The old saying, that you build the roads and the traffic increases to fill them, is never more true than with the N11, the main conduit to the southeast. This road is now so good, with a dual-carriageway for most of the way, that city commuters think nothing of travelling up to 60 miles south of Dublin in search of cheaper houses and a more laid-back lifestyle.
Gorey is the first major town you meet, heading south along the new road network, bypassing Arklow. Drivers passing Gorey will know it as a notorious bottlekneck on the way to Rosslare and Wexford town. Good news for frustrated motorists is that a 14 mile-long bypass is planned to the east of the town, skirting Tara Hill and with links to the coastal villages.
According to local Fine Gael TD Michael d'Arcy, compulsory purchase orders for the land are being prepared and the starting date is set for 2002. The Ashford bypass, which will link up with the dual-carriageway south of Rathnew, is already under way. The stretch of road at Jack Whites is also being upgraded to dual-carriageway status.
Gorey is a typical Irish market town with a busy main street, thronged with holidaymakers from July to September. The town is growing rapidly, as more people see it as a viable alternative to Dublin. Around 500 new houses have been built in the past five years, most purchased by young people who commute every day to work in the city. The current population is 5,000, but the number of new residents is to increase dramatically when new developments, currently at the planning stage, are up and running.
From Gorey to Donnybrook by car takes just over an hour off-peak. In rush-hour, commuters from Gorey join the Dublin traffic around Loughlinstown, a journey of around 50 minutes. From here, it's a slow crawl to the city centre, and this journey can take another 50 minutes. On the homeward journey, traffic moves freely once you clear the Dublin suburbs, apart from tailbacks at Kilmacanogue and Ashford and one picturesque but winding stretch of the road before the Brittas Bay turn-off.
Some commuters drive seven miles to Arklow and catch the commuter train to Dublin. The 6.57 a.m. train from Arklow arrives in Dublin Connolly at 8.45 a.m. and the 5.25 p.m. arrives in Arklow at 7 p.m. A Rosslare-bound train leaves from the same station at 6.30 p.m., arriving in Arklow at 8 p.m. Alternatively, a bus leaves Gorey every hour from 7 a.m. which guarantees to get into the city centre in an hour and 25 minutes.
Commuting difficulties aside, there is a slower pace of life here and the definite plus of living near some of the best beaches on the east coast. For those who have moved here in recent years the main attraction is cheaper houses. Gorey has a fair supply of quaint cottages and period townhouses for under £100,000. Modern three-bedroom semis, with en suites and Shaker-style kitchens, can be bought for £120,000 and detached houses and bungalows start at around £165,000.
It is difficult to find anything approaching Dublin price levels. Large detached houses on an acre which would fetch upwards of half a million in a city suburb cost well under £300,000 in Gorey. The slopes of Tara Hill, leafy Courtown Road and the pretty seaside village of Ballymoney seem to be the most upmarket areas. It's a small town and all residential locations are equally popular. Romantically-inclined purchasers might be interested in an ivy-clad period house on five acres, three miles outside the town, with Kinsella Estates for £315,000. Change is on the way with the recent announcement that Gorey has been selected for the Urban Renewal Scheme. Tax relief over a 10-year period will be available in designated areas for both owner-occupiers and investors. Property prices have already started to rise in likely sectors such as the fashionable Esmonde Street, where a two-bedroom terraced house with commercial potential is for sale with Sherry FitzGerald O'Leary Kinsella, asking in excess of £200,000.
Although Gorey is developing faster than most towns in the county, it has not fared so well when it comes to job creation and investment. The community has traditionally depended on Arklow for much of its employment and factory closures here in the past decade have had an impact on the workforce of neighbouring towns.
The main industry in Gorey, before a slump in the 1970s, was leather, and its demise was a blow for the town. Current employers include IP Europe, which makes polythene for hay-bales, Stafford's Bakery and Weatherglaze. The old leather factory now houses a number of small and medium-sized industrial units and 21 more are currently under construction in the town.
The nine elected town commissioners are campaigning for a train station in Gorey to facilitate commuters, although they are anxious to prevent Gorey becoming a dormitory town of Dublin. Meetings are held in the Market Hall, an old timbered building which was used as a jail during the 1798 insurrection. In its heyday, the hall was where traders paid tolls for selling their produce on market day. Butter was one penny, flannel was two-pence a piece and linen was free.
YOUNG first-time buyers relocating to Gorey can take heart in the fact that, according to the 1996 census, almost half the population of the town is under 25 years of age. Night life is well catered for as a result, with a wide variety of pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.
Gorey has a long tradition of involvement with the arts. Local artist Paul Funge founded the Gorey Arts Festival in the 1970s and there are more artists living in the Gorey area than most towns of a similar size. Students from here outnumber all other towns in Dublin's National College of Art and Design. Gorey Art Circle, Gorey Photographic Club and the Gorey Artist's Foundation regularly hold exhibitions. The recently refurbished theatre hosts the annual South Leinster Drama Festival as well as productions by Gorey Little Theatre Group, Gorey Musical Society and the Gorey Choral Group. Newcomers take note that all these organisations are keen to find new members.
Closeness to the sea means plenty of water sports activities - nearby Courtown will soon have an extensive Waterworld leisure facility. For golfers, the Courtown club is regarded as one of the finest in Leinster and a host of other clubs are within a half hour drive. Other sports are on offer at junior and senior level, including soccer, rugby, GAA, hockey, squash, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, boxing, tae kwon do, hill-walking and equestrian activities.
For families, Gorey Community School is the second-largest second-level school in the country, catering for 1,500 pupils and a range of Post-Leaving Cert courses.
