I drive to Dublin every day and the traffic only gets bad at the Belfield flyover. The main problem I have with traffic is at the Dublin end, around Donnybrook. Once through Stillorgan on the way home, you're free. It takes an hour and 20 minutes from my door in Gorey to Hatch Street. That's quite good. I left here today at 7.45 and was in work shortly after nine - not bad for a Monday morning. The winter is another story. The weather is worse and schools are back. But the problems are still in Dublin, not further out.
I've tried various options. When my girlfriend worked in Sandyford, I drove there and used a moped the rest of the way. I still have the bike but I haven't used it at all this summer because the traffic wasn't too bad. In winter, the bike works out better.
I could get the train from Arklow but I'd be a bit tied. If the train came to Gorey, certainly. But I'm paying for a car so I might as well use it. It's more flexible and I like the journey. The only problem is the loss of time - you lose at least a couple of hours a day.
I'm originally from Gorey and I moved back because of the price of houses in Dublin and because the likelihood of affording a house in Dublin was getting slimmer. So I decided to return and live here. I live with my parents now, but I'm having a house built in the next six months. For me, its my home and I know everybody. I'm a country person and never really took to the noise of the city. Once I leave the office I'm in a totally different world.
In an interview with Kate McMorrow