Overview
Most people who come to Seapoint aren’t here for the tower – they’re here for the swim. The stubby stone Martello tower on the point is the landmark you aim for, but the real draw is the sheltered beach beneath it, one of the more reliable sea-swimming spots on the south Dublin coast and an easy five-minute walk from Seapoint DART station. Entry costs nothing, and unlike the restored Joyce tower down the coast at Sandycove, this one is not generally open inside.
The tower has spent most of the last century looking for a use. It was the clubhouse of the Seapoint Boat Club from 1916 to 1931, later became the headquarters of the Genealogical Society of Ireland, and after damp drove the society out it has largely sat empty – opened only occasionally for guided heritage days. If you only have time for one thing, bring a towel rather than a camera.
History and architecture
The tower was built between June 1804 and December 1805, during the long invasion scare of the Napoleonic Wars. It was one of a chain of towers and batteries thrown up between Bray and Balbriggan to cover Dublin Bay with cannon fire, all following the same tried design: a round, thick-walled fort inspired by the Genoese tower at Mortella Point in Corsica that had shrugged off a Royal Navy attack in 1794.
It stands roughly 12 metres high, with masonry walls thick enough to soak up a cannonball. The ground floor held the magazine and stores, the first floor the small garrison, and the flat roof carried a single heavy gun on a pivot so it could swing across the whole bay. The French never came, the guns came out, and the tower drifted into the civilian afterlife most of its siblings share.
Down on the shore below the tower, a plaque unveiled on 19 November 2007 remembers the wreck of the Prince of Wales and the Rochdale, two ships lost off this coast with heavy loss of life in the storm of 1807.
The beach and the swim
- Sea swimming – Seapoint is a flat, gently shelving beach that’s popular year-round with local swimmers, from summer families to the hardy winter dippers. Slipways and handrails at the northern end make getting in easier at high tide.
- The coastal walk and cycle – The tower sits directly on the coastal path and the traffic-free Coastal Mobility Route, so you can walk or cycle in from Dún Laoghaire Harbour or on towards Sandycove without touching the road.
- The view – From the point there are clear sightlines across Dublin Bay towards Howth and the Wicklow coast.
One honest caveat: this is an urban bathing spot, not a wild strand. Water quality can dip after heavy rain, so it’s worth checking the current bathing-water status before you get in, particularly after a summer downpour.
Practical information
- Admission – Free. The tower interior is not open on a regular basis.
- Toilets – Seapoint Beach has accessible toilets near the tower, with space for wheelchair users. There are no showers in the tower itself.
- Parking – There’s no dedicated car park. Street parking is limited to Seapoint Avenue and Brighton Vale, both of which fill fast on a warm weekend; the nearest car park is at the DART station, about a four-minute walk away.
- Contact – Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council, 01 205 4700.
Getting there
- DART – Easiest by far: Seapoint station is about a five-minute walk, with the tower’s round silhouette visible from the platform.
- Bus – Dublin Bus routes stop near Queen’s Park, a short walk from the beach.
- Cycle – The Coastal Mobility Route runs right past, so you can ride in traffic-free from Dún Laoghaire or Blackrock.
- Car – Brighton Vale connects to Seapoint Avenue and ends near the tower, but the roads are narrow and parking is tight in summer.
Nearby
A short walk east along the promenade brings you to Dún Laoghaire Harbour, with its sailing clubs, cafés and ferry pier. Keep going to Sandycove for the Tower Museum – a fully restored Martello tower, the one where Joyce opens Ulysses, and the one to visit if you actually want to get inside a Martello tower and see how it worked.