Portmarnock is a coastal town in Fingal, on the sandy stretch of shore north of Dublin and an easy train ride from the city. Its name is bound up with two things: a magnificent beach and world-class golf.
Velvet Strand — a long, dune-backed arc of fine sand — gives the town its character and its place in Irish memory; it was from here that early aviators made record-breaking transatlantic flight attempts in the 1930s. Today it's a breezy escape for walkers, swimmers, and kite-flyers within sight of Lambay and Ireland's Eye.
Just south, the championship links of Portmarnock Golf Club have hosted the Irish Open many times and rank among the finest links courses in the world. Together the beach and the golf make Portmarnock a relaxed half-day by the sea, reached on the DART/commuter line from Dublin city centre.