Dublin - South of Dublin Travel Guides | Dublin | Sub Regions | Dublin - South of Dublin

The DART runs right along the south coast of Dublin Bay as far as Dun Laoghaire, with its massive harbour and ferry port, and on to Bray, where you can enjoy the faded seaside atmosphere and a lovely cliff walk. In between, coastal villages offer a complete change of pace  from the frenetic city centre. Dalkey and Killiney have become  fashionable retreats for Ireland’s rich and famous, but still retain enough character to be worth a visit, even if you’re not interested in celeb-spotting. This whole area is very child-friendly, with sea trips, a touchy-feely marine attraction at Bray, and plenty of beaches and swimming spots to keep the whole family amused.

DART Booterstown, Blackrock and Seapoint.

Consider getting off the DART for a few minutes at Booterstown where the marsh, right beside the track, is home to some interesting birds that are identified on a panel on the station platform. The next stop is Blackrock, which once marked the furthest outskirts of the city, but is now a wealthy suburb of Dun Laoghaire. There is a good Sunday market here with craft and clothes stalls, two shopping centres and lots of pubs and cafés. Beside the DART station, Blackrock Park looks out over the sea, and at 1 Main Street, next to the shops, is an ancient cross carved with the effigy of a human face, possibly early Christian in origin. There is a pleasant walk along the seafront from here, following the DART all the way to Dun Laoghaire. On the way, look out for an excellent swimming beach near the old Seapoint open-air baths.

Dun Laoghaire

DART Dun Laoghaire.

Originally a fishing village on Dublin Bay, Dun Laoghaire (pronounced ‘Dun Leary’) became a major resort and harbour following the completion of its two mile-long piers in 1827, and was renamed Kingstown in honour of George IV, who visited in 1820. (It didn’t get its original name back until 1922.) In the mid century, Dun Laoghaire became an important safe haven for the British fleet, and took over from Howth as the destination for mail and packet ships. Yacht owners were also attracted by the harbour, founding the Royal Yacht Club in 1850. The arrival of the railway brought day-trippers from the city and further afield, and hotels and boarding houses were built to accommodate them.

Since the 1960s, Dun Laoghaire has been familiar to most visitors as the port for car ferries crossing the Irish Sea. Stena Line’s high-speed ferry regularly swishes in and out of the harbour, with warning signs telling pedestrians to keep away while the boat is docking or departing. Apart from its role as a port, however, Dun Laoghaire has several claims on your time and offers a break from the traffic and fuss of the city. Walk out along the harbour’s east pier to enjoy panoramic views of Dublin Bay and occasional concerts in the bandstand, or stroll along the grand seafront, backed by disapproving Victorian houses, en route towards Sandycove, Dalkey, Killiney and Bray.

Mariner’s Church, Haigh Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, T 01 280 0969. May-Sep, daily 1300-1700. E2. DART Dun Laoghaire. Bus 46B,

One of those cranky little museums filled with oddball stuff, this place is home to a ship’s longboat captured during the abortive French invasion at Bantry Bay in 1796. There are also lots of model boats and other knick-knacks, as well as a giant optic that once served as the light of the Bailey Lighthouse at Howth.

Just beside the Maritime Museum, in Moran Park, is a remarkable statue of ‘Christ the King’ by Andrew O’Connor, constructed as a memorial to all those who died in the First World War. It was bought for the park in 1949, but was kept out of sight for several decades, until Dun Laoghaire was deemed to be ready for it.

Sandycove, Dun Laoghaire, T 01 280 9265, http://www.visitdublin.com Apr-Oct, Mon-Sat 1000-1300, 1400-1700, Sun and public holidays 1400-1800. Closed Nov-Mar. E6. DART Sandycove.

