Budget 2024 is just around the corner and people all over the country are keen to find out how it will impact them.
Saggart in Co Dublin is as good a place as any to gauge the public mood ahead of Tuesday's announcement.
Sitting just off the N7 between Rathcoole and Citywest, it is the youngest town in Ireland with an average age of 30.4 years, according to Census 2022 data.
The 2016 Census listed Saggart as the fastest growing town in the country.
"Saggart really has grown over the last few years. People might assume it is a small sleepy village on the outskirts of Dublin, but it's gone from being quite quiet to really busy and vibrant and multicultural," pharmacist Terence Simpson said.
When speaking to his customers, Mr Simpson said they share their problems and he has noticed an increase in anxiety around housing.
"There are people I deal with who are in rental accommodation where they don’t have security within that. That’s adding a lot of undue stress to them that we hear in our conversations and consultations," he said.
Dean Kelly moved to Saggart from Finglas due to rising rent prices.
"The areas around Finglas are getting more gentrified. The cost of living is increasing and we see that spilling over. Before we moved here, we were looking for somewhere that wasn’t on that 'hyper-upscale' to make the rent and have a life at the same time.
"I have a partner and we’ve a young child so it can be tough to balance it. We need to have our own life as well and we need to have that time we can spend with ourselves as a couple and as a family and fit in work."
Mr Kelly says he would like to see a rent cap brought in as part of Budget 2024. "I think if you ask a lot of people, they’re going to say that," he added.
Katie Lowe is from Co Tipperary and moved to Saggart last year.
She works in the tourism sector and commutes into Dublin city centre every day.
"Like everyone in my current job, we’re all young and commuting from outsider towns. It’s ideal to be on the Luas line and there are way more options out here compared to the city, even just for getting a parking space where you live. It’s lovely and close for when it comes to home too, you’re right on the N7 so it’s handy for going down the country," she said.
"The whole cost of living crisis is very difficult, especially for a young person after coming out of college. I think the biggest concern for people moving up here is to find jobs and to have the opportunity to develop further and to get the opportunities that are here in Dublin that you might not get as much at home."
Thulani Dube is a refugee from South Africa and he said Saggart is a "quiet, peaceful" place to live.
"At first, you feel out of place, but once the nerves calm you just feel like you are in a safe place," he said.
On the cost of living in Ireland, he added, "I actually think South Africa is much more expensive than this."
Radoslav Pedrov, a barman at the only pub in Saggart, Jacob’s Bar, likes the community in Saggart and its proximity to the city centre. Originally from Bulgaria, Mr Pedrov has been living in the town for a year now after moving down from Belfast.
"You know yourself, prices are going up all the time, but it’s the same probably everywhere in Europe," he said.
"I'm renting but I'm one of the lucky ones, I'm happy with my rent and happy with where I live."
Noel Archbold is from Saggart and he said the town has changed a lot over the years.
"I’m in my 70s now. The housing population has got bigger and all that, more people are moving to the area, there are lots of young families that have moved to the area. Lots of young people."
Lynn Tierney is a member of Saggart’s Tidy Towns committee and Saggart Village Residents' Assocation. She said she is "still a blow-in" after only moving to the town in 2014.
"Saggart wasn’t somewhere I'd been familiar with but when it came to looking for a home to buy, we started doing some research and looking at places that were affordable and further up the M50. The new builds being built were in our price range and we’ve built a home here since," she said.
"I think there’s definitely a need for additional building, but building has to be done in a properly planned way when the amenities can coincide with the building. It needs to be cost effective building and affordable housing for people."
Increased funding for schools is something Ms Tierney would like to see for Saggart.
"There are several primary schools and several secondary schools in the area but not enough schools to meet the demand of the growing population, so that’s a barrier to people who want to live here."
