Portmarnock

Portmarnock boasts its beautiful blue flag 2mi/3km long Velvet beach and well-known championship links golf courses. Views of Dublin Bay and Lambay Island are stunning from the beach where there’s also a sculpture to commemorate the Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith's departure from the beach to cross the Atlantic in his aircraft the Southern Cross. 

Baldoyle Bay extends from Howth’s West Pier to just below Portmarnock village and is of high conservation importance. The inner estuarine section is a Statutory Nature Reserve and is designated as a wetland of international importance. Two rivers run into the estuary one of which is the Sluice River. The Sluice River Marsh is a relatively intact freshwater marsh, a habitat that is now rare in Co Dublin.