Tyrella
A flat, gently shelving south-facing beach under the Mournes — small kickers, medium waves, and water you can stand in.
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● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- Flat, wide sand within a two-kilometre dune complex, with drive-on beach access.
- Wind
- ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW winds work here.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- Faces south, so it catches every bit of southerly windswell — small kickers for freestyle, medium waves for wave riding.
- The beach shelves so gently that onshore winds are manageable; you stay within your depth, which is why it suits both learners and freestylers.
- Drive-on beach access.
- Murlough next door is Ireland's first National Nature Reserve — stay off the dunes.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
- Best in
- SE, SSE, S
- Offshore (careful)
- N, NNE, NE, ENE, NW, NNW
- Wind quality
- clean
- Water
- Mixed
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Mid tide
- Spring range
- 4.4 m
Onshore southerlies here are manageable because the beach shelves so gently — you stay within your depth.
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Ideal
- Advanced
- Ideal
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- medium
current Dundrum Bay streams, and the Dundrum inner bay entrance to the east.
- medium
wildlife The Murlough dune system next door is Ireland's first National Nature Reserve.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Flat, wide sand within a two-kilometre dune complex, with drive-on beach access.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe, changing
Parking
- Tyrella Beach (drive-on)
paid
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- Seasonal lifeguard cover; Tyrella holds Blue Flag status.
- RNLI
- Newcastle RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Downe Hospital, Downpatrick (~20 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — excellent
The spot
Tyrella is a wide, flat, sandy beach set within a two-kilometre dune complex on the northern side of Dundrum Bay, with the Mourne Mountains behind it. It faces south, which means it catches every bit of southerly windswell — small kickers for freestylers, medium-sized waves for wave riders.
The gently shelving profile is what makes it work for everyone. Onshore winds, normally the risky direction, are manageable here because riders stay within their depth. There is drive-on beach access and seasonal lifeguard cover.
Murlough next door is Ireland's first National Nature Reserve; stay off the dunes.
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around Dundrum Bay, with different conditions.
- Murlough & Newcastle
Riding with Slieve Donard directly behind the beach.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- The Beach Guide — kitesurfing County Down
Checked 2026-09-07 · water, wind, skill
- Kitesurf Warehouse — kitesurfing Northern Ireland
Checked 2026-09-07 · conditions
- The Kitesurf Academy — Tyrella
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 54.2483, -5.7211. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.