If there’s one suburb of Dublin that screams ‘money’, it’s Ballsbridge. Best known for embassies and mansions, it’s home to two of the most expensive streets in the country - Ailesbury Road and Clyde Road rank #2 and #3 (Temple Road in Dartry takes the top spot).
It may not be a value option, but if you can afford it, there are some incredible properties available. Ballsbridge is also blessed with a great location – a short distance from both the city centre and the sea at Sandymount – the beautiful Herbert Park, some great pubs and a wide range of sports facilities and clubs.
Famous residents include the writers James Joyce, Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh, so if you’re of a literary bent then Ballsbridge has its own special charm.
Fancy joining them? Here’s Ballsbridge by numbers...
Population*
16,749, as of the 2016 census.
*Figure taken from CSO data for all electoral areas that include parts of Ballsbridge
Average house price 2019 H1*
€ 910,414
By house size**
1-bed: €340k
2-bed: €467k
3-bed: €666k
4-bed: €1,071k
5-bed: €1,213k
*Figure for Ballsbridge provided by Perfect Property
**Figures for Dublin 4, according to the Daft 2019 Q4 house price report.
Most expensive house*
€6,750,000: 40 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge (5-bed detached house)
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 21/1/19
Least expensive house*
€365,000: 189 The Links, Elmpark, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge (1-bed apartment)
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 21/1/19
Availability*
51 properties for sale
*Correct according to Daft.ie as of 14/1/19
Services
Garda Station: Donnybrook Garda Station, 43 Donnybrook Rd
Post Offices: Ballsbridge Post Office, Shelbourne Road
Nearest Library: Pembroke Library, Anglesea Rd, Ballsbridge
No. of schools/creches*
Pre-schools: 3
Primary Schools: 3
Secondary Schools: 2
*Figures from education.ie and childcare.ie
Parks and playgrounds
Herbert Park – named after 19 century landowner the Earl of Pembroke and running along the north bank of the Dodder – is a wonderful facility with landscaped grounds, a lake, a playground, tennis courts, a bowling green and playing fields.
Public transport links
The DART serves the area at Lansdowne Road and Sandymount stations. Otherwise, bus routes 4, 7, 7A, 7N (Nitelink), 18 and 27X pass through Ballsbridge.
Time to city centre*
Driving: 18 minutes (traffic dependent)
Public Transport: 15 minutes (bus)
Cycling: 12 minutes
Walking: 34 minutes
*Times (except public transport) taken from Ball’s Bridge on Pembroke Road to College Green, according to Google Maps.
Food and drink
Ballsbridge is a great place to be a foodie, as Yelp.ie has a list of no less than 47 different restaurants. Highlights include Indian food from Ravi’s Kitchen, south-east Asian from Baan Thai or the bustling Roly’s Bistro, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In the evening, you’re spoiled for choice with 14 different pubs and bars listed, including the gastropub The Bridge, the popular rugby pub Crowe’s and the extremely popular Paddy Cullen’s.
Oddly, only four cafés are listed on Yelp - though they do include the highly rated Café Java and MAIA.
As for takeaways, there are a massive 264 options on Deliveroo, 153 on Just Eat and 62 on Uber Eats.
Shopping
Ballsbridge doesn’t have too many options to flash the cash – pubs, restaurants, offices, embassies and upscale houses are the norm in this part of the city. There is a Spar beside Ball’s Bridge but that’s about it as far as groceries go – you’ll need a car, taxi or to order online for your big shop.
Sport and leisure
There are lots of sporting opportunities in the area – the Aviva Stadium is home to the national soccer and rugby teams, of course, and the rugby clubs Lansdowne and Wanderers are both based there as well. Meanwhile the RDS Main Arena hosts Leinster Rugby’s home matches.
Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club is based on Serpentine Avenue while Merrion Cricket Club is on Anglesea Road.
Ballsbridge FC is the local soccer club – they play matches at Herbert Park – but there isn’t a GAA club in the area. Ranelagh Gaels are closest – the men train at Wesley College in Ballinteer, but the women use the artificial pitch at Sandymount YMCA, which is nearby, and also the grass pitches at Monkstown Rugby Club.
The local golf club is Elm Park in Donnybrook.
Finally, the nearest cinema to Ballsbridge is the tiny Stella Cinema in Ranelagh. There’s also a cinema on the UCD campus at Belfield and an Omniplex (and another Stella) in Rathmines.
