Moving to Cork soon — where would you stay for the first month while house/job hunting?

My husband and I are planning to move to Cork and we’re thinking of booking an Airbnb/short-term rental for the first 4–6 weeks while we look for jobs and a long-term place to live.

Neither of us has a job lined up in Cork yet, so we’re trying to choose a temporary base that would make it relatively easy to get around for interviews, house viewings, and exploring different areas before committing to a long-term lease.

At the moment I’ve been looking at Cork City itself, Ballincollig, Douglas, Midleton, Cobh and Carrigaline, but obviously Google Maps doesn’t tell you what living and commuting there is actually like.

A few questions for people who actually live in Cork:

• If you were arriving without knowing where you’d eventually be working, where would you base yourself for the first month?

• Which areas would you seriously consider for a long-term rental if you wanted reasonable rent but still needed access to jobs around Cork?

• Are there areas that look convenient on a map but are actually a nightmare for commuting?

• How realistic is it to live outside Cork City without a car initially?

• Is the commuter train from places like Midleton/Cobh reliable enough that you’d actually choose to live there and commute?

• Are Ballincollig/Douglas worth the higher rent for the convenience?

• Any areas you’d personally avoid, and why?
We’re not looking for nightlife or tourist recommendations. Mostly somewhere safe, practical and reasonably connected while we get established.

Would really appreciate the brutally honest local version rather than the relocation-guide version 😂