Why Choose Dun Laoghaire
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About Dún Laoghaire Town
The coastal suburb of Dún Laoghaire Town has stunning views, a cosmopolitan culture, Mediterranean appearance and Victorian built heritage, all making it a popular destination. Dún Laoghaire as we know it now largely dates from the 1820s and is home to many independent, family-owned businesses of long standing.
The town features one of Ireland’s longest main streets (1.2 kilometers) stretching from the beautifully laid out People’s Park to the reputed location of the 450AD King Laoghaire’s dún or fort, located near York Road.
The town is dotted with places of interest including the National Maritime Museum of Ireland, the world’s first suburban railway station, what was the world’s largest asylum harbour for over 50 years, the Baths and the strikingly modern DLR LexIcon.
The town’s harbour is a busy hub for fishing and water sports and is much loved for strolls on the East Pier with a snack of locally caught fish and chips.
Public transport links include the DART and over 12 bus routes.
Dún Laoghaire’s stunning location and views, cosmopolitan culture, Mediterranean appearance, and physical beauty make it a very special place. Few places in Europe, let alone Ireland, encompass its blue seas, magnificent parks, old and new architecture, mountain views, food culture and transport links that make it accessible to all.
One in five of its population are non-nationals and a diversity of languages – French, Polish, Chinese and many others – can be heard on its streets daily.
A paradise for pedestrians and a sense fest for cyclists, Dún Laoghaire is working hard to reinvigorate its town by introducing a new family friendly coastal cycle route attracting thousands of cyclists everyday, new outdoor public art and photography exhibitions, and a series of urban parklets spilling over with pollinating plants
Employment
Dún Laoghaire has a steady increase of employment since 2012.
The main industries are:
- IT and Financial Services 27%
- Retail and Trade 22%
- Education and Health 19%
- Other 32%
Specialties in demand:
- Data Analysts and Scientists
- AI and Machine Learning Specialists
- Big Data Specialists
- Digital Marketing and Strategy Specialists
- Process Automation Specialists
- Business Development Professionals
- Digital Transformation Specialists
- Information Security Analysts
- Software and Application Developers
- Internet of Things Specialists
- Project Managers
- Business Services and Administration Managers
- Database and Network Professionals
- Robotics Engineers
- Strategic Advisors
- Management and Organisation Analysts
- FinTech Engineers
- Mechanics and Machinery Repairers
- Organisational Development Specialists
- Risk Management Specialists
Accommodation
Available accommodation:*
1,796 properties available to buy
235 properties available to rent
*available properties in July 2022 in 10 km Radius
State of home ownership:
54,289 properties home owner occupied
21,273 properties rented
3,006 other
Traffic and transportation
9,000 of Dún Laoghaire’s population are within a 10 minute walk from the town centre and a million people are within a 30 minute drive.
40 minute drive to Dublin Airport by car and 20 ride to the Dublin City centre by DART.
Top types of commuting:
Motor car: 49%
Train, DART or Luas: 13%
On foot: 13%
Other 25%
Medical Facilities
1 Hospital
5 GPs
8 Dentists
And more
Weather
Average temperature: 10.4 °C
Precipitation: 919 mm
Average hours of sunshine per month: 59.88 h
Average temperature of the sea: 11.20 °C
Things to do
- Get yourself a great coffee
- Eat something delicious
- Walk on the Pier
- Chillax in The People’s Park
- Treat yourself with Ice-cream
- And more
ANSEO
Discover Dún Laoghaire’s street art collection. Anseo murals display the essence of Dún Laoghaire. It reflects on all the elements that make our town a unique place. Start your walking tour from Paul Francis’ piece, opposite the Maritime Museum.
Historic sights to see
- Town Hall
- James Joyce Tower & Museum
- National Maritime Museum of Ireland
- Queen Victoria Fountain
- Russian Cannon from the Crimean War
- And more
Since 450 AD, our town has been Dublin’s go-to spot for visitors and traders. Originally a fishing village located where the Purty Kitchen now sits, Dún Laoghaire as we now know it largely dates from the 1820s. Since then it’s been home to the world’s first suburban railway, the first purpose-built yacht club in the world, and the world’s largest asylum harbour.
Culture
Within the town, there are numerous historic buildings, museums and cultural attractions that reinforce Dún Laoghaire as a most desirable place to live, work and visit.
