I bought a house in Passage 10 years ago. We have good neighbours. It is quiet and clean, and great for kids. There is a real sense of community. The Tidy Towns do immense work. There is always something on the go at the GAA club, and the rowing and soccer are both very active as well. John Spillane wrote a song for Passage West, and he has played up in the GAA club a number of times.
I used to think that most of the village needed to be knocked. That said, there has been a lot of effort recently to paint the place up and make it look nicer - but there is only so much you can do when the owners of the properties refuse to lease or maintain the properties. The butcher shop is very good, and is well supported by people from around the local area - not just Passage.
I don't go to the pub much - I could live in Douglas next door to a nice pub like Barry's and never go. It doesn't bother me.
The primary school is not even two years old, and children can walk to it as the roads are very quiet.
High cancer rate? Source please. I think this is unfounded. "Prevailing winds from industrial factories"? There are EU controls that prevent this sort of thing.
Drugs are everywhere. They are no more prevalent in Passage than anywhere else.
The traffic used to be terrible, but they changed St. Patrick's roundabout, and since then it has been brilliant. Ask me again in a month when the schools go back.
Any more questions, please feel free to ask.
