Oh one of my favourite topics
Malahide is a great town, lovely location. Here are some of the pros & cons
Pros
All transport links are accessible including train/dart and bus.
Close to M1/M50 interchange
Great restaurants
Great amenities including the castle & the beach/marina
Brilliant educational facilities including top rated schools in Ireland
Great people (but I'm biased there)
Cons
Unless you live within 15 mins walking distance of the village centre, the dart/train isn't very accessible, and parking in the train station only happens if you get there, oh around 5am!
The town suffers greatly from urban sprawl so you can be a good distance away from shops and restaurants, bus links etc - Gainsborough is particularly prone to this.
Infrastructure isn't great, and the main roads into the town get very clogged, particularly at around 5/6pm (rush hour), and definitely at the school run time 8.30/9am, everybody seems to drive their angels to school.
Cost of living is quite inflated, drink is expensive, as are meals out, take aways are about 15 - 20% more expensive than elsewhere in my experience
People in new developments do complain about water pressure and drainage difficulties a good bit.
There is a waiting list for most schools in the area, and places are in very high demand
If you have any other queries, please ask!
Oh, also, Gainsborough is a lovely and quiet development the last time I was down there, unfortunately going to a house for a half an hour for a viewing doesn't give you a good idea of how noisy the neighbours are!
HTH
Mo