Portmarnock, a beautiful town in the outskirts of County Dublin is located between Malahide and Baldoyle. The name of the town is derived from the Irish word port and Saint Marnoch who had arrived here in the 5th century AD. This peaceful town is a great escape from the busy and noisy city life, which has attractions for everyone, whether adult or kid.
The town was settled in the Neolithic times and the remains of the era can still be seen. Numerous flints and tools of that era have been excavated in the north of the town and the remains of a ring fort in the south are still visible. The town’s beach witnessed the first solo east to west transatlantic flight and was also the starting point of the Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith’s circumnavigation of the world. Portmarnock also boasts of the oldest stone-roofed church in Ireland, the St. Doulagh’s Church. Still in use, the church has a chapel and battlemented tower. Additionally, the premises of the church also houses Ireland’s only surviving baptistry as well as a stone pool-house. The town is also home to many other attractions like the Napoleonic Martello tower.
One place in Portmarnock that is loved by everyone who stays and visits this town is the pristine and sun-kissed beach. Nicknamed as ‘The Velvet Strand’ because of its smooth white sand, one can visit the beach with friends and family. Extending into a sandy peninsula, Portmarnock beach is famous with the kite and the wind-surfers. This versatile beach is ideal for many outdoor sports like volleyball.
Portmarnock is world-famous for its golf course, which has been a venue of many golf tournaments. The Portmarnock Golf Club has hosted the Irish Open, Walker Cup and many other tournaments. Adjacent to the course is a magnificent hotel, which was earlier known as the St. Marnock’s House. Overlooking the sea, the hotel has all the amenities that make the stay of visitors pleasant and memorable. Apart from the golf club, there are other active sports clubs in the town as well, like the Portmarnock Tennis Club and the Portmarnock Sport & Leisure Club.
Portmarnock is a beautiful place to experience slow and relaxed country life, a pleasant contrast from concrete city jungles.
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Towns
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| Portmarnock Portmarnock, a beautiful town in the outskirts of County Dublin is located between Malahide and Baldoyle. The name of…read on |
| Malahide Located in County Dublin, Malahide is a coastal suburban town that derives its modern name from “Mullach Íde”, meanin…read on |
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| Donabate Located 20 km north-east of County Dublin, Donabate is a suburban coastal town. The town is situated on a peninsula that…read on |
| Balbriggan Balbriggan is a beautiful sea-side town situated 32km away to the north of Dublin City Centre which is in North County…read on |
MuseumsGolf
| Howth Golf Club Established in 1916 and designed by well-known golf architect James Braid, the 18 hole Howth Golf Club is situated at …read on |
Gardens
| Rathmichael Lodge The old world charm of Rathmichael Lodge is so deeply impressive that it will transport one to a different time period. …read on |
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Castles
| Clontarf Castle Now turned into a hotel with the most modern amenities, Clontarf Castle has always been a much-admired place in Irelan…read on |
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Art-galleries
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National Photographic Archive was established in the year 1998 and has a collection of approximately 300,000 photographs. The assortment includes not only the historic photographs but has a good number of contemporary photographs as well. This archive records photographs from various subjects of interest such as topographical views, landscapes and studio portraits. In addition to these, one can find a profusion of loose prints as well as smaller collections. The photographs have coverages on various significant events of 1916 such as the War of Independence and the Civil War.
Located in County Dublin, Malahide is a coastal suburban town that derives its modern name from “Mullach Íde”, meaning “the hill of Íde” or “Íde’s sand-hill”. The town is surrounded by Swords, Kinsealy and Portmarnock. 16 km away from the city centre, it is connected with services of DART and Irish Rails. With village like centre, the town has residential areas in the south, west and north-west.
Dublin City is the most important city of Ireland and also the capital city. In Irish it is officially known as Baile Átha Cliath, its English name was derived from the Irish Dubh Linn which means black pool. The urban population of the city is over 1 million people. The city is located at the mouth of the river Liffey, center of the Dublin region and at the mid-point of the Irelands eastern coast. Earlier it was discovered as a Viking settlement after that evolving into the kingdom of Dublin and becoming islands primary city prior to the Norman invasion. It is ranked as 29th in the Global Financial Centre’s Index, ranking of alpha as a global city as listed by GaWC and placing it among the top 30 cities. Among the capital city of Europe, Dublin City has the fastest growing population. It is considered as a modern centre of education, arts and industry but it also preserves the historical and contemporary culture of the country. The Celts arrived in Ireland in around 500BC and by the period of 200AD the foundation of Dublin was ready. Earlier Dubh Linn was located at the place where Father Mathew Bridge and Church Street cross the River Liffey currently. The Vikings who arrived in 841AD and many other settlements began considering the crossing this crossing as their home. In fact, many of them used this shallow pool that is River Poddle to anchor their ships. Earlier Dubh Linn was located just in place of Castle Gardens, opposite Dublin castle and the Chester Beatty Library of today. In this place a small community of Christian monastic’s settled who later on built a monastery. Between the time period of 841AD to 999AD, Dublin was under the rule of the Vikings. This time period proved to be the worst time as the Vikings played havoc by looting the monasteries of their precious wealth and thus, extending their span of control and settlements and making them establish the first town in Ireland. During this period they also built a strong wall around Dubh Linn to safe guard them from any external attacks. Everything around the city changed with the arrival of the Anglo-Normans to the gates of Dubh Linn in 1170. The Vikings were eradicated from the city and were forced to set up their new town on the far side of the river named as Ostmantown meaning ‘The town of the Men from East’, after this the native Irish were also forced and chased off to their own settlements. The city area of Dublin is under the administration of Dublin City council. The term ‘Dublin’ refers to the adjacent urban areas which also include parts of local authority areas of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin all together known as the Dublin region.
Douglas Hyde Gallery, 
Located 20 km north-east of County Dublin, Donabate is a suburban coastal town. The town is situated on a peninsula that lies on the east coast of Ireland between the Rogerstown Estuary and Broadmeadow Estuary. Donabate shares this peninsula with another town, Portrane. Moreover, due to the large sand spits covering the mouth of both estuaries surrounding the town, Donabate has hammer-head shape.
The Dillon Garden is located outside a private house in Ranelagh which is on the outskirts of Dublin. The garden attracts visitors because of the beauty and colors of the plants that are personally tended by its owner Helen Dillon. One will find a veritable mix of plants in each of the garden beds, be they herbaceous plants, roses, shrubs or bulbs. The many plants form vibrant and colorful borders around Dillon’s 1830s home, which reveal the hard work put in by the gardener. The love and care with which this private garden has been planted and arranged reflect in the visual treat this place offers. So if one happens to be fond of gardening, it becomes imperative to watch the glories of Dillon Garden while in Dublin.
Balbriggan is a beautiful sea-side town situated 32km away to the north of Dublin City Centre which is in North County Dublin. The town in Irish is called BaileBricin which means Town of the Small Trouts. Originally, the town was a small fishing village where after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, King William of Orange along with his army set up their comfortable camp. In the year 1920, Balbriggan was looted and burned by the “Black and Tans” which was a British Military force. This incidence occurred after a Royal Irish Constable was killed during the War of Independence in 1916-21.