It’s a bracing walk from the harbour at Dun Laoghaire to the Joyce Museum at Sandycove. On the way you’ll pass a small, sandy beach and the Forty Foot bathing place, named not for the depth of the water, but after the regiment that was once stationed here. For many years, the Forty Foot was for gentlemen only: female eyes never sullied the strictly male atmosphere, and a sign at the water’s edge proclaimed ‘No dogs, no togs’. Nowadays togs are compulsory, although you might see the odd naked torso or two a little further round the coast. The Forty Foot features prominently in At Swim, Two Boys, so fans of the novel will have a special reason to visit.

Behind the Forty Foot is the Martello tower, built as a look-out during the Napoleonic Wars and immortalized in the opening chapter of Ulysses. James Joyce actually stayed here for a short time in 1904, until one of his companions shot at him while sleepwalking, convincing Joyce that it was time to decamp. The tower now houses a small museum containing original manuscripts, letters, personal items such as his waistcoat, guitar and piano, as well as a death mask of the author made in January 1945. The basic living room has been arranged in the way Joyce described it, and there are some good views from the roof.

Castle St, Dalkey, T 01 285 8366, http://www.dalkeycastle.com Apr-Dec, Mon-Fri 0930-1700, Sat and Sun 1100-1700, Jan-Mar, Sat, Sun and public holidays 1100-1700. E7. DART  Dalkey. Bus 7D (from O’Connell St), 59 (from Dun Laoghaire).

South of Sandycove, the tiny seaside village of Dalkey boasts the highest house prices in Ireland thanks to an influx of rich folk and celebs. Homes in one particular street, Sorrento Terrace, have changed hands for a king’s ransom. However, Dalkey has more to offer than the thrill of spotting a member of U2, not least its amazing views of Dublin Bay and its excellent sandy beaches. The village itself is ancient and once served as Dublin’s main port, as testified by the presence of Goat, Bullock and Archbold’s castles, three remaining 15th-century tower houses of seven that once protected the village.

Impressive Goat Castle – complete with murder hole and battlements – now houses the village heritage centre, with exhibitions on the history of Dalkey from its earliest times to the present, including details of the quarry that provided granite for the harbour walls at Dun Laoghaire. The centre also suggests the possible route taken by Stephen Dedalus in Joyce’s Ulysses, from the tower at Sandycove to the school on Dalkey Avenue at which he taught in the novel. Surrounding the castle, St Begnet’s churchyard has ruins dating back to the ninth century.

Heritage walks are offered in the summer, but you can also strike out on your own along Vico Road above the shore, past the quarry and up onto the open ground of the hills, before descending towards Killiney. This is another pretty, superstar-saturated village with its own DART station to take you back to the city.

Just offshore, Dalkey Island is home to a Martello tower, the remains of an oratory, some rare birds and a herd of goats. You can hire a boat out to the island from the harbour.

DART Bray.

The once-lively seaside resort of Bray, with its terraces of stern Victorian boarding houses, stony beach, long promenade and tired amusement arcades, is strangely romantic in low season. The main tourist attraction is the National Sea Life Centre, which offers close encounters with shrimps and sharks, cuckoo wrasse and catfish, and other species found in Irish waters. A leaflet detailing an architectural walk around the town can be picked up from the tourist office in the old courthouse on Main Street (T 01 286 6796). Most appealing, however, is the soul-uplifting coastal walk along 8 km (5 miles) of clifftop pathways that thread their way south from the end of the esplanade. Alternatively, climb Bray Head (it’s about an hour to the top and back) for views of the Wicklow Hills and all the way to Wales on a clear day.

Between Bray and Greystones, T 01 286 2777. House May, Jun and Sep, daily 1300-1700, closed Oct-Apr and July, Aug. Gardens May-Sep, daily 1300-1700, closed Oct-Apr.

Distinguished by twin canals and a gorgeous avenue of lime trees, the grounds at Kilruddery near Bray incorporate the largest surviving French-style garden in Ireland. It is regarded as one of the most significant 17th-century gardens still in existence in the British Isles, and is a must-see for green-fingered visitors.

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