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RUSH

CO. DUBLIN · IE

Rush
An Ros, Co. Dublin

STOP 08 / 08

An Ros · Co. Dublin

Strawberries in summer, lobster pots in the harbour, and a beach that most of Dublin drives straight past.

Rush is a north Dublin coastal town that has quietly made its living two ways: growing things in the ground, and pulling things out of the sea. The soil around Rush is good, the coastal market gardens have been here for generations, and the strawberries that come off the fields in June have their own local reputation.

The harbour is small and working. It is not the kind of harbour where people moor leisure boats beside restaurants serving lobster bisque. It is the kind where actual lobster pots are stacked on the quay. The Harbour Bar sits beside it. That arrangement is the correct one.

Kenure Park is the heritage site that most visitors miss. The house itself is gone - demolished by Dublin County Council in 1978 in an act of bureaucratic vandalism that local campaigners tried and only partially stopped. The portico was saved. It stands in the middle of the park now, granite columns holding up a pediment with nothing behind them. It is an unexpectedly striking thing: a ruin that isn't quite a ruin, preserved by the argument about what to do with it.

Population

~10,000

Coords

53.5236° N, 6.0883° W

01 / 08

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The strawberries

Rush Queens. They ripen in June and the whole county notices.

Rush has been called the market garden of Ireland. The local strawberry - the Rush Queen - is a genuine seasonal event. Roadside stalls appear in early summer and the Butterly family sell fresh local produce year-round.

Stories & lore → 02 The harbour

A working fishing harbour, not a yacht marina.

Rush has a small fishing harbour at its centre. Lobster pots, crab, demersal fish. The Harbour Bar sits right on the water.

Walks & outings → 03 Kenure Park

The house is gone. The portico remains.

The main house of Kenure was demolished in 1978 by Dublin County Council. The granite portico was saved by local petition and still stands - a Georgian column in a public park with nothing behind it. The two gate lodges survive.

Stories & lore →

02 / 08

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

The Harbour Bar

Seafood, local, relaxed

Harbour pub & food

Right on the harbour in Rush. The chowder and seafood pie are the things to order. The view is the harbour. The combination works.

The Strand

Family-friendly, regular

Bar & restaurant

Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days. Live music on Thursdays and Saturdays. The most consistently operating food venue in town.

03 / 08

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
The Harbour Bar	Pub food	€€	Chowder and seafood pie that trade on the fact that the harbour is outside the window and the fish arrived this morning. This is the right way to eat in Rush.
The Strand	Bar & restaurant	€€	Seven-days-a-week, all-day service. Good for families, reliable kitchen. Covers the ground the Harbour Bar doesn't.

04 / 08

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

The strawberry with its own season

The Rush Queen

Rush has been growing market-garden produce since at least the 18th century. The 'Rush Queen' strawberry is a local variety that ripens in June, earlier than most, and has its own devoted following. Roadside stalls along the approach roads to the town appear when the season arrives. The Butterly family have been selling locally grown produce here across several generations. It is one of those quietly specific things that a place holds onto long after the original conditions have changed around it.

The portico in the park

Kenure House

Kenure House was a substantial Georgian mansion on an estate north of the town, the seat of the Palmer family from the 17th century until the land was sold. Dublin County Council bought it and in 1978 demolished the main house. The local campaign to save it arrived too late for the house but in time for the granite portico - the formal entrance front, with its columns and pediment - which was left standing in the park as a concession. It stands there now, an arch with no building behind it, which is either a monument or a mistake depending on how you look at it. Both gate lodges from the estate survive.

The town's two trades

St Maur and the fishing

Rush takes its name from An Ros, meaning 'the headland', and its patron saint is Maur. St Maur's GAA club carries the name. The two north-facing beaches - Rush North Beach and Rush Strand - sit either side of the town. The Rogerstown Estuary on the southern edge is a bird reserve. The sea has always been part of the economics here, alongside the soil.

05 / 08

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Harbour to Rush Strand From the fishing harbour along the seafront to the main beach. Flat, easy, works for all ages. The view south takes in the Rogerstown Estuary.

2.5 km returndistance

40 mintime

Kenure Park loop The park is open as a public space. The portico is the objective. The grounds have pleasant woodland walking. Combine it with the beach for a half-morning out.

3 km loopdistance

50 mintime

Rush to Loughshinny cliff walk North from Rush along the coastal path toward Loughshinny. The Loughshinny Folds - ancient geological crumpling in the cliff strata - are visible en route. Turn back at Loughshinny harbour or push on to Skerries.

4 km one waydistance

1 hourtime

06 / 08

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The Rogerstown Estuary is good for bird watching in spring. Beaches quiet. The market garden season beginning.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

This is the right time. Strawberry stalls on the roads, beaches in use, the harbour at its most active. Nothing like Skerries for crowds.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Quiet and good. The coastal walk north to Loughshinny is excellent in October. The estuary is full of migrating birds.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

The harbour is still working. The beach is empty and occasionally dramatic. There is limited reason to make a special trip.

◐ Mind yourself

07 / 08

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Driving through without stopping

Rush is between Skerries and Donabate and most people treat it as the road between them. The harbour is worth twenty minutes at minimum.

Kenure Park as an afterthought

The portico is one of the stranger heritage sights in north Dublin and it takes ten minutes to reach from the beach. Add it to the walk.

The strawberries in July

The Rush Queen season peaks in June. By July the stalls are supplementing with fruit from elsewhere. Get there in early to mid-June for the real thing.