Skerries North Beach
The name Skerries comes from the Norse word sceir, meaning reef or rocky islands. Skerries is situated in North County Dublin with easy access from the M50 and M1 motorways. Skerries North Strand is a covelike beach 1.2 km in length, adjoining the beautiful harbour area and Red Island Coastal Walkway. There are a number of pedestrian accesses to the beach. There are two public toilet facilities closeby. On a clear day the North Antrim coast can be seen quite clearly from the beach with a fantastic view of the Mountains of Mourne.
Iarnróid Eireann, Inter City Service facilitates the local village of Skerries; the North Beach is approximately a 10-minute walk from the train station. Skerries town is also served by the No. 33 bus service from Dublin City Centre and the North Beach is only a 2-minute walk from the bus stop.
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Bathing Water Quality
There is no monitoring of bathing water quality at Skerries North Beach. The closest location at which Bathing Water Quality is monitored is Skerries South Beach.
Lifeguard Information
All potential visitors to the beach are reminded of the dangers that exist along our coastline during the bathing season. Lifeguard cover will be provided on weekends only for June and July.
Daily cover will be provided from Monday to Sunday during August (11.00 am to 7.00pm).
The presence of lifeguards on duty is indicated by the flying of the red/yellow flag.
Skerries Harbour
As far back as the 2nd century there are references to an anchorage at Skerries when Gauls, Picts and Britons who had landed at Lambay put their men ashore at Skerries. By 1315 the harbour was known as the port of Holmpatrick and the Sheriff of Dublin had appointed guards to ensure that no ships departed without the Kings permit. In the 15th century the convent and prior of St. Patrick of Holmpatrick were granted permission to construct a fortified harbour and wall at Skerries in response to concerns about Lambay Island providing shelter for pirates.
Forces sent by Henry VIII to quell the rebellion of Silken Thomas raided Skerries in 1534. Later the harbour passed into the possession of the Earl of Thomond and then on to the Hamiltons of Hacketstown in 1721, who later renovated the pier. The fishing industry reached its peak in Skerries around 1784 when the harbour was one of the premier fishing ports in Ireland.
In 1916 part of an English regiment landed at Skerries to defend the naval radio station at Millfield. During the Second World War the Loughshinny fishing fleet moved to Skerries as their boats were too big for the harbour there and work started on extending the harbour in 1968. (Source: Christopher Fox, Skerries Harbour - A Short History)
The Skerries Lifeboat
A lifeboat house was built in Skerries in 1854 and housed a rowboat with a crew of ten men. In February of 1873 the lifeboat and crew were summoned to the rescue of the Sarah of Runcorn, a schooner caught in a storm off the Balbriggan coast, on its way to Bray with a cargo of coal. About a mile form the schooner the lifeboat lost its ores and seven of the ten crew members perished. Later that month the local gentry gathered in the National School in Skerries to collect funds for the widows and orphans of the men.
Martello Tower
The Martello Tower on Red Island, just beyond the harbour, is one of a series built in the 1800's as a defence against a Napoleonic invasion. The name 'Martello' is thought to be a corruption of Mortella, a place in Corsica where a fortified tower was used to resist British forces during 1793. Over time these towers passed into private ownership and were converted for other uses. The tower on Red Island was used as a ballroom in the 1920's, which was replaced in the 1940's by Toft's Amusements. The tower is currently closed to public use.
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