Portmarnock Beach

Portmarnock Beach is much longer and nice then Malahide Beach and its only down the road from Malahide. It can be very busy at times. Plenty of people walking (with and without dogs), running, a few swimming. I find it great and relaxing all year round it can get very busy in the summer time when we have some nice weather and it can be a bit too packed but apart from that its a great place to go and get some exercise and fresh sea air.

It’s a sandy beach! Nice, clean, fine, lovely-​to-​walk-​in sand!
In the last spate of sunny weather, I trekked out to Killiney thinking this was the spot, the pretty spot the place to go. Pretty yes, nice to sit down or lie on, no! It’s all stoney and not conducive to the lazy beach day you would generally have in your mind. Now as for Portmarnock! I had quite the opposite image in my mind, especially after the recent press, but ladies and gentlemen, you will be rather pleasantly surprised if you take the trip out here! Ice cream vans, sculptures, a nice grassy verged area, a huuuuggge beach that goes on for miles, and — wait for it — SANDY sand!
The only cautionary note I will end with is — if you’re not a major fan of teenagers, or perhaps the younger childer — perhaps stay away. The place is jam packed full of em!
The further down the beach you go (away from the parking), the better. You get better sand, more of it, and you are less likely to have to stick some ear plugs in!
Re. the parking — we ended up driving into one of the local estates as we couldn’t find room anywhere along the roads, and the White Sands Hotel was charging a tenner (TEN EURITS!!) to make the most of their tarmac!

Portmarnock beach is a beautiful 5 kilometre stretch of soft golden sand, backed by sand dunes, joining Baldoyle and Malahide beach. A promenade stretches the length of the beach, which is popular with walkers, cyclists and roller bladers, and during the summer months, long queues form from the ice-​cream van which churns out creamy whipped cones to complete the Irish seaside trip experience.
The water is relatively clean here, and calm enough for a proper swim. On a clear day it is possible to spot Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye, the Dublin Mountains and Howth Harbour across the water. Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith chose Portmarnock Beach as the point of departure for his flight across the Atlantic in 1930, and to the north of the beach, a striking limestone monument in the shape of a globe has been erected in tribute to his journey.
The beach, like much of the north Dublin coastline, has recently become popular with wind surfers and kite surfers, which indicates just how windy it can get.