Cabinteely: an independent little village

Why now?
Back in the 1990s Cabinteely was a sleepy little village where time seemed to have stood still. It shoulders Foxrock, Cornelscourt and Carrickmines.

"In the last three to four years the village has been completely regenerated," says Rowena Quinn of Hunters Estate Agents. "Cabinteely is an independent little village that has improved during recessionary times," says Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O'Connor, a long time resident of the area.

What residents say
"Everything is on your doorstep," says Brian Berry, manager of Doyle's Nursery, on the Brennanstown Road. "Cabinteely has got the village feel of Ranelagh with far more amenities. We're at the foot of the mountains yet close to coastal walks, which suits outdoor types like me."

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10 Park Drive, Cabinteely, Co Dublin

Most of the children go to national school together and this also engenders a strong sense of community says another resident of St. Gabriel’s, a development just off the Johnstown Road.

"Cabinteely has a great village feel," adds neighbourhood restaurateur Ann Marie Nohl, who opened La Rouge, a bijou grill on the main street, a year ago. "Customers like the fact they can walk to dinner and walk home again afterwards. The atmosphere is very local, with tables who know each other joining up for dinner."

One architect working in the area feels that while the village is well serviced by restaurants, basic support shopping facilities haven't kept pace with Cabinteely's large apartment block population growth. Dunnes in Cornelscourt, Aldi and Tesco Express in the Park all serve the area.

Amenities
Cabinteely Park is the area's main amenity. The 40-hectacre park is home to playgrounds, a coffee shop, a mobile coffee van and an ice cream van in summer, as well as the Grainstore, a local youth arts centre. There are two soccer pitches as well as a Trim Trail circuit training course. Foxrock Cabinteely GAA is based in Kilbogget Park.

"There is a strong parish sense," says Aideen Sweeney, principal of St Brigid's Girls National School. The local parish hall is used for everything from maths tuition to Zumba. Carrickmines Tennis Club, Carrickmines Golf Club and the library, a Carnegie building, built in 1912 in the Arts and Crafts style, are other community facilities.

Where can you go out in the neighbourhood?
La Crème Bon, a sweet shop and milk bar where you can sit outside at bistro tables and tuck into a Teddy's ice-cream; La Rouge, serves age-perfected steaks; Trentino is a family-friendly establishment serving pasta and pizza, while Urban Café caters for the mid-morning cappuccinos and light lunch crowd. The local restaurants have grouped together and launched the first Taste of Cabinteely takes place on June 16th. They're also planning a farmers' market. The Horse and Hound is the local pub.

Transport
Although it doesn't have its own dedicated Luas stop, Laughanstown, on the Green Line, is about a 15 minute walk from the village centre. The 145 bus, via Donnybrook, can have you in the city centre in 30 minutes, a distance of about 13km. Dundrum Town Centre and Dún Laoghaire pier are both about a 10-minute drive away. The airport is a 30-minute drive via the M50.

Schools
St Brigid's Girls School located in Cabinteely Park is one of the two main national schools in the area. RTÉ Prime Time presenter Miriam O'Callaghan is a former pupil. Her mother, also Miriam, was once principal at the school. While a resident of Rathgar the presenter used to ferry her girls out to her alma mater, where students enjoyed such extra curricular activities as planting trees and sowing wheat, learning how to thresh it, making flour and finally baking brown bread with it.

St Brigid's Boys School is on Mart Lane, a 15-minute walk away. It has a strong computer focus.

The local secondary school is Cabinteely Community School on Johnstown Road, where 54 per cent of Leaving Cert students attended third level, according to the 2012 Irish Times School League Tables. The nearest girls school is Loreto, Foxrock, which is on the bus corridor. Ninety one per cent of its Leaving Cert students went on to third level education.

Where to buy
This is a three- and four-bedroom semi stronghold. There is very little period property for sale in this part of D18. Modern developments such as Carrickmines Wood offer spacious four- and five-bedroom houses. First-time buyers should view The Park in Cabinteely, which has good three-bedroom semis in the middle of the village's enormous green space.

Celebrity neighbours
Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, RTÉ's The Business presenter George Lee.


THREE TO BUY IN CABINTEELY
10 Park Drive (€545,000, SherryFitzGerald)
Four-bed corner-site 204sq m (2,196sq ft) semi with off-street parking and a southwest-facing back garden. BER C1.

11 Cunningham Park (€365,000, Sherry FitzGerald)
This well-located three-bed semi measures 101sq m (1,087sq ft) and has a BER E1.

25 Johnstown Court (€299,950, Allen and Jacobs)
A three-bedroom terraced house in a quiet cul de sac on the edge of the area. At 88sq m (947sq ft), it has a BER D2. A small garden to the rear measures 11m.