Places of interest
- George’s Street
- Royal Marine Hotel
- Dlr Lexicon
- Irish Design Gallery
- National Maritime Museum
- St. Michael’s Church
- Carnegie Library
- County Hall
- Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre
- Dún Laoghaire Baths
- Pavilion Theatre
- Harbour Plaza
- West Pier ‘Gut’
- The Gut
- East Pier
- Moran Park
- Newtownsmith Park
- People’s Park
- Clarinda Park
- Vesey Park
Shopping
The town has one of the longest high streets in Ireland coming in at 1.2 km running from People’s Park to York Road featuring more than 220 shops. From small independent family run boutiques to well-known, high-street brands, Dún Laoghaire has it!
The town is also home to two shopping centres, Bloomfields and Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre.
Penney’s, Dunne’s Stores, Argos and Meadows & Byrne are just a few of the outlets located in the town.
There is also wide range of restaurants, coffee shops and bars.
The area is also home to a large organic market every Sunday morning.
Schools & Education System
3 Third level education institutes
5 secondary schools
10 primary schools
Sports, Activities & Hobbies
Recreational activities:
- Board games
- Bowling
- Cycling
- French boules
- Gaelic games
- Gyms
- Hockey
- Playgrounds
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Water sports
Community Groups and Volunteering
- Tidy Towns
- Non-profit organizations
- Choirs
- Dance classes
- Chess clubs
- Photography courses
- Drama classes
- Art classes
- Local events
Coworking Capacity
Networks in the Town
DLR Chamber
Digital Dun Laoghaire
Check our town out online!
DunLaoghairetown.ie provides a wide range of digital resources which will help give you a flavour of our great town through your smartphone:
Discover:
Visiting guides:
- Top 10 things to do
- Historic Walking Tour
- Getting Here
- Car Parking
- People’s Park Market
- James Joyce
- DLR Tourism
- Tourism map
- Dún Laoghaire Town Memories
Business guides:
- Buy Local Directory
- Why Dún Laoghaire
- DLR LEO
- Dún Laoghaire Enterprise Centre
- Dún Laoghaire Business Association
- Digital Dún Laoghaire
- IADT Media Cube
- DLR Chamber
Highlights of 2022 Year
Opening of the Dun Laoghaire Baths
The re-opening of the Dún Laoghaire Baths is a significant milestone for the Council and the people of the town. This well-known landmark has been an important part of the history and heritage of families all over the County. Once again, we can welcome visitors to this popular bathing area. This beautiful restoration will facilitate swimming, water sports, and a great concert area.”
Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
The Urbanism Awards – Winner
“Dún Laoghaire winning the Academy of Urbanism, Great Town award 2022 is recognition of what has been achieved by the Council working closely with local communities, businesses, and other partners. The Academy’s assessment referenced the creation of lively urban spaces that people value and use and the flourishing shopping street with a broad range of retail and services.”
Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Myrtle Square redevelopment
Works have begun on the Myrtle Square & Convent Lane Project. Generous greening, play, seating and nature in the heart of the town will be key benefits
Plans for 2023
Completion of Myrtle Square
The completion of the project will see a dramatic redistribution of public realm space in favour of pedestrians and as a destination space. The site has long been highlighted as a location for a public square, which the town has historically lacked.
DLR recommends to permanently pedestrianise George’s Street
The DLR CoCo Summer Streets initiative in the summer of 2022, saw George’s Street Lower closed to traffic and the creation of additional outdoor space at Myrtle Square. At the end of the initiative and a comprehensive public consultation found that the pedestrianisation of this section of George’s Street was positive under a number of criteria and recommended that a permanent scheme should be progressed.
Credits & resources
- KPMG – Dun Laoghaire 2040 A Spatial and Economic Study
- Dlr CoCo – Sport and Recreation
- climate-data.org – Ireland/Dun Laoghaire
- Welcome to Dun Laoghaire – GATEWAY TO DUBLIN – DLR CoCo
- Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2019 – Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
- daft.ie
- independent.ie
- boards.ie
- dunlaoghairetown.ie
- hse.ie
Love Dun Laoghaire is an initiative of @Digital Dun Laoghaire providing digital promotion and marketing activities aimed at driving footfall and encouraging economic growth in Dún Laoghaire Town.
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