Sandycove Beach and Baths
View of the Sea from Sandycove
Sandycove is popular with swimmers for its naturally deep and well-known swimming spot the Forty Foot and for its sheltered and sandy beach. This spot has something for every type of swimmer, including deep water for diving and safe, shallow water for less experienced swimmers and children.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.View of the Sea from Sandycove
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
View of the Sea from Sandycove
Sandycove is popular with swimmers for its naturally deep and well-known swimming spot the Forty Foot and for its sheltered and sandy beach. This spot has something for every type of swimmer, including deep water for diving and safe, shallow water for less experienced swimmers and children.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.Sandycove Baths date back to 1838. Described as 'commodious hot and cold water baths', they attracted many swimmers and visitors. Mr John Walsh was named as the proprietor in the street directories of this time.
The Ordnance Survey of 1867 calls them 'Walshs Sandycove Baths'. They closed in the early 1970s and are now used by a sub aqua club. The only surviving traces of the early structures are stone steps and a low wall running out to the sea.
Postcard Image of Sandycove Beach
A view of Sandycove beach on a summer's day. People of all ages populate this small, sandy stretch. (A John Hinde postcard image.)
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library ServicePostcard Image of Sandycove Beach
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service
Postcard Image of Sandycove Beach
A view of Sandycove beach on a summer's day. People of all ages populate this small, sandy stretch. (A John Hinde postcard image.)
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service
Sandycove Beach and Tower
A dull day on Sandycove beach. James Joyce Tower can be seen in the right-hand corner. During the summer months, this sandy beach is full of young families and swimmers of all ages.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.Sandycove Beach and Tower
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
Sandycove Beach and Tower
A dull day on Sandycove beach. James Joyce Tower can be seen in the right-hand corner. During the summer months, this sandy beach is full of young families and swimmers of all ages.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.Sandycove has a lovely sandy beach and is a very sheltered spot. The area around the corner of the promontory from the Forty Foot is particularly popular for those with young children, as it is a very safe bathing area. Lifeguards are employed during the summer months and it gets very busy.
The Forty Foot
Sandycove and Forty Foot: © Courtesy of John Hinde
John Hinde postcard image. Sandycove and the James Joyce Tower, as well as the Forty Foot swimming area, are visible. This is a very popular area for swimming throughout the year.
© Courtesy of John HindeSandycove and Forty Foot: © Courtesy of John Hinde
© Courtesy of John Hinde
© Courtesy of John Hinde
Sandycove and Forty Foot: © Courtesy of John Hinde
John Hinde postcard image. Sandycove and the James Joyce Tower, as well as the Forty Foot swimming area, are visible. This is a very popular area for swimming throughout the year.
© Courtesy of John HindeThe Forty Foot is famous for its excellent bathing conditions. It was a men-only bathing place for nearly 200 years, but is now enjoyed by everyone, at all times of the year. Even at low tides, there is always plenty of water for swimming there.
A Christmas Day swim occurs at the Forty Foot each year. Many people from the surrounding area participate in it. Families have long traditions of participating in the annual dip.
The origin of the name Forty Foot is much disputed. Some say the name is related to the great depth of its waters. However, measurements show it to be an average of 20 feet deep at full tide. On an 1833 map, the Marine Road was named the Forty Foot Road. Perhaps the name was transferred to the bathing spot.
View of Sandycove and Scotsman's Bay
View across Scotsman's Bay, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The martello tower that is now the Joyce Museum is visible. The Forty Foot swimming area can be seen to the left of the picture, and Sandycove beach is to the front of the tower.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.View of Sandycove and Scotsman's Bay
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.
View of Sandycove and Scotsman's Bay
View across Scotsman's Bay, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The martello tower that is now the Joyce Museum is visible. The Forty Foot swimming area can be seen to the left of the picture, and Sandycove beach is to the front of the tower.
© Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Public Library Service.Another theory suggests that the garrison attached to the James Joyce Tower housed a regiment known as the 40th Regiment of Foot for a time during the early 1800s, when the threat of a Napoleonic invasion was high. However, records show this was unlikely as the regiment was stationed at Richmond Barracks. The Forty Foot name dates back to at least the mid-1800s.
The name Forty Foot Hole, which was its original title, could also refer to a particularly bountiful spot for fishing. Fishermen have often referred to particularly special deep fishing grounds as 'holes'. For this reason, it has been suggested that the name of this famous bathing place was conferred by fishermen rather than bathers.