We were so happy we made the choice to stay outside of Dublin but within the DART system, and feel as though we truly lucked out finding Ronnie's place in Balbriggan.
Months ago after booking, we received clear and friendly communication from Ronnie, and though we never met him, he communicated quickly whenever we contacted him, both before and during our family of five's stay from May 19 to 22.
Ronnie provided good advice for transportation choices, as well as plenty of ideas for visiting Dublin and the several interesting towns on and near the DART line when we told him our interest in strictly using public transportation and our feet.
The apartment itself was clean, very well stocked, and in a solid, friendly neighborhood. Balbriggan's town center, beach and adjacent train station were easily under 15 minutes on foot, and Costcutter convenience and Lidl grocery store were less than five minutes from the front door; there was a larger supermarket in town, too. My wife and I each enjoyed a late-night pint of Beamish downtown and felt completely comfortable, even energized, walking home hand in hand at midnight.
At little more than 30 minutes outside Dublin by DART (20€ for a family day pass), Balbriggan in general and Ronnie's spot in particular are strong choices for travelers to this part of beautiful Ireland.