Poolbeg
County Dublin · Sandymount
also known as Shelly Banks, Poolbeg Peninsula, Shelley Banks, Poolbeg Beach
Riding essentials
Season
Jul–May
Months riders and schools name
How windy
10-12 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
tidal; spacious at Poolbeg Beach and low-tide flats, narrow at Shelly Banks or eastern launch on high water
access rules on record, below
Water
shallow bay water with flat water, chop and small waves depending on tide and launch
14.6 °C in summerThe water sits inside Dublin Bay next to Dublin Port and the Poolbeg power-station chimneys
Hazards
13
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
low crowds
Schools
3
named at this spot
From the airport
15 min
Dublin Airport (DUB)
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Dollymount Strandno page yet
- Sandymountno page yet
- Burrow Beach
- Portmarnockno page yet
- Rushno page yet
- Dun Laoghaire / Seapointno page yet
The spot
Tide
Wind and season
Important note
Local conditions
The wind
locals call it Dublin Bay frontal and local sea-breeze/thermal mix
Direction
Direction to shore
SE is onshore, SW is cross-shore, W and NW are offshore. NE round to S is fine; westerlies, or anything WSW to north of west, are not.
Dominant direction
SSW, SW and WSW are the main directions, and Ireland's prevailing wind generally sits between south and west.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
In a SW the Shelly Banks car park can read like 14-15 m weather when it is closer to 12 m weather farther out. No full size range is confirmed.
Character
mixed
Average strength
10-17
Typical strength
Nothing is measured at the shoreline. Dublin Airport, 12 km inland, averages 10-12 kt in every month of the year with mean gusts of 27-33 kt, which puts a working day here somewhere in the teens with a wide gust spread. Indicative and regional, not a launch figure.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month68
- Feb, riders' month67
- Mar, riders' month71
- Apr, riders' month60
- May, riders' month32
- Jun33
- Jul, riders' month44
- Aug, riders' month53
- Sep, riders' month53
- Oct, riders' month56
- Nov, riders' month62
- Dec, riders' month71
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 68%Jan7°
- 67%Feb8°
- 71%Mar8°
- 60%Apr10°
- 32%May14°
- 33%Jun17°
- 44%Jul16°
- 53%Aug17°
- 53%Sep16°
- 56%Oct14°
- 62%Nov12°
- 71%Dec8°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 87% | 81% | 18.1 kt | W | 09:00 | 6.3 °C | 7.3 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 67% | 91% | 86% | 16.7 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 8 °C | 7.7 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 71% | 90% | 85% | 18.4 kt | SSE | 12:00 | 7.9 °C | 8 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 60% | 88% | 78% | 16.4 kt | SE | 14:00 | 9.3 °C | 10.4 °C | 60 |
| May | 32% | 73% | 53% | 13 kt | SE | 14:00 | 12.9 °C | 14 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 33% | 87% | 72% | 14.3 kt | SE | 14:00 | 14.8 °C | 16.5 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 44% | 84% | 82% | 15.4 kt | SE | 14:00 | 16 °C | 16.3 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 53% | 84% | 74% | 15.5 kt | W | 13:00 | 16.4 °C | 17.1 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 53% | 73% | 65% | 15.5 kt | W | 15:00 | 14.4 °C | 16.4 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 56% | 77% | 76% | 15.8 kt | SE | 14:00 | 12.6 °C | 14.1 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 62% | 85% | 73% | 16.2 kt | W | 11:00 | 9.2 °C | 11.5 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 71% | 85% | 84% | 19 kt | W | 13:00 | 7.4 °C | 8.4 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
shallow bay water with flat water, chop and small waves depending on tide and launch
Standing depth
Shallow in places, though the exact standing-depth area is unconfirmed. Poolbeg Beach is shallow and flat, while low tide can mean walking a long way to reach usable depth.
Tides
Strongly tide dependent. Reliable riding runs about four hours around high tide, and low tide is possible with a long walk. All three launch areas work at some state of tide: at low water you may walk a couple of kilometers for depth, and the easternmost beach and its channel come good around low tide for experienced riders.
Temperature
14.6 °C summer · 8.6 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 7–17 °C
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is always needed: a shorty in summer, a thick suit in winter. Dublin sea temperature runs around 14.6 °C in August and 8.6 °C in February, so a full suit is the practical default outside short warm sessions.
Currents
Currents are reported; the exact pattern is unconfirmed.
Conditions
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: tidal; spacious at Poolbeg Beach and low-tide flats, narrow at Shelly Banks or eastern launch on high water
Somewhere else
4 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Three launch areas, chosen by tide: Poolbeg Beach, Shelly Banks and an easternmost beach and channel. Poolbeg Beach is the high-tide option and the most spacious, and the one beginners are pointed at; Shelly Banks works but goes narrow or fully covered on high tides; the easternmost beach is mainly low-tide access to deeper water and gets hazardous at high tide, though its marked channel holds flat water and steadier wind and is rideable for about three hours either side of low tide for experienced riders.
Rules & access
1 min read
- No kitesurf-specific restriction is published for the Poolbeg launches as of 2026.
- Access, not regulation, is the constraint: the road to Shelly Banks and the easternmost beach runs through a barrier that is sometimes shut, which can leave Poolbeg Beach as the only launch you can reach, and parking at Shelly Banks is paid.
- Dublin's bathing season runs 1 June to 15 September (2026). Shelly Banks is sampled as a non-designated bathing water, and prior-warning notices go up after forecast heavy rainfall.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Time it for the four hours around high tide near the wall, or accept a long walk at low water.
- Drop any day with west or northwest in the direction; both are offshore here.
- Walk out from the Shelly Banks car park before you pick a size, because the car park is sheltered in SW and lies about the strength.
- Launch off Poolbeg Beach for space, and keep off the easternmost beach at high tide, when it is covered or pinched between rocks, street lights and pedestrians.
- Wear booties; the foreshore is shells, rock and concrete debris.
- Ask Dublin locals which launch is working and whether a bathing-water notice is up before you go on.
Getting there
Airport
Dublin Airport (DUB)
Route
Drive. Poolbeg is about 10 minutes by car from Dublin city centre, and there is no practical public transport to the launch, so it is a car or a carpool. From Dublin Airport to the Poolbeg generating station is about 15 km and about 15 minutes by road.
Transfer
15 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Stay in Dublin city; nothing is published on accommodation at the launch itself.
No-wind days
Great South Wall and Poolbeg Lighthouse walk, Irishtown Nature Park, Dublin Bay sightseeing, Dublin city restaurants/pubs/museums.
Photos
FAQ
Is Poolbeg suitable for beginners?
Poolbeg Beach itself is shallow, flat and spacious for beginners, but the narrower Shelly Banks and eastern launches suit intermediate and advanced riders.
What is the wind like at Poolbeg?
SE is locally onshore, SW is cross-shore, and W/NW winds are considered offshore or poor for this spot.
Is the tide important at Poolbeg?
Yes, the spot is strongly tide dependent, with roughly four hours of good riding around high tide and a long walk required at low tide.
What are the main hazards?
Shells, rocks and concrete debris on the foreshore, currents, and proximity to Dublin Port shipping traffic.
How do you get to Poolbeg?
Best reached by car, about 10 minutes from Dublin city centre; there is no practical public transport to the launch.
The bigger pictureEverything about Dublin
Last updated: August 2026