The South Dublin Gym That Lets You Bring Your Child Along

If you’ve ever abandoned a gym session because childcare fell through, or quietly shelved your fitness goals because there simply wasn’t a slot in the week that worked, you’re in very good company. For a lot of parents, the problem isn’t motivation. It’s logistics.

A new South Dublin gym concept is trying to do something genuinely useful about that. Motive, founded by Michael Byers and Fiona McCabe and based in Mount Merrion, is a private strength and conditioning facility where you book the entire gym for yourself, by the hour. No membership, no long-term commitment, no sharing equipment with seventeen strangers who’ve all decided to do leg day at the same time as you.

The bit that makes it different for parents

Because every session at Motive is completely private, parents can bring a young child along with them. It won’t suit every family or every workout, and it’s not a childcare service, but it does remove one of the more common barriers that quietly pushes fitness off the to-do list altogether. Your session, your space, your call.

Co-founder Fiona McCabe, who is a parent herself, was direct about why this matters. “As a parent myself, I know how difficult it can be to carve out time for yourself,” she said. “Exercise is often one of the first things to disappear when family life gets busy. But because every booking at Motive is all your own, parents have the flexibility to bring their young child along while they train, making it a little easier to prioritise their own fitness and wellbeing.”

There’s something else worth noting too. Fiona touched on it in her own words: having a child see exercise as a normal, everyday part of life, something a parent actively makes time for rather than something that has to happen elsewhere and in secret, is quietly valuable in itself.

What you actually get

The facility is fully equipped for strength and conditioning training. Sessions start from €30 per hour for up to two people, which also covers a personal trainer working with a client. You book through the Motive app, there’s no sign-up fee and no ongoing commitment.

Beyond parents, the concept is drawing in people who simply want a quieter training environment, personal trainers looking to offer their clients something more focused, and content creators who need a professional space without a crowd in the background. As Fiona put it: “Not everyone wants a membership. Not everyone wants to train in a crowded gym. Some people simply want a private space where they can focus on themselves, train with a friend or work with a coach without distractions.”

Michael Byers, who co-founded Motive alongside Fiona, explained the original thinking behind it. “We feel that training has become increasingly compromised. Whether you’re waiting for equipment, working around other people or trying to create content in a busy gym, there always seemed to be friction. We wanted to create a quiet space where people could just focus on training.”

Worth knowing

Motive is located in Mount Merrion, which puts it in convenient reach of a good stretch of South Dublin. If you’re the kind of person who’s been saying “I’ll sort my fitness out when things calm down” for the last two years, this might be worth a proper look. Things rarely calm down, but a session that works around your actual life just might.

Bookings are open now through the Motive app.