Overview
Malahide Marina keeps its boatyard staffed around the clock, which is the practical reason it works as well as it does: a yacht can come in off Dublin Bay at 3am, tie up on the sheltered Broadmeadow Estuary, and have fuel, a lift-out or an engine seen to the same morning. Around 350 boats berth here, ten minutes from Dublin Airport and a five-minute walk from the DART, 25 minutes up the line from the city centre. If you don’t sail, the draw is simpler and free: the promenade runs from the pontoons straight into the middle of Malahide, past the castle and down to the beach.
Facilities and boatyard services
The yard runs year-round and can take vessels up to 75 m alongside. What’s on hand:
- Berthing – fully serviced pontoons with water, electricity and Wi-Fi; wet and dry berths.
- Lift and repair – a 30-ton travel hoist, crane, mast stepping, hull washing, anti-fouling, and mechanical and electrical work.
- Fuel – marine diesel at the fuel dock, open 9am to 7pm.
- Amenities – showers, toilets, laundry and a chandlery for what you forgot.
- Security – swipe-card gated access, CCTV and staff patrols, day and night.
- TransEurope membership – berth-holders get half-price visitor berthing at 84 marinas across 11 European countries.
On the water and ashore
The upper estuary is calm enough for dinghy sailing, paddle-boarding and lessons. Local operators run fishing charters for mackerel and bass and evening cruises toward Howth; short visitor moorings suit day-trippers who really came to walk.
Once ashore, the promenade leads into the village in a few minutes. The 12th-century Malahide Castle and its parkland – butterfly house, playgrounds, a fairy trail – sit just beyond, with the wide sands of the Velvet Strand a little further on. The village itself is cafés, pubs and independent shops, most of it walkable from the water.
Wildlife and the estuary
The Broadmeadow Estuary is a designated Special Protection Area, and the tidal mudflats and reed beds pull in wading birds and wildfowl, busiest on the spring and autumn passage. Grey seals turn up too, hauled out on the sandbanks or working the harbour mouth – bring binoculars and watch from the promenade.
Practical information
- Berthing fees – short stays up to five hours €12.00; daily rates from €3.90 per metre; monthly from €61.00 per metre. Electricity and waste are billed on top.
- Parking – on-site visitor parking by the hour; the nearby Westbury Malahide car park is open 24 hours and charges from €2.40 a day.
- Admission – walking the marina, promenade and village costs nothing.
- Accessibility – the promenade is ground-level and paved; boatyard access can be arranged with staff.
- Booking – daytime moorings are generally first-come, first-served; long-term berths should be booked ahead, especially May to September.
Getting there
- By road – about ten minutes from Dublin Airport via the M1 and M50.
- By rail – Malahide DART station is a five-minute walk, and 25 minutes from Dublin city centre.
- By bus – several Dublin Bus routes stop in the village, within walking distance of the water.
Events and community
The marina sits inside the village calendar: the Malahide Has It festival brings live music and food stalls to the streets in summer, and December adds a Christmas market and parade. The marina runs its own berth-holder gatherings and boat-care sessions through the year.
One thing to plan around if you’re arriving by boat: the estuary approaches dry out at low water, so time your entrance with the tide and call ahead for a berth. On foot, come on a weekday – weekend parking fills by mid-morning once the weather turns.