Discover Dún Laoghaire
South Dublin's Victorian harbour town, all piers, swimmers, and Sunday markets
Two Hundred Years on the Bay
Dún Laoghaire was built as a harbour town in the 1810s when the Admiralty needed a deep-water refuge for ships waiting out the weather off Dublin. The two great granite piers were finished in the 1840s. The town carried the name Kingstown from 1821 until 1920, when it was restored to its older Irish form as an act of independence-era defiance.
The Stena ferry stopped sailing in 2014 and the terminal has sat largely empty since. Cruise ships now call here instead, anchoring offshore and tendering passengers in for the day. The harbour stays busy with yacht clubs, the RNLI station, and the swimmers who walk the Metals out to the Forty Foot at Sandycove every morning of the year.
What's On
Upcoming events and things happening in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire CoCo Market
RecurringSunday market across the LexIcon area and the People's Park; about fifty vendors year-round.
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival
RecurringAnnual literary festival across the LexIcon and the Pavilion every March.
Cruise Season 2026
RecurringCruise season May to September; 70+ ship calls, passengers tender ashore for the day.
Bloomsday at the James Joyce Tower
RecurringAnnual Bloomsday celebration at the Joyce Tower in Sandycove; readings from sunrise.
Dún Laoghaire Right Now
Dún Laoghaire sits on the south side of Dublin Bay with two long granite piers fully exposed to the Irish Sea. Wind off the bay is the variable that matters most; a sheltered afternoon in town can feel five degrees colder out on the East Pier.
🚂 DART from Dún Laoghaire
All trains towards Dublin
Dún Laoghaire station. Updates every minute
🌊 Tides
Dún Laoghaire Harbour
Heights relative to chart datum
Where To Eat
From fine dining seafood to fish and chips by the harbour
Cavistons
Family seafood deli and restaurant in Glasthule, menu changes twice weekly with the daily catch.
Toscana
Long-established Italian on the seafront with views across Dublin Bay.
Hartley's
Pier-front seafood restaurant in the old station-master's house.