Portlaoise or Tullamore - Any Thoughts?

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mozzer

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Thinking of moving to the midlands from Dublin. I'm looking to buy a house. I'm torn between two towns....any thoughts on which one would be a preferred place to live? Most important factors are social scene and availability of good quality house on a nice estate (not too built up) and good value.
 
I've been to Portlaoise a few times. Usually stay in a hotel in the town centre. It is a very quiet town at night. The pubs were all very quiet even on a Thursday night. There are two night clubs and the one we went to was empty on the Thursday night too. It's a grand town for most things but if you are after a good social life you could do better. Athlone & Tullamore are both good towns with a lively social scene. I'd say Mullingar would be similar.
 
I am from Tullamore so you can note that as some sort of prejudice if you like but Tullamore is a far nicer town. The social scene is decent, the town is lively, and pretty much every service you need is provided. On the downside -it is expensive to buy there. Like many places prices have really raced upwards, even in the last 3 years or so.
 
I agree that Tullamore is a far better town than Portlaoise.

In fairness to Portlaoise it is better served by motorway and rail links than Tullamore.

aj
 
Definetly Tullamore, a much nicer town, and a lot of investment going into it at the moment...Nicer place to go out than Portlaoise as well..
 
This may not apply to your suitation but the train service to portlaois is great and there is talk of improving it even further so there is a train every 20 mins and this is due to the fact that there is a mail centre down there!
 
I live in Portlaoise so I'm also a bit biased.If you're looking to work in Dublin then Portlaoise is the better option for getting there.The motorway is fantastic I get from Portlaoise to Naas in 30 Minutes,trains are also excellent as are the buses(Aircoach/CIE).Prices are good value IMHO,and there are plenty of options,my estate is very low density and mostly bungalows so I've no one looking into my backgarden.Tullamore definately has the handle on shopping,lots bigger shops etc, it's about 35 Minutes from Portlaoise ,but the new Whitewater shopping cente in Newbridge(20mins away) is opening next month and it's the biggest shopping center outside of Dublin so that's another bonus.I love the town and people,I like being able to get seats in the pubs!Saturday night is the busiest night.You should also check out Carpenters Post on Portlaoise,very in depth.
 

There are plenty of new developments coming on stream for Portlaoise, say in the next 2-3 years- so the shopping defecit should be addressed. A major new commercial centre is planned on the Abbeyleix road (just started). Also another new hotel will be open for this summer. It's all happening in Portlaoise! Dunnes Stores are upgrading their store, as are Tesco.
 
Thanks to all for their honest replies.....both places have a lot going for them in different ways....it's going to be a tough call to make....
 
Carpenter tell me more about the upgrades.Are they extending Dunnes and Tesco's or moving to a new site/Town center.
 
ASAIK Dunnes is moving beside Lidl. I think there's going to be a whole new shopping centre going in there with Boots, Next and the like. It's badly needed. Portlaoise is definitely a nice distance from Dublin, very good road and rail service and probably a better commute to Dublin than Tullamore.
 

I think Dunnes are staying put and developing their existing store, they had plans to move but not any more AFAIK. Boots and Next are mooted for new stores in the town but nothing is cast in stone yet, I'd say. I have contacts with the developer of one of the new big schemes so my money is definitely on Portlaoise, I can't say any more!
 
Portlaoise is a better commute to Dublin alright, though Tullamore has an excellent rail link to Dublin. I would put that as a plus though, in that Tullamore is not really a commuter town. People live AND work there. That's why it has a decent social scene too - people know each other. And it has the advantage of being close to Dublin too.
 
Tullamore is a better town.
Probably as previous poster said, people actually live and work there so there is a better sense of pride in the town.
Also IMO Tullamore is cleaner and feels more vibrant.
 
hi.i am thinking of buying an appartment myself in Portlaoise..would anybody have an idea of what the rental market is like there ?
would there be much demand from prison officers ?

thanks
 
i recently moved to Port Laoise and rented a room out easily enough. Did not come across any prision officers though!
 
If you really WANT to see a prison officer just wait outside any public house at lunchtime (particularly the ones that don't serve food) and watch as they stream out at 2.00pm to start their next shift. Humes on Bridge Street is a popular haunt...
 
HA!
shir i suppose it must be a hard enough job ... they can probably do with a few pints to dull the senses.
excuse my ignorance (i've been living abroad for the past 4 years) but how long does the commute take from portlaoise to dublin these days? ... also what kind of rental yield might you expect?

i've always found portlaoise people to be very, very proud of "the town" - i suppose thats a good sign of a place.

thanks
 
i leave portlaoise at 6.30am and I'm in terenure for 7.50, 8.00 on a bad day. You will hit some delays coming up to Johnstown and approaching Newlands cross, but it moves quickly
Monday always seems to be the worst day, getting a lot better as the week progresses
 
Drove through portlaise on way back to Tullamore last weekend. Can't see why Portlaoise is getting so big. The centre of the town isn't nice.

Tullamore is a nice compact little town. Portlaoise is a sprawl.
There are a good few estates being built around Tullamore to a reasonable quality.

Me, I'd maybe think outside the box a little and look at Kilbeggan which has the potential to be a really nice village once it is bypassed but still just a short distance from Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar on what will soon be very good roads. M4 will be coming through in less than a year.

TAXI to Tullamore to socialise at the weekends but socialising in Tullamore doesn't extend much beyond eating out and getting drunk but it is getting better.
 
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