I had the occasion to visit Skerries this weekend. Its been a long time since I’ve been, so it was lovely to revisit a place that is full of childhood memories.

My grandmother’s people were from Skerries and she inherited her Aunt Angie’s cottage in the town so I spent many summers there with my cousins, following in the footsteps of my dad and his 30 first cousins who used to descend on the town from Mountjoy Square every Sunday.

I have lovely memories of my parents putting the good armchairs from the front room into the back of my dad’s Volkswagen van and heading off for the day, me perched on a little deckchair in between the driver and passenger seat. The armchairs would be unloaded onto the beach and we’d all huddle behind a wind breaker in front of Bob’s Casino eating sandy sandwiches and ice cream.

The windbreaker is an essential piece of kit for anyone who frequents the Skerries beaches. Whilst I remember some hot days, I mostly remember the wind. As we would leave a sunny Dublin City to head to Skerries, you could see the clouds gather, feel the temperature drop and the wind pick up the closer we got to our destination. It never put us off though. There was always a stash of windbreakers in the cottage if things got really bad.

As I walked along the harbour with my own little family this weekend, a gust of wind blew sand into our eyes and mouths and the taste of Skerries stayed with me all the way home.