Dalkey and Killiney Coast, County Dublin

In between our jaunts down the country, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying pottering around the Dun Laoghaire area.  The Oldies love to stroll out to the pretty village of Dalkey, with its seven castles, ancient churches, dinky little cottages, quaint shops and, of course, cosy pubs. For me though, the highlight of Dalkey is its harbours. Poor old Bulloch Harbour took a battering in recent storms, but it is still one of my favourite places to do a bit of seal spotting.

Tiny Collimore Harbour has got to be one of the prettiest harbours I’ve ever seen, what with its wonderful views of Maiden Rock, Lamb Island and Dalkey Island not far offshore. I hear that the islands are also good places for spotting not only seals, but also porpoises and dolphins.

Whenever His Lordship is let near the music system, I often hear U2 singing about “Where the Streets have no Name”. I was surprised to hear though, that some of the band members live on streets with Italian names – in South County Dublin.

Street names such as Vico Road, Sorrento Road and house names such as Amalfi, Capri and Monte Alverno might well make you wonder what is behind this Italian influence in Dalkey and Killiney. But all becomes clear once you look out to sea. Killiney Bay lives up to its reputation as Ireland’s Bay of Naples, as I discovered when we stopped off on Vico Road. With panoramic views stretching from Howth Head to Bray Head and beyond, Killiney Bay is certainly a match for its Italian cousin. Sure, it even has its own mini Isle of Capri, in the shape of Dalkey Island. The raw January winds were the only reminder that we were on the Irish Sea, not the Mediterranean.

The weather was no deterrent for the hardy swimmers we saw later down on Killiney beach. The water temperature must have been at least 6°C or 7°C, though. When you think about it, that’s practically warm in comparison with the air temperature of 2°C. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Oldies didn’t strip off straight away and dive in!

We did have a most pleasant walk along the beach, however. These are no golden sands, but dark grey, almost black sand, with plenty of large granite boulders dotted about. In contrast, the vibrant green suburban trains resembled giant caterpillars as they weaved their way along the coast above our heads.

From the beach, we had a great view of the Sorrento Terrace houses which are famous for their spectacular location. And their spectacular prices. I heard Her Ladyship remark, ‘I wonder what’s the current price per square foot.’ Simple answer: an arm and a leg.

It seems to me that Killiney Hill is positively littered with castles and mansions. Her starry-eyed Ladyship was able to rattle off names of many of the rich and famous local residents. Bono and the Edge, of course, Enya, Van Morrison… what an upmarket neighbourhood! I thought it was rather ironic, then, that Killiney Hill Park’s iconic landmark is a folly.

Killiney Obelisk was built in order to give employment to the poor in the aftermath of the ‘forgotten famine’ of 1740/41. Apparently, hundreds of thousands died after two particularly harsh winters and a miserably wet summer. I certainly hope the obelisk helped to save at least a few lives.

Her Ladyship still calls the obelisk ‘the cone’, having been told as a child that a giant bought a Teddy’s ice cream cone (a giant one, of course) in Dun Laoghaire and dropped it on the top of Killiney Hill. Murphy’s law, of course, it had to fall ice-cream side down.

We found a couple more follies nearby, the Step Pyramid and another obelisk known as the ‘Witch’s Hat’, both of which were built about a hundred years later than the Killiney Obelisk/cone. Well, whatever you want to call them, give me an ice-cream cone to a witch’s hat any day!

If you think Killiney Bay looks incredible from Vico Road, just wait until you reach that obelisk at the summit. The altitude of Killiney Hill is a mere 153m, but because it rises straight up from sea level, the panoramic views from here are even more spectacular. From Dublin city to the wilds of Wicklow, including my beloved Great Sugarloaf Mountain and, of course, the Irish Sea – as far as the eye can see.

Whatever you do, when you’re next in Killiney get up that hill! It would be sheer folly not to.