The cafe across the road is doing a brisk trade in flat whites and mixed-berry tart croissants, while a steady stream of swimmers pick their way across the pebbles to the trendy sauna. On the face of it, this fashionable seaside town – home to Taoiseach Simon Harris – seems like a bubble of affluence, packed with artisanal bakeries and thriving restaurants. Peek beneath the surface and there are challenges here too, say locals.
Many say the commuter-belt town is struggling to cope with rapid population growth which has seen the municipal district population jump to just over 22,000, a 20 per cent increase over the course of about five years. Whether it be traffic problems, shortages of school places or oversubscribed sports clubs, residents say they feel increasingly stuck in a backlog. Deirdre Glennon, a mother of two primary school-aged children and the director of a creative agency, is walking her dog Blanche, “the OG greyhound in Greystones”.
She is here to meet her friends for their twice-weekly swim. All are working mothers with plenty of first-hand experience of juggling careers and family life against the backdrop of a creaking transport system. “This is a very liveable community and I feel very fortunate to be here,” says Glennon, who has brought Blanche out for a morning walk.
“But there are issues here with housing, secondary school places are very limited ...
the Dart is not dependable. Often, you’re left standing at the platform and then you’re .
