strong and housing is affordable - at the time of writing, there was nothing on sale for more than €325,000.
Residents past and present include traditional musicians The Fureys, footballers Glenn Whelan and Andy Reid and X Factor star Mary Byrne.
Fancy joining them? Here’s Ballyfermot by numbers...
Population*
19,557, as of the 2016 census.
*Figure taken from CSO data
Average house price 2019 H2*
€ 226,126
By house size**
1-bed apartment: €139k
2-bed terrace: €186k
3-bed semi-detached: €264k
4-bed bungalow: €452k
5-bed detached: €481k
*Figures provided by Perfect Property
**Figures for Dublin 10, according to the Daft 2020 Q1 house price report.
Most expensive house*
€325,000: 417 Ballyfermot Road, Ballyfermot (3-bed end-of-terrace)
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 26/5/20
Least expensive house*
€149,500: Apt 2, Le Fanu House, Ballyfermot (1-bed apartment)
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 26/5/20
Availability*
17 properties for sale
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 26/5/20
Services
Garda Station: Ballyfermot Garda Station, Rossmore Avenue, Drumfinn
Post Offices: Ballyfermot Post Office, 199 Decies Road; Ballyfermot Upper Post Office, Le Fanu Shopping Centre, Le Fanu Road; Claddagh Green Post Office, 15 Claddagh Green
Nearest Library: Ballyfermot Library, Ballyfermot Road
No. of schools/creches*
Pre-schools: 1
Primary Schools: 8
Secondary Schools: 4
*Figures from education.ie and childcare.ie
Parks and playgrounds
California Hills, Drumfinn Avenue Park (known locally as The Gaels) and Glenaulin Park form an interconnected crescent of parkland amongs the housing estates between the junction of Le Fanu Road and Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot, and the Glenaulin Road. As well as a large area of open parkland, there are wooded areas, sports pitches and outdoor gym equipment.
Markeviecz Park on Decies Road is another well-used park with sports pitches and a large children’s playground.
Residents can also enjoy pleasant walks along the Grand Canal’s towpath, in the extreme south of Ballyfermot.
Public transport links
Ballyfermot has good transport links, notably a railway station on Park West Road, at the western perimeter of the area, a Luas stops at Kylemore and several bus routes – 18, 26, 40, 76, 76A, 79, 79A.
Time to city centre*
Driving: 18 minutes (traffic dependent)
Public Transport: 16 minutes (bus)
Cycling: 21 minutes
Walking: 1 hour 18 minutes
*Times (except public transport) taken from the Tesco entrance on Ballyfermot Road to College Green, according to Google Maps.
Food and drink
Ballyfermot isn’t exactly a foodie’s paradise, but as well as a wide range of takeaways there are a couple of small cafés worth mentioning. Ger’s Deli on Ballyfermot Road is a popular spot for fry-ups and breakfast rolls, while Full Stop café does a wide range of breakfast, brunch and lunch options.
As for pubs, Yelp.ie lists 9 in total with Downey’s the best known. Situated in Ballyfermot village, it’s a proper local, family pub with a function room for big occasions, a food menu and – so the reviewers say – a friendly atmosphere.
Shopping
One of the advantages of living in Ballyfermot is that the village on Ballyfermot Road is jam-packed with local shops and services, which reduce your need to go into town. It also has a large Tesco superstore, and there’s an Iceland nearby on Le Fanu Road.
Another advantage is that Liffey Valley shopping centre and retail park is extremely close by – you really don’t have to go far for anything.
Sport and leisure
As a big, populous area, there’s no shortage of sports clubs and facilities - soccer-ireland.com lists no less than seven football clubs, while Ballyfermot De La Salle is a major GAA club with adult football and underage teams at various levels. Meanwhile, Ballyfermot Bears is a rugby league club that plays home matches in Markievicz Park.
St Matthew’s is a well-established boxing club which has been running since 1979, serving male and female boxers, and Cherry Orchard Equine Centre is a horse riding centre based at Cherry Orchard Green.
Ballyfermot Sports and Fitness Centre is a council-run facility with a wide range of activities including swimming, a gym, fitness classes and a dance studio.
