What is the nearest beach, lake swim or outdoor pool to Kildare Town?
Honest answer: Kildare is inland Ireland, and the sea is a proper outing, not a quick dip. The nearest strands are on the Dublin and Wicklow coast, about an hour's drive east when traffic behaves: Portmarnock and Donabate north of the city, or south to Greystones and Brittas Bay for longer sand. Allow the day for it rather than an hour. What Kildare offers instead is river and canal country built for walking, not swimming: the Barrow at Athy and Monasterevin, the canals at Robertstown. Swimming in the canals is not a local habit and the water at weirs is dangerous; take the coast road and do it properly.
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