The worst places in Ireland for buying a house aren’t necessarily the worst places in Ireland.
The worst places in Ireland for buying a house are not the worst places in Ireland – let’s settle that straight away.
In fact, that’s exactly the problem: maybe they’re beautiful, cosmopolitan, or have an amazing view of the ocean. That’s how they get you.
One of the hardest things to remember when looking at a picture-perfect tumbledown cottage is that you’re buying the house, not the photograph. There may be a reason it’s so cheap.
10. A tiny, remote island – long-term commuting by ferry isn’t as fun as it sounds
You came in summer, fell in love, and now you’re staring down the barrel of seven months of Atlantic weather. There’s no shop, no takeaway and no human traffic except for the mail and supplies boat that pops over some weeks.
It’s so beautiful, but the practicalities don’t work. You’ll eventually discover that “just popping into town” involves a boat, a timetable and considerably more planning than you anticipated.
9. The place with the highest rainfall in Ireland – grand if you’re indoors
Ireland is wet. Some parts are considerably wetter than others, particularly on the western seaboard.
Places such as Valentia Island in Kerry regularly record some of the country’s highest rainfall. Fine if you’re admiring the rain from a cosy pub window; less fine if you’re trying to keep an old cottage dry.
The romantic stone house you saw in July can look considerably less appealing when it’s February and there’s mould in the spare bedroom.
8. Somewhere overrun with tourists – when the worst places in Ireland for buying a house are also the nicest
There are few things nicer than living in a beautiful Irish village. There are also few things more irritating than discovering that everyone else has had the same idea.
In summer, your quiet road can become a procession of coaches, campervans and rental cars. The local café has a queue down the street and someone is inevitably standing outside your house taking a photograph of something.
Tourism is great for the local economy. It’s just less great when you’re trying to get your car out of the driveway.
7. Waterford – beautiful, but good luck getting anywhere
Waterford has beaches, mountains, history, good food and a perfectly respectable city centre. It also has a slightly awkward relationship with air travel.
Waterford Airport currently has no regular commercial passenger services, meaning that residents generally need to travel to Cork or Dublin for most flights.
If you travel regularly for work, that extra journey can become tiresome.
Still, calling Waterford one of the worst places in Ireland for buying a house is deliberately provocative. It’s actually a very good place to live. Up the Déise!
6. Any border town – houses with a side order of politics can be the worst places in Ireland for buying a house
If Kneecap get their way, it won’t always be this peaceful. Having pubs facing off with each other from across the line can be fun. When you’ve one called Gombeen’s Hole and the other The King’s Lick, it adds a certain frisson to the north-west.
There is something wonderfully Irish about buying a perfectly ordinary semi-detached house and then discovering that its long-term prospects depend, at least partly, on the constitutional arrangements of the island.
5. Cork – lovely city, occasionally baffling inhabitants
Cork is a wonderful city. Unfortunately, it is populated almost entirely by people who are absolutely certain Cork is the greatest place on Earth.
Ask someone from Cork where they’re from and you’ll soon know about the food, the pubs, the accent and the superiority of everything Cork-related.
This may not affect your mortgage, but buying a house is a long-term commitment. Are you prepared to spend the next 25 years being told that everything is better in Cork? On the plus side, they are occasionally right.
4. The middle of nowhere in Donegal – lovely until you need a plumber
Donegal is one of the most spectacular parts of Ireland. It is also large, rugged and, in places, extremely remote.
That combination can make it irresistible to someone scrolling through property listings late at night.
“Look at this!” you say. “A three-bedroom cottage, an acre of land and a sea view for less than the price of a Dublin apartment.” Until you need a supermarket or a GP.
3. Dublin – the worst place in Ireland for buying a house…with a mortage
If we’re talking about the worst places in Ireland for buying a house purely in financial terms, Dublin is an obvious contender.
House prices remain significantly above the national average, while some of the most expensive areas can make you wonder whether you’re buying a house or a particularly ambitious garden shed.
The compensation is that Dublin has the jobs, restaurants, transport, culture and nightlife.
But if your principal ambition is to own somewhere with two bedrooms and enough floor space to turn around without hitting a wall, your options may be limited.
2. The hipster haven – where the old warehouse costs €700,000
Every city has a neighbourhood that suddenly becomes fashionable. First come the coffee shops. Then the sourdough. Then the natural wine. Then the estate agents, who notice that everyone is prepared to pay a fortune to live within walking distance of all three.
The danger is that you end up paying a premium for a lifestyle that may eventually move somewhere else. At least you’ll have somewhere to store your bicycle.
1. Ballyconnigar, Co. Wexford – beautiful but clifftop houses are best avoided
Ballyconnigar is beautiful, as is the Wexford coastline, despite suffering significant erosion over the years, with Ballyconnigar among the areas where coastal retreat has caused serious concern.
So by all means admire the sea views. Buy somewhere nearby if you love the area.
Remember, though, the difference between having a sea view and having an uninterrupted sea view from the ground floor.
The verdict – the worst places in Ireland for buying a house
The worst places in Ireland for buying a house are often the places we’d most like to live. That’s the catch.
Beautiful scenery, isolation, fashionable neighbourhoods and cheap rural properties can all be incredibly tempting. Just make sure you know what you’re actually buying before you fall in love with the view.
And if the estate agent describes the cliff as an “excellent natural feature”, perhaps keep looking.
