On a sunny Saturday at the beginning of May a group of Peninsula Pacers and Active Age for All members did a walk to explore Donabate beach and ‘The Island’. We set off from the Shoreline Hotel and walked to the top of the beach, incidentally you are at the top of the beach when you can see the Malahide church steeple ( and nowadays the Marina) down the river. On the way we remarked on the frightening degree of erosion visible at the top half of the beach, it is very concerning.

At the top of the beach we crossed over into ‘The Island’ so known because of the well-known golf club there of that name. This is an area of marram grass, scrub and tidal inlets which at this time of the year is home to nesting skylarks whose distinctive singing was lovely to hear as we watched them soaring into the blue sky.

Further on we passed the remains of the bridge and landing area of the golfers’’boat which was used to bring golfers over and back from Malahide until the 1970s. The old clubhouse sat above this area on what is now a tee box.

After a trudge down the ‘stoney beach’ we crossed back over to Donabate beach by way of the right of way between the Island and Corballis golf clubs. Then it was back to the Shoreline Hotel for soma welcome food and drink.