Revised Killiney Beach Watersports Facility Opens for Consultation

Q: Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

Revised Killiney Beach Watersports Facility Opens for Consultation

1st November 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Architectural visualisation of the proposed watersports facility and upgraded public toilets at Killiney Beach

New Beach Plans – An architectural visualisation of the proposed Fáilte Ireland-supported watersports facility and upgraded public toilets at Killiney Beach, now the subject of a fresh Part 8 public consultation by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Credit: DLRCoCo

Plans for new watersports facilities at Killiney Beach have returned to public consultation under a revised proposal by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

The council opened a Part 8 consultation on Friday, 30 October 2026, for a Fáilte Ireland-supported facility and improvements to existing public toilets at Killiney DART station and beach car park on Station Road. Submissions are invited until Monday, 14 December 2026.

Changing Facilities, Showers and Storage

The proposed new building would provide an accessible Changing Places toilet and shower, a separate accessible toilet and shower, two public toilets, three shower and changing cubicles, lockers and seating. Three outdoor showers and a covered space for training, induction and social activities are also planned.

Existing public toilets would be upgraded to provide six unisex cubicles, an ambulant-accessible toilet and a wheelchair-accessible toilet. Other proposed works include solar panels, a covered pedestrian walkway, landscaping, utility connections and alterations to some parking spaces.

Revised Proposal for Beach Users

The fresh application follows a previous Part 8 process for watersports facilities at Killiney Beach in 2024. The council's new proposal locates the facilities within the DART station and beach car park area. It remains a proposal rather than an approved construction project; a construction start date and project-specific budget have not been confirmed in the council's latest announcement.

The facilities are intended to support people taking part in water-based activities while also improving amenities for the wider public using the beach.

Public Submissions Until 14 December

Plans, design documents and environmental screening material are available through the council's official consultation portal. Submissions can be made online, by email to [email protected] or in writing to the council's Tourism Officer at County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, quoting PC/TOU/01/26.

The council's 30 October announcement invites views from residents, community groups, beach users and businesses. The consultation closes on 14 December 2026.

Published in Aquatic Tourism, Dublin Bay

Published in Aquatic Tourism

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Killiney Beach

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Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities.

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

What is marine leisure tourism?

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

What marine leisure tourism studies have been conducted in Ireland?

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

What were the results of the NUI marine leisure tourism study?

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.