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With long sandy beaches and trendy seafood restaurants, it’s easy to forget that Skerries is less than an hour from the bustling heart of Dublin.
This small seaside town, which means ‘the rocks’ in Irish, is an under-the-radar gem on Ireland’s east coast. On weekends, I’m told, it’s where Dubliners like to escape.
I first heard of Skerries when I was watching Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters, and felt compelled to Google where it was filmed. Up popped a little fishing village and out popped my credit card to book flights.
Thankfully, five minutes of fame has not opened the floodgates to an onslaught of tourists.
The fact that there are no hotels in Skerries has helped, though there are plenty of rental cottages and a few local guesthouses.
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From wild swimming to walking trails and authentic trad seisiúnta, here’s everything there is to do in one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets.
Walking through history
Home to just under 11,000 permanent residents, Skerries is small. For tourists, that means everything is central.
To get your bearings, a solid starting point is a stroll along the coastal path, an easy circular walking route that links the North and South beaches with Martello Tower, a small fort dating back to 1804.
There’s history everywhere you step.
Skerries was once home to St. Patrick’s Monastery, the site of a Viking invasion.
A plaque on a stone wall above the beach remembers Muriel Gifford, the widow of Irish revolutionary hero Thomas MacDonagh who was executed by the British in 1916. She drowned while swimming in Skerries one year later.
The path stretches almost 7km to Balbriggan Beach, past the 18th-Century Ardgillan Castle and Lady’s Stairs, two big tourist ticks in the area. On the horizon, the Mourne Mountains provide a moody sense of majesty.
Closer to shore, local fishermen return around the headland with their daily catch. I follow my nose down to the harbour to explore Ireland’s blossoming food scene.
Food
I am in thrall to a local recommendation. So ‘you have to try the chowder in Stoop Your Head’ is the kind of order I am more than happy to obey.
Inside a nautical-inspired building on Harbour Road is a family-run restaurant with a simple but delicious menu. I plump for the chowder (€10.50), a thick creamy bowl bursting with fresh fish that tastes like it jumped right out of the sea and straight onto my table.
It’s served with the age-old Irish favourite, a chunky wedge of soda bread that I could have easily enjoyed on its own.
Outside on the pier, a miniature ice-cream parlour is hidden in a candy-striped shack. Aptly named Storm in a Teacup, it looks like the perfect place for a post-dinner scoop, but as the heavens open, I forgo a cone in search of a nightcap somewhere dry instead.
With pubs aplenty in Skerries, there is no shortage of places to wait out the rain.
The Snug on New Street is a fantastic find with open fires, cosy rooms and a main bar hosting traditional music once a week. I am fortunate enough to stumble across the bar just as a group of musicians are tuning up and nab myself a bar stool within touching distance of the band.
Friendly patrons warmly welcome me to their ‘local’ and two hours quickly pass in a blur of fiddles, lilts and Tayto crisps.
On the short walk home, I find myself slowing down outside an estate agent’s window just to ‘have a look’. A surefire sign that this place is worth at least one visit.
Irish breakfast with a twist
All roads seem to lead back to the harbour, which is where I find breakfast the next morning.
Goat in the Boat is a trendy coffee-shop-cum-homewares-store. They also make ice-cream, but I settle for a croissant and hot chocolate to kick-start day two, before heading back inland to check out the sights.
It’s not your typical Irish breakfast, but it does me just fine.
Skerries Mills Museum is only a few minutes’ walk from the beach. Tickets are €8 if booked in advance, and you get to see two working windmills and a watermill on a tour that takes about an hour.
A café on site is famous for its scones, and there’s a farmers’ market on Saturdays full of local foods and crafts. As I am a day early, I settle for an extra-large slice of cheesecake before wandering back to the harbour.
The pace of life feels gloriously slow in Skerries. There is little traffic and each road looks unique with brightly coloured houses, the odd thatched cottage and an array of quaint old pubs.
Even in the pouring rain, people smile and take the time to say hello to a drenched tourist.
Due to the weather, I reluctantly leave my swimsuit languishing in the bottom of my bag, but looking out across the blustery Irish Sea, it is easy to imagine a sunny day with kayakers and kitesurfers jockeying for space on the water; eager toddlers queuing at the ice-cream shack for the Flavour of the Day, and revellers spilling out of bars on to the streets.
I’m already planning a return visit for the annual Trad Music Festival that takes place on the first weekend in June.
Until then, I make the most of a break between showers to snap a few soggy selfies on the waterfront before grabbing lunch at Hit the Road Jacques, and then doing just that.
Despite not seeing the sun, I had a truly wonderful trip to the Irish seaside. From authentic watering holes, to watersports and windmills, Skerries is a well-kept seaside secret that is worth its salt all year round.
Just don’t tell anyone.
Getting to Skerries
Flights from London to Dublin can cost as little as £16 one-way with Ryanair.
From there, it’s a 50-minute drive to Skerries, or just over an hour on the 33A bus from the city centre.
Once you’re there, the Redbank Guest House has 18 rooms starting from £65 per person per night in summer. Sunset Crag rental apartment is available on Airbnb for £129 per night in June 2026.
